:00:27. > :00:28.Hello and welcome to The Travel Show -
:00:29. > :00:30.coming to you this week from Kerala in southern India -
:00:31. > :00:34.One of the things that this part of the country is famous
:00:35. > :00:42.They ply the backwaters of towns like this one,
:00:43. > :00:45.called Alleppey, offering a unique view of rural Indian life.
:00:46. > :00:49.But what effect will all that to lose and have in the long run?
:00:50. > :00:55.And later on I'll also be discovering which is faster,
:00:56. > :01:00.man or machine, in the battle of the coconut tree
:01:01. > :01:14.Kerala's calling card is its unique backwaters.
:01:15. > :01:16.A labyrinth of canals, rivers and lakes, running 900km
:01:17. > :01:27.Now, I've been told that the best way to
:01:28. > :01:29.experience the true flavours of Alleppey and the surrounding
:01:30. > :01:32.backwaters is on one of these things - it's a houseboat.
:01:33. > :01:40.25 years ago the houseboat industry didn't exist,
:01:41. > :01:45.but in 1991 a tour operator saw the potential in modifying defunct
:01:46. > :01:52.It was an instant hit and revolutionised
:01:53. > :02:01.From humble beginnings, many now have
:02:02. > :02:01.state-of-the-art fixtures and fittings.
:02:02. > :02:10.Now, when you hear you're coming on a houseboat,
:02:11. > :02:13.you're not really sure what to expect, but this level
:02:14. > :02:19.the television, satellite TV, air con to keep you cool in that
:02:20. > :02:21.Indian heat, but what is really surprising -
:02:22. > :02:30.From just a handful of boats in the 90s there
:02:31. > :02:39.From just a handful of boats in the '90s
:02:40. > :02:41.there are now more than 1,000, offering people a unique insight
:02:42. > :02:43.into village life along the waterways.
:02:44. > :02:46.There was a very fast dramatic change in the region due to tourism.
:02:47. > :02:49.It has become big business for tour operators, like Biju George.
:02:50. > :02:52.What is the actual draw for a lot of tourists to come
:02:53. > :02:55.here and experience these backwaters?
:02:56. > :02:58.This region is called the Venice of the
:02:59. > :03:02.East, and the natural beauty of the region is one of the main
:03:03. > :03:05.attractions and is why people to come here to see
:03:06. > :03:09.I just noticed we have opened up to this huge lake here -
:03:10. > :03:15.It is the largest lake in southern India.
:03:16. > :03:19.It is almost 35km, a really huge lake.
:03:20. > :03:21.It almost looks like a sea, doesn't it?
:03:22. > :03:30.Would you like to try driving the boat?
:03:31. > :03:33.You want me to be in charge of this thing?
:03:34. > :03:40.Just give it a try and you can learn something.
:03:41. > :03:48.We are quite close to this boat, aren't we?
:03:49. > :04:06.Usually it is very relaxed, apart from trying to
:04:07. > :04:10.The houseboat industry has created incredible
:04:11. > :04:12.wealth for the region, and benefitted lots of locals,
:04:13. > :04:14.from boat builders and owners, to hoteliers and tour
:04:15. > :04:22.But what has been the cost to the environment?
:04:23. > :04:26.It looks like we have hit a bit of congestion,
:04:27. > :04:29.the problem being that most of these houseboats actually
:04:30. > :04:32.leave at the same time, so these riverways get packed up
:04:33. > :04:34.and pretty much act like superhighways for
:04:35. > :04:42.Where there is a high boom of tourism in a limited period
:04:43. > :04:45.of time, there is always the sustainability issue.
:04:46. > :04:48.So no one was prepared, or none of the systems
:04:49. > :04:51.were prepared, or aware of what we could do and how we can
:04:52. > :04:54.manage this, because everyone was thinking about the business
:04:55. > :04:56.No one ever thought about the sustainability
:04:57. > :05:02.Some say there has been an increase in pollution
:05:03. > :05:11.and that has affected the locals who depend on the backwaters.
:05:12. > :05:15.Early the next morning, I went to see for
:05:16. > :05:19.myself what impact environmental groups claim tourism is having
:05:20. > :05:28.These guys have obviously come out very early in the morning.
:05:29. > :05:30.The sun is still coming up, isn't it?
:05:31. > :05:35.They are pulling out the clams from the bottom of the lake.
:05:36. > :05:40.They come out early in the morning, around four o'clock,
:05:41. > :05:44.Campaigner Sudha Soni grew up around Lake Vembanad.
:05:45. > :06:01.Yes, and this has been going on for generations.
:06:02. > :06:03.So how does the pollution of the water affect
:06:04. > :06:09.One - the pollution of the water stunts the growth of the clam.
:06:10. > :06:12.The second thing - the rig that they put into the water
:06:13. > :06:15.to collect the clam, the net that is attached to it
:06:16. > :06:19.sometimes brings up the waste that is thrown into the lake.
:06:20. > :06:33.Sudha is working in conjunction with the environmental
:06:34. > :06:35.group Tourism Concern on a new system of enforced
:06:36. > :06:36.regulations and certification for houseboats.
:06:37. > :06:38.She believes they cause much of the damage.
:06:39. > :06:41.Tour operators sitting abroad don't know what kind of boat
:06:42. > :06:43.it is, so when this particular emblem is there, this particular
:06:44. > :06:46.certification is there, they are sort of confident, yes.
:06:47. > :06:48.And that will make it more credible and
:06:49. > :06:56.And one of the benefits of travelling by river is that
:06:57. > :06:59.whatever it tickles your fancy along the banks, you can
:07:00. > :07:05.I've decided this church looks pretty beautiful,
:07:06. > :07:16.Kerala has some of the oldest Catholic churches in India.
:07:17. > :07:28.This hidden gem in Alleppey was founded in the fifth century.
:07:29. > :07:33.But ultimately it's the houseboats that have given
:07:34. > :07:41.We have again from all over the world but, to be precise,
:07:42. > :07:46.maybe from Europe, from Australia, from the US, and even
:07:47. > :07:48.from the Middle East, because that is the
:07:49. > :07:53.Jobin Akkarakalam runs some of the largest and most
:07:54. > :08:02.His vessels are registered on the government scheme
:08:03. > :08:04.which awards classification certificates for
:08:05. > :08:12.The government has got gold star, green
:08:13. > :08:14.The government has got a gold star, green
:08:15. > :08:17.star classification given to the houseboats.
:08:18. > :08:19.They have regular inspections from the government authorities.
:08:20. > :08:21.They have the pollution control board inspecting our boats.
:08:22. > :08:37.But not all boat owners are currently signed up
:08:38. > :08:40.to the scheme, and environmentalists are calling for all boats to have
:08:41. > :08:42.compulsory checks, to protect the people and wildlife
:08:43. > :08:47.This could really be one of the most sustainable tourism products
:08:48. > :08:52.This could be an example for a lot of other destinations in different
:08:53. > :08:58.If we can adopt a new system to maintain the entire region,
:08:59. > :09:25.And if you're thinking of heading the southern India any time soon,
:09:26. > :09:29.Coming up later on in the programme, I find out what it takes to become
:09:30. > :09:31.one of Kerala's top coconut tree climbers.
:09:32. > :09:35.The Travel Show - your essential guide,
:09:36. > :10:04.To learn more about it I have come here to meet a man whose family have
:10:05. > :10:22.been performing the dance for the past 100 years. How are you? This is
:10:23. > :10:31.your theatre. Amazing. It turns the performers into supernatural beings,
:10:32. > :10:35.gods and demons. The process of applying the make-up can take many
:10:36. > :10:42.hours and it is applied in front of the audience here and forms part of
:10:43. > :10:49.the performance. There is a singer who sings the stories. The river is
:10:50. > :10:53.flowing. Then there is a drummer who supports.
:10:54. > :11:11.The dancer translates these songs through the movement of eyebrows,
:11:12. > :11:14.eyes, fingers, let's. -- lips. And all these stories come from the
:11:15. > :11:25.Indian books. Originally developed as a way of
:11:26. > :11:28.teaching religious scripture to rule audiences, Kathakali is now also a
:11:29. > :11:39.big draw for tourists coming here to Carol. -- Kerela. On cure is to
:11:40. > :11:44.know, how do you tell a story with your eyebrows, your cheeks, your
:11:45. > :11:49.lips and your fingers, can you teach me -- I'm curious. Kathakali
:11:50. > :11:56.language... This is the position of the hand. Show me a little segment
:11:57. > :12:01.of how you would use the alphabet to tell the story.
:12:02. > :12:05.And so with the eye movements, what different types of eye
:12:06. > :12:13.Rolling the eyes, you can see he is getting excited.
:12:14. > :12:24.I think it is me being an amateur but when I tried to do it,
:12:25. > :12:29.my vision blurs, but your vision does not blur.
:12:30. > :12:38.I am focusing up here, that is why I am cross-eyed!
:12:39. > :12:46.Once you combine the facial expressions with hand gestures,
:12:47. > :12:49.then you have a classic Kathakali sentence, but something tells me,
:12:50. > :13:03.I have got some way to go before I could ever be understood.
:13:04. > :13:23.Team those moves with some fancy footwork and you have a performance,
:13:24. > :13:49.Imagine with all the make-up on, the full regalia, probably about 100
:13:50. > :14:01.people looking at you and that Indian heat to challenge you,
:14:02. > :14:05.about 47 degrees, I think, but the scrutiny of every single
:14:06. > :14:07.step and tiny movement, I will crack under pressure.
:14:08. > :14:08.Traditionally, a classic Kathakali performance,
:14:09. > :14:11.will run for many hours, sometimes a whole night,
:14:12. > :14:16.but some modern audiences have shorter attention spans
:14:17. > :14:25.You know, the original one goes throughout the night.
:14:26. > :14:30.Everything is detailed, everything is intricate,
:14:31. > :14:33.and nowadays, we are adapting it for a one and a half
:14:34. > :14:47.So in a way, we lose our originality, what has been done
:14:48. > :14:55.throughout the night, that is not being shown now.
:14:56. > :14:59.But whether the performance is a marathon length all night
:15:00. > :15:01.or something more contained, the highlight of the show is always
:15:02. > :15:03.the appearance onstage of Pacca, wearing his traditional
:15:04. > :15:06.And using steps originally choreographed hundreds of years ago
:15:07. > :15:20.to entertain and captivate audiences of today.
:15:21. > :15:24.To end this week, Kerala is the coconut capital of India,
:15:25. > :15:28.because more are harvested here than any other state.
:15:29. > :15:31.I have come to find out what it takes to become
:15:32. > :15:46.In Kerala there are coconut trees almost everywhere.
:15:47. > :15:49.The state produces 6 billion coconuts annually,
:15:50. > :15:55.that is nearly one for every man, woman and child in the entire world.
:15:56. > :16:10.And incredibly, most of them are still picked by hand.
:16:11. > :16:14.This is one of Kerala's premier coconut pickers.
:16:15. > :16:19.It takes him just seconds to shimmy all the way up the slender trunk.
:16:20. > :16:36.And you did it like it was a Sunday stroll.
:16:37. > :16:41.You are pretty much half my age added on, I should be able to do
:16:42. > :16:45.I do not know whether that will be the case.
:16:46. > :16:47.How many coconuts does he collect a day?
:16:48. > :16:55.Some home stays in Kerala are now teaching tourists the art of coconut
:16:56. > :16:59.tree climbing so let us see if I am up to the challenge.
:17:00. > :17:04.I want to hoist myself up but my arms, they just
:17:05. > :17:24.The numbers of climbers have fallen dramatically as the younger
:17:25. > :17:30.generation have gradually moved away from manual jobs.
:17:31. > :17:34.I think it is a bit of a marathon, you have to think of it
:17:35. > :17:37.as a marathon, you have 20 good metres to climb and if you run out
:17:38. > :17:46.of strength halfway, it is not going to be pretty.
:17:47. > :17:54.My feet, I think it is because I have got soft everything,
:17:55. > :18:05.The coconut industry is worth billions of dollars,
:18:06. > :18:07.so the decline of manual climbers has called
:18:08. > :18:24.The state government has tried everything from competitions
:18:25. > :18:27.to prize-money to find a machine that can entice people back
:18:28. > :18:32.This one invented by a local farmer has proved relatively
:18:33. > :19:06.You have got a lot less stress on your toes and your hands
:19:07. > :19:09.themselves, but getting this motion right is making me
:19:10. > :19:33.It does make it a little bit easier, I've got to say.
:19:34. > :19:38.The old method versus this new one - what do you think?
:19:39. > :19:49.Over here we have the traditional tree
:19:50. > :19:51.climbers, who will be using the ropes round
:19:52. > :19:56.Over on this side, we have the mechanically assisted.
:19:57. > :19:59.We're going to find out who is the fastest, so...
:20:00. > :20:09.They are pretty much neck and neck at the moment.
:20:10. > :20:19.Actually the mechanically assisted are going a little bit faster...
:20:20. > :20:25.There we go, and they are switching, and the turnover is a little...
:20:26. > :20:34.Wow, the traditional climbers are doing very well indeed.
:20:35. > :20:47.The mechanical one has a little bit of a problem coming down.
:20:48. > :21:25.How does victory taste, boys?
:21:26. > :21:34.Sadly, that's all the time we have for this week,
:21:35. > :21:48.but join us next week if you can, when...
:21:49. > :21:53.Carmen is in northern Peru at a nature reserve where she will meet
:21:54. > :21:57.these guys, the endangered spectacled bears. It's incredible to
:21:58. > :22:00.be so close to a bear. There's no gate, there's no fence separating
:22:01. > :22:07.us. She's just there a few metres away. That's all coming up next
:22:08. > :22:10.week. But don't forget, you can join us on all of our travels wherever we
:22:11. > :22:13.are in the world by following our social media feeds. All the details
:22:14. > :22:18.should be on your screens now. But for me, and the rest of the travel
:22:19. > :22:39.show team here in Kera will, a, it's goodbye!
:22:40. > :22:42.Before I get to the UK forecast, news of that dangerous situation
:22:43. > :22:44.in the United States, in Florida, as Hurricane Hermine barrels
:22:45. > :22:48.through the north of the state, Thursday night and into Friday
:22:49. > :22:51.This shows you the bright colours on the rainfall forecast,