Day 11: The lonely waterways with helpful people.

Day 11; - Veliancode to Rairamangalam (Tanur) via Ponnani, Mangalam Koottayi regulator.

NOTE : Pictures courtesy Jibin Thomas,  Mathew Varughese & Murugan Krishnan 

Beeyam Kayal, South Ponnani.

We had a peaceful sleep under the mango tree and Balan chettan was early to help us. The morning coffee was ready and the camp closed as we took turns moving the kayaks using the trolleys to the edge of the Canolly canal, 150meters away. After all kayaks were assembled and ready to launch, we noticed that the low tide was at its peak and the kayaks had to be slid down the embankment to avoid the fine mud. The previous day, we had struggled to climb up through the slippery compound. The plan was to get the kayaks rigged, the kayaker taking position in the cockpit and then launching with a slide. For many of us, this was the first time of slide launching. Mathew hit upon the idea of using the stalk of the coconut palm to make the slide, to avoid damage to the hull.

Reaching the embankment, Ponnani

Crossing the embankment, Ponnani

After the launch that was uneventful, we set off towards Ponnani. By dawn we had entered Beeyam Kayaal and now tracked westward to enter the canal that cut across Ponnani town. This was the stretch that we had inspected the day before. As we searched the narrow entrance and turned north, we hit upon the first check dam, erected to help with broadening of the canal. Locals at the nearby tea shop joined to help us. We relaunched on the other side of the embankment and continued across Ponnani town. The place is overcrowded with people and fishing vessels of all kind. The canal in this stretch was dirty & stinky; one could see discharge from homes directly emptying into it. Appalled to see folks also rod fishing in the same waters.We raced to overcome the suffocation and were so careful in paddling, to avoid any water from the canal falling on us. What does one tell poor people about environment when they are running to feed their families.

Reaching the Bharathapuzha estuary.

It was such a relief to see the Bharatapuzha river, as she meets the sea. We waited for all the ten kayakers to come together before making the crossing North. The estuary was being churned by wind from the sea and waves looked intimidating. Taking up the point to hit on the other shore we paddled frantically. The experience was the toughest of the entire trip for some of us. You take your eyes off to look for a fellow or the horizon, the next wave would push you off balance. It took a good ten minutes for us to cross over and having done so, we looked out to make sure the roost was intact. Crossing northward we saw fishing boats getting readied for the sea sojourn. 

Shallow waters, North of Ponnani.

The water was shallow and full of sand, looked beautiful, for it was low tide. Women were wading to pick on clams and crayfish; while men worked relentlessly to push the boats to deeper water. Fishing boats coming in were renewing the crew, the old ones being hauled in boats to the shore. We pushed on with the information about a tea shop near Purathur Juma-Masjid, where all the fishermen coming back from sea were heading. As we came landing, a large crowd started congregating, with talk on what the display was. 

The breakfast break, near Purathur Juma-Masjid.

Local kids, near Purathur Juma-Masjid

Being in camouflage helps in these situations as there is an air of respect for uniformed folks. The scene was now set for leaving the kayaks securely as Rakshit shouted captains command in Hindi, as he marched for his breakfast with his juniors following suit. We got directions from the locals and after the breakfast set off to find the narrow Canolly canal.

Observers on the walkway.

We pushed on and passed a huge cable suspended walkway and came to a halt at Mangalam Koottayi regulator bridge. The regulator controls flow and keeps the upstream saline free during the post-monsoon months. 

Mangalam Koottayi regulator bridge

The kayaks were hauled overland and we got them relaunched on the other side from a house courtyard, that was the first convenient place we found. The place was littered with boulders and the whole relaunch looked precarious.  

Relaunching kayaks on the other side of Mangalam Koottayi regulator bridge

We paddled on to reconnect with Canolly canal. This canal built by more than 150 years ago, is an engineering marvel and stands in disuse today. All along the canal bank we saw huge coconut plantations and not a soul  or a boat; using the canal. We tried our luck with plucker atop the tree for tender coconuts and our luck finally caught up. In the tropical heat, nothing can beat the tender coconut water. We paddled on and the sun was at the zenith, it was hot and humid. 

Canolly Canal, built in 1848, splendid; yet, unused.

Taking rest in coconut grove.

All along the canal at periodic intervals we saw small sheds and later realized that these were racing pigeon huts, that saw the hobbyist come in the morning and evening to take care of the birds. It was now close to 2PM, when we got stuck due to water hyacinth in the water.

Hauling ashore near the pigeon shed.

We pulled over and waited for the school to send us a bus for the function. The intermittent time was spent looking up the bird keepers and understanding their hobby. It took another 45minutes for the bus to appear, with kids carrying placards on conservation, with teachers and Gopu(our overland co-ordinator). 

We took a brief for the kids and then took the bus to attend the school function. Half of our colleagues stayed back, parking the kayaks in a grove. None of us had lunch and the school function was already late. The school was located in Rairamangalam, right next to the Ratheeb Palli(mosque) and it was past 3:30PM, when we reached the school. 

The school function was a success as lot of kids stayed back to hear our pitch and stories, even after the school gets over at 4PM. After the function we bought lunch and headed back to the grove. It was past 530PM, when we had lunch. The next challenge was to move the kayaks to a suitable camp site and it was suggested that we move them to the school. The ideas was scrapped as the distance from school to the canal was more than 300meters and the landscape was not suitable for trolley. The locals were extremely helpful, with the family staying in the grove sending a steady supply of hot tea.

Helpful locals loading kayaks for transfer to Tanur.

The decision was made to move the kayaks to a home next to the canal and we being late, agreed the departure could happen past 5:30AM the next day. It was 10PM, when we got a small truck to get all the kayaks to the storage location. We trouped to school and Deepu had got dinner, that was much less for 10 hungry stomachs. The toll of waiting in a grove without food had beaten some of us hard. After the bath and quick dinner, we went to sleep, using school benches arranged sideways as bed. The day was long and tiring, we had covered 32Kilometer.

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Day 9 & 10 - The locks, regulators and tempers!

Day 9: Edaithiruthy to Chavakkadu, via Thriprayar, Kandashankadavu & Chetuva.

NOTE: Pictures courtesy Mathew Vurghese, Jibin Thomas & Murugan Krishnan

The streets were completely empty and the night was peaceful, either we were too tired to hear the dogs bark or they did no bark at all! We got up with constant walking near the tent and  realized that the local hotel owner was walking to the tap in the church compound, back and forth. Few of us went to see what the guy was preparing and were surprised to see "Kattipathri"; a rice cake delicacy, not commonly available. We had one, then two and finally ended up having twenty of them getting packed for the trip.

Kattipathiri - Local delicacy  at Edaithiruthy.

Paddling along, south of Thriparayar.

The coffee that day was a damp squib; all of us had Kattipathiri and Tea at the same place. It was close to 5:00AM, when we moved the Kayaks through the Edathiruthy market to the canal. The Canal here is neat, as the locals care for them. We met the local shop owner who was getting ready for the days chores. He shared how they avoid duping anything into the canal and try to incinerate garbage. With headlights we launched the kayaks into the narrow dark canal. The advanced party had seven and they had gone a little ahead and the second group had three. Kaushiq suddenly called from the back as he hit a submerged pylon of an overhead bridge that was in disuse. The impact literally got his kayak to go over and he had managed to stabilize the situation. It was a scary start to the day as we pushed further. The canal was narrow with large trees and overgrowth on both banks; it was not long that we entered the main river; wide and beautiful. We pushed on appreciating the arriving day accompanied with cacophony of sounds from wetland birds.

Murugan chatting with local racing boat owners, south of Thriparayar.

On to our left we saw two boats moored on the banks and their shape indicated they were special. We pulled close to have a better look and the small house situated on the bank came alive. The two boats were used for racing and had won many accolades; we exchanged our thought on hull design and said our goodbyes to the family.

Thriprayar Temple, one of the few Ramayana stream temples in Kerala.

We moved on and to our left came the famous Thriparayar Temple; one of the few in Kerala that represent the epic Ramayana. Kerala temples are more aligned to the epic Mahabharata with Lord Krishna as the main deity in most temples. The morning temple puja procession was going around with percussion and Rakshit could not resist pulling over. He scaled the temple wall to reach the main compound  as the others pushed on for the Kappikada (local tea shop).

Backwaters south of Chettuva

Here the river is palm fringed and inhabited on both the sides, yet much cleaner than in south Kerala. We kept checking with locals and it was near the Thalikulam Muttichur Bridge that we stopped for breakfast. It was a tiny place right next to the Madrasa that could barely accommodate three or four people inside. We trickled in as other reached the Thalikulam Muttichur Bridge.

Beautiful house near Kandashankadavu, Trichur.

We later heard that Rakshit after offering his prayers at the Temple tried jumping over the fence to get back to his Kayak and was stopped by the security guards. They took him for a psychologically disturbed person, trying to kill himself by jumping into the river. Murugan and others persuaded the security folks and Rakshit was back in the Kayak. After the breakfast we pushed on crossing Kandashankadavu Bridge, our destination was Chetuva Backwaters. The breakfast was not that great and Kandashanakadavu offered a better alternative, which we had missed.

Backwaters, south of Chettuva.

We pushed on and slowly as we made our way to Chettuva backwaters. All along the bank, huge coconut palms swayed in the breeze and stretched as far as the eyes could see. Occasionally you would see a house, jetty or a place of worship. Fishermen were in plenty and would be amazed to see the group on boats they had never seen. Some of them wanted the Paddle, some wanted the Kayaks as they imagined innovative ways they could be put to use.

Kajaman resorts, Chettuva.

National Highway over the backwaters, Chettuva.

It was close to noon as we saw the Kajaman Resort and the bridge further down, which was our destination for the day. The mangrove forest and the backwaters here make for an amazing view. Gopu and Anoop were helping us land and Dani had pulled past all of us to make the first landing. The day was taking its toll, it was hot and the sun was already baking! We pulled into the tourism complex and restaurant next to the bridge. The place was littered with clam shells, making it very risky to walk bare foot. One by one the kayaks and the paddlers were hauled up the jetty as and when they arrived. The boats were plucked and placed neatly as we settled in for the day.

Meeting with local representatives, KTDC, Chettuva.

The post lunch program was lined up with the local MLA and nature conservation folks. We did not feel comfortable at the KTDC property as it lacked basic facilities. Few of us took time to wash clothes and have a shower. After lunch the need for a better place grew louder and two of our folks went with the Mathrubhumi team to scout for a place near Chavakaddu. The team came back having identified an Ayurvedic Resort after Chavakaddu town, the time was past 5:00PM and another six kilometers to go.

The mangroves the group planted at Chettuva.

After a little bit of confusion we decided to move and after planting mangrove saplings at the boat jetty, we pushed on for Chavakaddu. As soon as we entered the Conolly canal, there was a lock and no operator to help us pass thorough. Kaushiq had taken contact details of the local MLA from our last event; he called him seeking help to open the locks. The locks at Chettuva are electrically operated and need one person to manage it.

The locks at Chettuva, heading north.

The lock operator had gone home for some personal work and small kids took the initiative to get him. It was festival as a lot of folks congregated to know what the fuss was; all of them ready to help. They were astonished to know that we were kayaking from so far away and that; the waterways could be used to travel! Few of us got help and moved on to the other side. Kaushiq had a point that if the waterways have to be navigable, the locks should be operational. The lock operator appeared and with cheer from the crowd, let the second group in. We thanked all of them for their help and moved on. We had hardly paddled for half a kilometer when the weeds cut us off. What surprised us most was that a section of people who had helped us at the lock were also there.

Local kids, who helped us to carry our kayaks over Hyacinth filled waters, north of Chettuva.

They knew about the weeds and had come on two wheelers to help us. We pulled the kayak ashore and launched them about hundred meters ahead. We said our goodbyes, paddled on as it was getting dark. Headlights were on and the red blinkers of the group going in swamp like situation looked true from some Hollywood movie. Dogs barked as we paddled on and locals came out with their torchlight to find out what the commotion was. Weeds covered at many places and we cut though as a snake making its way through water, one following the other in close quarters. It was pitch dark, when we crossed the bridge near Chavakkadu Town.  We pushed on and one could not avoid polluted water full of animal offal. It was Gopu who helped us home into the resort which we had identified. Few of us looked forward to having a hot shower for the kind of water we had paddled through.

Murugan handing over the book at the Ayurveda resort.

The Ayurvedic resort was kind enough to accommodate us as our initial requirement for one room grew to three. After the hot shower and dinner we hunkered down; Three per room, with Raj deciding to camp in a tent. It was a long day, the good thing was we covered one third of the next day’s target. The decision was to sleep till 5:00AM and leave leisurely!

Day 10: Chavakkadu to Viliancode via Punnayur & Mannalamkunnu. 

The beautiful landscape, north of Chavakkadu.

Good habits die hard and it was 4:30AM, when we all woke up. Things were slow and it was 5:45AM, when we had got all the kayaks into the Conolly canal. The landscape was amazing, it looked as though a thousand bonsai trees were floating in water, lush green and no sight of humanity. We moved on soaking in the amazing views nature had orchestrated for us. The silence was broken by Pappu who called out as he had sighted some animal. We all trouped in and were amazed to see fresh water otters on the shore. They popped their head to have a look at us and disappeared. Fresh water otters were spread across Kerala and have disappeared except for few places. Urbanization and the Malayalees desire for bigger homes are adding to habitat loss.

Rich mans filth for the poorest of people, north of Chavakkadu.

We moved on and the canal now took a sharp right turn. The call for breakfast amplified as we saw settlements, but there was no luck. What we got instead was a long stretch of canal full of decaying hyacinth and animal offal of all kind. The water here was stagnant, fowl smelling and the poorest of the society were the sufferers. These people for no action of theirs were dealing with an issue that stood at the altar of rich man’s hypocrisy. The rich have a lifestyle that indirectly pollutes and decimates nature; we were staring into that mess! This one stretch created so much soul searching that Pappu decided never to eat chicken. In a literate state as Kerala, individuals and governments are failing the society. There is no ownership for all the animal waste that’s created and there is no oversight from the Government.

Canolly Canal, en route to Veliancode.

We scuttled fast to cross this stretch of the Conolly Canal, which is straight, devoid of any human activity and flanked by coconut plantations on both the banks. We were lucky to find four peacocks as we paddled, the only knowledge about free reigning Peacocks we had was in the district of Palghat; you never know the surprises nature throws at you! We moved on and reaching Punnayur got excited to hike to a hotel, and get disappointed. Disappointed as the local hotels were tiny and served bleached wheat oily patties called "Parrota"; that is now unfortunately the state food of Kerala - having a rubber like texture without any nutritional value whatsoever! As we decided to move on, an old man was so enthralled by the Kayaks that he wanted a ride. Kaushiq obliged before the team reversed the plan. We generally do not get strangers on to the Kayak, lest something happens and we get stranded. We pushed for a short distance to stop near a bridge near Mannalamkunnu. A bunch of kids were playing and we took help from the eldest, Muhammad to watch over the kayak.

Locals at Mannalamkunnu, Mohamed, first from left.

We trouped to a hotel near the Mannalumkunnu bus stand for a great breakfast. Local youths were intrigued as always; wanted to come along to see what Kayaks were and  help us launch.The local youth we had met at Mannalamkunnu shared how they get threatened by meat sellers, when they object to offal being dumped in the water bodies. It was an hour after we had met Muhammad that we came back to the bridge and after answering the queries of the local folks, pushed for our destination Veliancode.

The canal is so lonely in this stretch; overhead bridges are pain points and advertise their arrival with foul smell. We had difficulty in crossing one particular bridge as offal dumped in gunny bags had chocked the water flow! We moved on and appreciated stretches that were absolutely clean. One dreads paddling on these waterways close to festivals as a lot of animals get culled and offal dumped in the canal. Animal offal is good manure if safely discarded; it can be buried under tree as manure. Looks like on one has duties in Kerala, yet, all of them have rights. The sun was coming to its peak; we started to inquire for our destination and chance of getting tender coconut.

Beautiful Canolly at Veliancode.

We moved on, and found Rakshit, in conversation with a lady on the canal bank. He did not know Malayalam (the local language) and she for sure had no clue of Hindi! Rakshit confidently flagged the others down for tender coconut was promised! The lady appeared with no coconuts and confirmed that this is Veliancode; Manoj's house is here, please stop! Manoj was Jibin's friend who had offered us his empty home for camping.

Campsite at Veliancode

Rahul(second from left) with his friends.

We were at our destination and the slippery slope is all that stood in our way of calling it a day. One by one, we helped each other come up and plucked the kayaks. We moved all kayaks using trolley to set up camp under a large Mango tree. The place was next to a temple, thanks to the help from local lad Rahul.

Helpful Balanchetan.

We settled down and were met by Balaksrishnan Chetan, the caretaker for Manoj's property. Balanchetan (the way he is called in short) came with tender coconuts and showed us the place. We took turns to get fresh, many of us improvising to beat the lack of power by using the well and open place to have a shower; Kerala style!               

Papu washing clothes for the first time by hand, in his life!

Lunch came with Gopu and being a Sunday, a special program was arranged in Ponnani Town, were kids from an orphanage had come to meet us. We were delighted to see a cross section of local leaders, Kaushiq’s friend Brijesh Saijal, at the school and the kids, who enjoyed our pitch. 

Kids at the local program, Ponnani.

We were informed about temporary check dams built on the canal, that we plan to paddle the next day. After the school program, we went to see first-hand, how the check dams were and did not find them concerning.  On the way back to the camp, we stopped for tea and munch some local delicacies, few packed for the folks who were at the camp. Two of our friends got into an altercation and egos got hurt! Tempers flared in the camp and things really got nearly fistful. Increasing participation was always a desire; yet different personalities that come and the friction it can create were factors we had anticipated. The challenge here was it was coming from the most unexpected quarters! We had things under control by the time the dinner was served.

Kaushiq helping the camp fire.

Raj had a family emergency, his Daughter was sick and he had to rush home. A cab was arranged for Raj to travel home in Cochin. The kayak had to be moved to the next location and Kaushiq asked Fijas, his instructor at Jellyfish club to join us. It was past dinner when Fijas joined us, he was known to all of us for he was of support for the prep sessions we did. . There was no electricity and hence we had candlelight, until Balanchetans Brother got us a LED emergency lamp, which we strung on the mango tree. Avoiding the coconut trees we pitched the tents and went to siesta! It was a long action filled day, from the Otter to the stretch filled with waste, reaching Veliancode to see tempers flare. The day was pretty easy and we covered 18KM.

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Day 5 & 6 - The tale of two chruches - Mattel & Cruz Millagres.

Day 5: Kumarakom - Thaneermukkom, Thavanakadavu, Aroor

NOTE : Pictures courtesy Mathew Vurghese, Jibin Thomas & Murugan Krishnan


It was 3:00AM when we woke up and Mathew's Mother was ready with the Kadunkappi (Black coffee). Black coffee forms the norm of early morning habituate in central Travancore. We all got ready and as the kayaks got rigged, we were ready to move.

Happy birthday to you.....Mathew cutting Birthday cake at Kumarakkom.

The cake for Mathew (remember it’s his birthday) was placed on a Kayak with lighted candles as someone called out to Mathew to say we were good to go! After the birthday celebration, one by one we took the kayak to the waterfront, 50meters from Mathew's house. The first group departed with headlights helping the motorized fishing crafts steer clear of us in the narrow canal that would take us to the Vembanadu Lake, past the boat jetty at Kumarakom. The lake was still, blinkers on the fishing boats and the gill nets markers they had deployed made navigation tough. The only hope was to deploy the compass and use dead reckoning. After many stops to discuss the bearing, keeping the moon on to our left was agreed as the right course to reach the western end of Taneermukkam bund. The backwaters were endless, we had left Mathew's place at 4:00AM and had to paddle 10KM to reach the locks. As we passed 5:30AM, a fisherman gave us the course to follow and there was relief for we were on the right track. For the first time, lack of a GPS device was felt; imagine how not far in our past, navigation was an art of science! We felt humbled for not being able to spot the north star thanks to our ignorance and for light pollution.

The locks opening at Thaneermukkom Bund.

Waiting for locks to open on the other side.

We had left Kumarakom as two groups and the forward party were six of us. It was tiring as Taneermukkam bund came into view and few of us trouped to the local market, seeking a tea to balm the early morning confusion and effort! Tea and breakfast are time consuming affairs and our past experience told us that we should push on. Gopu, the co-ordinator has visited the lock office the day before and hence we had support crossing the locks, manned by six government employees! Kaushiq recalled how locks in the United Kingdom were electrically operated. We waited for the second group to join us and as they were not in sight, we decided to cross the bund. The six of us got into the lock and were released into the saline water on the other side. The Kerala Dredging corporation and tourism offices were on our left and last  year we had pulled over to visit a good local Kappikada(local tea shop), it was 630AM and we decided to push on for Thavanakadavu for the breakfast halt, which was another 10KM ahead. Thavanakadavu is on the other side of the temple town of Vaikom.

Endless kayal, north of Thaneermukkom Bund

A ferry connects Vaikom to Thavanakadavu and is a bustling place.  We paddled on passing fishermen and clam extractors and it was past 8:00AM when we saw the ferry.

Pappu - The youngest member of the kayaking team.

We realized that Pappu (the youngest) had paddled so far off that he would miss the breakfast stop. We were close to Thavanakadavu and were asking the locals for any Kappikada, which was nearby. One of us had to paddle hard to reach Pappu and we did so close to the jetty.

Boat jetty at Thavanakadavu.

Pulling into the boat and bus jetty/stand, we moored the kayaks and headed for some good breakfast at the local Kappikada. Appam, puttu, kadalakari and muttaroast went down with gulps of sweet tea. The newly inaugurated toilet was a blessing. In between we had a call from the second team telling about them losing the bearing for the bund and Dani having dropped an expensive camera into water, which was retrieved! They updated us about having breakfast at the Kappikada next to the bund and told us to keep going.

Mattel Palli (Church), near Thavanakadavu.

It was 9:30AM when we set paddling with the Mattel church as our intermediate waypoint. Mattel church is the places were St. Thomas’s holy cross was found after being lost. Mattel church stands on a Thuruth (Mudflat with overgrowth that is almost flooded during high tide) and had few dogs that sounded ferocious. We took pictures of the place and pushed on with Aroor as our destination. The backwaters here is beautiful and vast, and the low tide made us feel as though we were gliding on a smooth slope with its incline toward Kochi. Fishermen have placed bamboo poles, across the backwater for attaching gill nets and the same poles form hangouts for fish to be reeled in. 

Jankar service, Mekkekadavu Nerekadavu, North of Vaikkom.

The only traffic we saw here were the Jankar service and the occasional speed boat, that we imagined were competing against the chokked roads in Kerala.  The imaginary incline we felt seemed to mesmerize Rakshit, he took off and repeated what Papu did and disappeared from view. It was well past 11:00AM when we made our left at Kaithapuzha Kayal and entered Achanthuruthu shortcut; we paddled on to re-join the backwaters. As we exited the Thuruth, there was no sight of Rakshit. Raj took the time to call the port officials at Cochin and as agreed during his meeting, told about our planned arrival at the Vendhuruthy Bridge, the next day at 7:00AM. Raj had met the port officials and they had agreed to escort us across the shipping channel to Fort Vypeen.  It was another few minutes later that we connected with Rakshit on phone and as he joined, we all decided not to break away from the team. We were told to look for Vaduthala jetty were school kids were waiting to receive us.

Rakshit briefing School kids at Vaduthala Jetty, south of Aroor.

Going past the ferry that crisscross various Thuruth’s here, we reached Vaduthala Jetty with 100’s of kids cheering us, along with Gopu and Anoop. They wanted us to come closer to the bank, braving water hyacinth and the excitement was such that we could not resist. Except for a few of us, we all took the kayaks as close as we could and explained to them what we were doing and kayaks in detail. We promised to meet at their school post lunch and with great struggle broke free of the weed. Our destination was on the other side of the big expanse, on the island of Panangad, 4KM. Past 12, the sun was at its peak, the wind from the west had made the waters choppy, and paddling was getting hard. We had initially planned to be at the Ernakulum Sailing Association campus and had to change plans as the sailing association had moved premises. 

Meridian Homes, the property Ravi is developing in Panangad.

Raj's friend Ravi, who is the MD of Meridian homes, had a villa project at Panangad, which was our new destination. The day was perhaps the longest distance we had paddled, 35KM or more. Raj was leading the way (not sure if it was his familiarity with the property or the fact that his wife was waiting) and he was in constant touch with Ravi to locate the property, we just followed Raj through waves that were looking menacing.  Dani appeared suddenly; he was with the second batch and decided to push himself, we were seven now. The other second batch members were nowhere to be seen, we were getting tired and the school program was planned for 2:00PM.

Welcome banner put up by Raj's friend, Panangad.

With great difficulty we reached the Meridian homes property and were delighted to see the banner Ravi and other friend of Raj had put it "Welcome Green paddles to Panangad"! On landing there was joy and fear, the former for finishing the day's leg and the later out of concern for our other friends. Jibin, had to pull over as his kayak was large and getting blown by the breeze, we were worried about our other batchmates that had all odds against them; the sun, wind and the waves. One by one all of the first batch came in and Jibin decided to give a try of his own after the local shop vendor powered him up with some Sodanarangavellam(Lime soda in short). Jibin made it and so did the other team members some of whom reached at 2:00PM. Gopu and Anoop had come and so were the chain of Raj's friends who came to the property. After the quick lunch three of us, Raj, self and Mathew headed to the school, it was already late! The school function was powered by the Assistant Principal, a lady of amazing confidence. Mathew was picked up by his friend after the function to head home to Kumarakom as his parish was celebrating its festival. We headed back to camp and found that all the team members were just tired and cooling themselves by literally taking over Ravi's office. Ravi was there with family to see us off at Kollam and now, he was doing his best to give us the much needed comfort in all ways possible. Water was pumped up to the external tanks for us to take shower and wash our clothes. The one tank on the ground was leaking and we were helpless to see all 500 litres of it recharging the table. We got fresh near the open tap behind the building and hung the clothes on the line that Dani had tied on the terrace. With wind blowing from the backwaters the expectation was that the clothes would dry fast; the time was past 6:00PM! As the night set in, some of us had a siesta and were fresh to join the mini party that Raj's friends were throwing for us. There was chilled beer and the code of conduct for the expedition meant we had to relish it by seeing others gulping it!  We got to know many of Raj's fiends and also met Shaji, who had challenged Raj with the party if he could kayak from Kollam to Kochi! After the evening dinner were food was of all kinds in plenty we said our goodbyes to Ravi and Raj's friends and went to sleep. It was a tiring day, inspite of all the flying nurses that Kochi is famous for, we slept like rock, and anyplace a body could be stretched at Ravi's office. Flying Nurses....these are the ubiquitous mosquitos that Kochi is famous for!

Day 6: Aroor, Fort Cochin, Vypeen 
The clothes were still wet the next morning, it was 4:00AM(not 3:00AM), when we got up and packed them into plastic liners. The consensus the previous day was that we had done an additional 10KM, stretched ourselves the previous day and hence could have a bit of luxury! The coffee was boiled on the Solo stove; served to all, including the office staff and watchmen, who stayed back to help us pack up and leave. The Solo stove is an amazing thing to carry on expeditions as it provides a great platform to have a cooking fire. It was 5AM, when we were all launched and headed westbound with the Aroor Bridge as the first land mark. We had taken prior permission and the plan was to stay clear of the naval areas around Kochi and take the western side of the backwaters to reach Vendhuruthy Bridge. 

Kaushiq, paddling towards Kochi.

After crossing the Aroor Bridge we stayed to the left of the channel and were too preoccupied to avoid the restricted areas. Kaushiq called us to alert that his compass was showing south and when we crosschecked we realized that we had taken a left and were indeed heading south! Dani took over with his GPS and we pulled back to the main channel with the favourable low tide making us move at amazing speed. At night the horizon can be elusive, situational awareness is challenging and the need for conscious effort was underlined by this incident.

Refresher stop - "Does anyone have dryfruits?"

Some of the stretches we saw was heart wrenching, the floating garbage and foul-smelling water are the leftovers from our modern living. Water front homes and villas in Kochi are gaining prominence; yet, the need to own and protect these waters is low on our priority. We moved on, marvelling at the speed the low tide was giving us and it was close to 7:00AM, when we reached Vendhuruthy Bridge. 

Approaching Vendhuruthy Bridge

Vendhuruthy Bridge, with its span that can open to let vessels pass.

Naval micro lights were taking off to our right and we could only imagine how the ten kayaks, neatly lined up near the bridge would be viewed from the skies. Raj called the port officer and the boat "Water Ways" headed towards us. We followed it and then the lead party moved ahead with the plan to regroup next Aspinwall for the channel crossing.

Kayakers following "Water ways", between Cochin port(Right) & Fort Cochin(left)

Blessing travellers for time immemorial - The statue of Virgin Mary at the Cruz Milagres Church jetty.

We went past the coastguard and customs office to reach Aspinwall; were the Cochin Muziris Biennale is happening this year. I had been to the Biennale few days back and it was great to admire the bell exhibit with a different perspective right behind the Seagulls restaurant that was next to pepper house, another Biennale venue. We all grouped in, took count and at the instruction of the port officer started crossing the channel. Being a low tide (the same that got us here fast) and the water being choppy, paddling was tough. We crossed over to the west of Vallarpadam and said our goodbyes to the port officials. The Taj outdoor adventure facility was a surprise for all of us, it was ill maintained and had heaps of garbage, either dumped or brought by the tides. The next target was Ochanthuruth, we had breakfast in our mind. 
The first stop was the fish market at Fort Vypeen, we could not see any Kappikada and could see the Cruz Milagres Church (Kurishingal Palli), in a bouquet of green. With no hopes of the Kappikada, we decided to head straight to the church, the low tide that got us to the sea opening, was now a challenge. We paddled on to reach the Church and were faced with a unique issue; the low tide had increased the landing jetty’s height by 5 feet and there was no way to access the church compound. Raj took the lead of climbing over the church compound through thickets of bushes, one by one we followed. 

The Little Therese School, next to Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

The Priest was a bit surprised by the alien invasion and directed us to the Mother Superior, who was our person of contact and Principal at the Little Theres Girls LP School, were the afternoon sessions were planned. He sends along a local parishioner named. Mother Superior was a little taken back that the Priest wasn't informed and managed to make up for the miss.

Lining up Kayaks in front of Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

We went back to the Church compound and with help from David uncle took over one corner for ourselves kraaled by Kayaks and equipment.

 

David Uncle, far left.

David uncle was similar to Joseph uncle whom we met at Dalavapuram; both were very friendly and caring. David uncle had worked in Dubai all his life and after becoming a widower, spent most of his time volunteering at the Cruz Milagres Church (Kurishingal Palli). 

The majestic Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli)

Cruz Milagres Church (Kurishingal Palli), was built by the Portuguese in the16th century and has some amazing architecture and stained glass; depicting travellers with Christ. The Church is one of the oldest in and around Cochin and forms the backdrop to lot many Indian and foreign movies. The local Mathrubhumi reporter and our contact for SEED Vinod joined us to co-ordinate and report on the day.

After the late breakfast at Ochanthuruthu.

We headed to a local Kappikada that had tasty food but not so friendly a person serving it, maybe it was the odd time when we were coming in for breakfast, it was past 10:30AM. We took in all the food they had, few of our friend had to go further to find food. 

Mathew, siesta at Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

Coming back, we freshened up and had clothes done. A wedding was going on in the Church and the squatters in the compound with their kayaks became a point of gravitation. While some of us took to the scattered benches to siesta, others explained what we were doing to a steady stream of people and helping kids take pictures, sitting in the kayak. 

Jyothi; Raj's wife with the kayking team.

Raj's wife came to visit us and he went along to see his Daughter who was not keeping good health. Gopu and Anoop came around lunch time and after lunch, we headed to the Little Sisters Girls LP School for the session and the kids were all excited to attend the session. Rakshit and Kaushiq explained all about the kayak. The sisters who do an awesome job of helping the society were equally thrilled to see the kayak and we obliged to their demand to see one in the water, later in the day. 

Wow!;Inside, Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli)

Stained glass on the eastern wall, Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

Ceiling at Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

Stained glass, Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli).

We rested post the school session, some of us visited the Cruz Milagres Church (Kurishingal Palli), took pictures and were amazed to see how beautifully it was maintained. It was post 5:00PM, after siestat & tea when the Sisters trouped in and Jibin took a Kayak (remember through the thicket and over the compound wall) for a spin and clarified questions. We showed them the route we took to reach the church premises as Mathew drew their attention to the garbage just beyond the compound. Mother Superior was humble to say it was theirs and she will do the needful to prevent it. Rakshit and Kaushiq went to Fort Cochin to get some dry fruits. We had run out of the stock that Ria (Kaushiq's Daughter) had packed for all of us and the breaks we had while paddling, dryfruits was the big attraction. You lift a pouch of dry fruits and everyone would congregate around it. For Dinner, Sister sent us some amazing Idlis with two kinds of chutney. David uncle came as we had dinner; he shared how things had changed after the road bridge linking Fort Vypeen to Kochi had been commissioned. He echoed of losses than gain; friendship, camaraderie, love  affairs and leisure, travelling on the ferry, had all disappread!

Vallarpadam at night.

Tenting at Curz Milagres Church.

We got permission from the Priest to pitch our tents in front of the Church and were fondly surprised to see the Sisters come to say their goodbyes and see what a tent was. Mosquitos were in plenty, the big ones that visited us at Dusk were now replaced with tiny ones that would squeeze into the tent from any opening we were careless to close.  Thanks to the pre-work done by Raj, the travel around Cochin port was without any hiccups, the day was nearing its end.

Cruz Milagres Church(Kurishingal Palli), at night.

As we were enthralled looking at the illuminated Cruz Milagres Church (Kurishingal Palli) at night, we slipped into siesta.


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