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At a quiet spot just outside the small town of KARUNAGAPALLI, 23km north of Kollam on NH-47 towards Alappuzha, it's possible to watch the construction of traditional kettu vallam ("tied boats"). These long cargo boats, a familiar sight on the backwaters, are built entirely without the use of nails. Each jack wood plank is sewn to the next with coir rope, and then the whole is coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels. With careful maintenance they last for generations. Karunagapalli is best visited as a day-trip from Kollam; regular buses pass through on the way to Alappuzha. One daytime train,#6525, leaves Kollam at 11.55am, arriving at Karunagapalli at 12.30pm, but you have to get a bus back. On reaching the bus stand or railway station, ask an auto-rickshaw to take you to the boatyard of the vallam asharis, the boat carpenters (4km northwest). The boat builders are friendly and willing to let visitors watch them work. In the shade of palm trees at the edge of the water, some weave palm leaves, others twist coir strands into rope, and craftsmen repair the boats. Soaking in the shallows nearby are palm leaves, to use for thatch, and coconut husks for coir rope. If you want to buy a vallam you'll need around two lakh (200,000) rupees; a far cheaper alternative is to hire these boats by the day or on longer overnight trips.
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