Snake boat races - 2009

Strikesure

Just back from Kerala and thought I'd update the world whilst the memory lingers.

The local tourist board blokes at the DTPC sell the tickets priced at an incredible 1,500 (no shade, so avoid) 2,000 (shade) and 3,000 Rs. The DTPC blokes said they'd throw in food as well but as they said it my mind went "Oh yeah, and how the heck is that going to work" and I wasn't let down

Do not choose the 1,500 tickets since, from where we were sitting, you get nothing. There also seems to be little benefit in paying a Keralan fortune for the 3,000. The 2,000 provided shaded seating with the front seats on small concrete jetties separated from low banked rows of plastic chairs beyond a path. These jetty chais are the seats to get. Anything further back becomes rapidly obscured as the day goes on and the policing gets slacker and the crowds start to gate crash. The back row of seats on the concrete jetty bits are also to be avoided because the crazed youth start to hang off the backs of the chairs and eventually barge past. So, the upshot is: you have to get there to get a seat on the jetties by no later than 10:00 and earlier the better.

The thing kicks off at 12:00 (I think) and the last race is at about 18:00 so it is an incredibly long day with little chance of getting out of your seat to get a drink or something to eat - so take it all with you and I have no idea what would happen if you needed to go to the loo.

I suspect that unless you were with someone who knew what they were talking about and so you had some local interest in a team then the day becomes a chore towards the end. I know this sounds heretical but once you have seen three or four of the heats race by then, I'd suggest, you've seen the lot. We pushed off at about 5:30 as we'd taken about as much wrestling with gate crashing youth as we could stand.

Finally, the question is: is it worth the money for a specacle that you will get bored with after 3 hours wait and 4 hours racing?

On the other side of the course were a load of moored up house boats which I suspect is the way to crack this event (no crowds pushing past, access to food and drink and a chance to kick back an snooze one it all becomes a bit too much) but they I have no idea how expensive they are.

Nick-H

Kerala has a number of races; are you talking about the Nehru Cup race, which is held in Alleppey, on the second Saturday of every August?

Strikesure

Ooops, yep, sorry!

Nick-H

Did you sit on that island, where the seats for VIPs, tourists, etc are? Looks like the prices have gone up a great deal since I went in 2004.I'd agree entirely, although I suspect that this is the nature of a lot of sporting events! I was given a (then Rs500) ticket for the island, but wished I'd been on the bank, where I could have come and gone and wandered around. I was staying at a resort on the lakeside, and the most interesting part was seeing the boats being prepared the previous day.

Departure from the island, at the end of the event, was the most frightening crowd event I have been in. Although no boat was there, the collectively-moronic crowd continues to push forward towards the small jetty. Very dangerous for those at the front!

Strikesure

Nick-H, no we avoided the island, party as a result of what people had written here and partly as the tickets were not offered.

We were staying up the course and there was a boat yard next door where they were preparing a snake boat and I'd agreee this bit and the after race activity was the most enjoyable.

I'd like to hear from someone who walked the bank as I suspect it does give you more freedom but at the risk of getting steamrollered into the river.