Expedition NW3 2014 - Day 6 & 7

Sunrise in Vembanad lake.

Day 6 - We left for Thaneermukkom bund the next day at 5AM and the sun had risen by the time we crossed Pathiramanal (a thoruth in the Vembanadu Lake) and arrived at the locks on the west side of the bund. The previous night had seen heated debate about the bund and the environmental/health risks it created.

The hayacinth filled locks at Thaneermukkom.

The lock area was filled with water hyacinth and poorly maintained. The lock doors looked old and rusty, an eerie feeling crept in as we got into the south opening, as it was closed behind us. The north opening had to be opened for our release from manmade fresh water to saline, on the other side. We were feeling really hungry and asked for the local Kappikada on the other side of the bund. The breakfast was great with Dosha, Puttua, Kadalakari and boiled eggs, to be sent down with some amazing Kerala tea.

Posing with Souvenir - local palm paddles.

A local shared the availability of palm paddles. We were looking out for these paddles as souvenirs. After buying the same, we headed off to Thavanakadavu. The sun was really hot and as the locals say, in saline water has an even harsher effect. We paddled on and in the distance could hear the hummm of a vessel transporting mined limestone from the backwaters.

The backwaters or Kayal, enroute to Ernakulam.

A thoruth, north of Thaneermukkom bund.

 We reached Thavanakadavu at around 1030AM. On the course of our journey, the land team had collected water samples that people drink for testing at a local laboratory located in Thavanakadavu. The same was handed over to the team with a small session for the locals at the boat jetty about heavy metal contamination. After parking the kayaks at the local 'Pay and Park" we headed to Chertala to rest at a friend’s home. It was 2:30PM when we reached Thavanakadavu and headed off to Ernakulam.

Mattel Shrine.

As we headed north from Thavanakadavu, we hit a small thoruth that had a Chapel -  St. Thomas Shrine, Mattel. The commemorative stone reads : "This Church is sitting on the spot where the Miraculous Cross made be St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ at Kokkamangalam in 56AD and which was thrown away in Vembanadu lake was found"

The trip to Ernakulam was looking really tough and tiring, for the Kayal would never end. It was 4:30PM when local fishermen gave us the direction to a tea shop located in a thoruth. A thoruth is a true “water world”, where water takes over during high tide, mangroves are the prominent vegetation,  with very less land available for settlement.

Aneese, paddling in to reach the local tea shop.

We reached the Kappikada by the kayak at Mailanthoruth, literally parking it in a small tidal canal, few meters from the shop. After the Chaya (tea) and snacks, we headed north. The huge resort build by Muthoot group in violation of the CRZ(Costal Regulatory Zone) loomed on Kaithapuzha Lake and we felt great that the Supreme court of India had ordered demolition.

We paddled on as it got darker to reach the eastern side of the Kayal opposite to Vaduthala that connects to Chatamma, our destination for the night. It was pitch dark, except for out headlights. There was not a soul for help and we grew concerned on what direction we would take to reach the Ernakulam Sailing Club. Finally, we decided to call Rajesh, the sailing instructor at ESC, and asked him to flash a torchlight, if he can see 3 blinkers to his southwest! It worked and we got our bearing to reach around 8, tired after close to 10 hours of paddling.

Tough day, happy to reach the Ernakulam Sailing Club, Chattamma, Cochin.

The SEED team of Shambu and Vinod, the head of Mathrubhumi, Kochi, Mr. Gopakumar were there along with office bearers of Ernakulam Sailing Club. That night was the best, for the Air-conditioned room we got! There was chivalry in the air, as we pondered, who would like to sleep on the floor :-), something we got used over the past 5 days. Tthanks to Jeyash, we were resting on soft bed with an AC to chill the room. 

Dawn, the lights you see in background are Chinese nets with lamps, that attract shrimp.

Day 7 - We set of early morning towards our next destination, near Bolghaty palace. The tide was supportive as we paddled past the fishing nets and Aroor Bridge. We visited the sailing club near Thevara College.

Apartments in Thevera, Cochin.

 
The water around Thevear college reminded us about Kollam, where human faeces in water was the biggest pollutant. The tall buildings along the waterways looked so good from a distance, but, they were surrounded by foul water. We saw navy patrol on the channel that connected us to Bolghaty.  This channel ran next to the Navy docks and were out of bound. We struggled to head back to our planned route from Thevara College.

Thoppumpady bridge, with its cantiliver opening towers.

We had to go via the longer rote that had fort Kochi on one side and the harbour on the other. As we crossed the iron bridge at Thoppumpady, news arrived about the route being unsafe near Fort Kochi and permissions we did not have from port authorites. We called on the CISF checkpoint near the Port entrance and asked for help. We were advised to avoid the shipping channels and take the western route, sliding along Fort Kochi crossing over to Vallarpadam. We paddled on as a large ship took 180 degree turn in the harbour and prayers on our mind. By the time we reached Fort Kochi ferry point a large Navy Frigate entered the harbour, majestically.

We pulled as far as we could to avoid any attention and held our position for the frigate to pass. After the frigate passed in front of us, we made a dash to cross the shipping channel to the far right of Vallarpadam container terminal. As we passed midway, we could hear whistles and a boat pulled up with CISF officers wanting to know our nationality, purpose of our hanging around the harbour and ID cards. After they were satisfied they let us off and we reached Goshree Bridge on the northern side of Bolghaty.

Goshree bridge, connecting the Vallarpadam Container Sea Port.

We could see the Lulu convention centre construction happening on Bolghaty. There was no place to land and it was 1030 by the time we decided to go near the Railway Container Bridge that linked Vallarpadam. There we found a patch of green, under a bridge tower foundation. We had our breakfast and felt a sense of gratitude to the Ernakulam Sailing Club, who packed breakfast against our wish. There were no Kappikada here to serve us anything, water was running low and so were our drive. This is when Mr Vinod from Mathrubhumi SEED team arrived with 3 bottles of water. A true nature lover and adventure seeker, Vinod knew the mangrove forests of north Kochi well.

Resting from the hot sun, by the embankment.

After having lunch and resting for few hours we left for Edavanakad, around 2PM. The sun was harsh and 2 bottles of water were gone. We paddled on from one thoruth to another and for the first time saw places in Kerala, without a soul to call on. On the way, the single bottle of water was down to drops, the afternoon heat was taking its toll and Edavanakad looked like a place in eternity. The place had no trees and we took refuge by the embankment.

There goes the last drop!

We went on and were fortunate to see a small puppy in front of a thatch, we called for help and our saviour arrived with an offer to fill our bottles. We were so relived; a few hours back, we finished two bottles of water, washing and drinking! Water is a precious resource, use it wisely; was the lesson of the day. This stretch of the back waters has what is called locally as "Chameen Kettu" where prawn is cultivated and attended to at dawn and dusk. With very few trees these thoruths for all other reasons are devoid of human habitation. People tend to them in the early morning, go home and then return at dusk.

Sunset at Edavanakadu, Ernakulam, Kerala.

We were glad to reach Edavanakad at around 630PM, the landscape is beautiful with very less garbage and clean waterways. The "Chameen Kettu" are a wonder by itself. At night, during low tide, the locals switch on bright lights on the banks attracting prawn nymph, they then open the gates to these huge mud tanks sucking the nymph that grow there for the next few months. On certain days the locals call "Thakkam" the grown up prawns make their way out of these fields and are trapped in nets. We were thrilled to see how the locals were harnessing nature in a sustainable way. After the evening session with neighbourhood group and the dinner, we went to sleep in a unoccupied house that had a ceiling fan.  The next day morning was our eight day, the last one that will take us to the finishing point at Kottapuram.