After Breakfast proceed to Alappuzha, or the erstwhile Alleppey, is a very visible landmark on the tourism map of Kerala, thanks to its popularity as the hub of Kerala’s houseboat cruises. A labyrinth of canals that criss-cross the city, has won Alappuzha the eponym, the Venice of the East. The canals that once buzzed with commercial vibrance and hosted an unending traffic of canopied boats that carried cargo of yore, have become lackluster, flowing by unhurriedly, a mute witness to the dilapidation of the city that happened when its status as the premier port deserted it. The endless stretch of palm fringed bunds and causeways that keep the sea at bay and flank the entire route of the famous house boat cruises, set up an idyllic setting for the traveller.