A closer look

Steering a massive, thatched-roof barge through southern India’s tight waterways requires the precision of a surgeon and the patience of a saint. The traditional 'kettuvallams' of Kerala’s Alappuzha district have been transformed from rice barges into floating boutique hotels. Navigating the dense water hyacinths and narrow palm-fringed canals is a chaotic ballet that turns standard river cruising into an extreme contact sport.