Leg 3 - The sprint of 66km.

Prime water front properties in Kochi, where resident dare to touch the water!

The day started early at 0400 and we were ahead of our plan, launching from Aroor at 04:45AM. It was pitch dark and the lights from Chinese Fishing nets made direction a challenge. If you go too close to bank, you end up in Hydrogen Sulfide fields, full of prawn seedlings and gut wrenching stench. The curse of Andhakranazhi stretches all the way to Aroor; stagnant with prawn processing plant waste and all kind of stuff dumped by mankind.

   When Government fails its people; effluents pumped out from KMML, Chavara.

India's development has come at the expense of Nature, cities like Kochi with prime waterfront properties are source of waste, making it unfit for any recreational activity. Fishermen are forced to earn their livelihood, fishing these polluted water. Sandy Robson, the famed Australian Kayaker was told by a port official in India that, 'The sea is so vast, you could send a lot of stuff"!. The situation along the waterways and coast of Kerala are no different; boat yards, ice plants, prawn processing units, industrial effluents, house boats and all kinds of domestic waste are dumped in waterways. One barge operator shared how the premier space agency in Kerala had a load of noxious rocket waste dumped, 15km out at sea. The ubiquitous fishing eating Malayali (as the natives of Kerala are called), sends a lot of crap into these water; only to have it back on their dining tables. Whether its awareness or diagnostics, god knows, cancer rates have soared in Kerala!

Sunrise at Perumbalam, Kochi.

Jim and the rising Sun.

It was still dark as we went under the third & fourth pier of  the Aroor-Edakochi bridge. The outgoing tide was adding to our drag, compounded by logs that were sunk by local fishermen in the backwaters. With just two of us, paddling was much easier and a long day lay ahead. We crossed the Arror Kumbalam Bridge, tracking National Waterway - 3, southbound. None of the Buoys were working and this made navigation difficult. In Kerala, politicians are like crabs; climbing over each other to inaugurate public work and then not bothering to keep it maintained. Once in a while, a lone fisherman would cross our path or a fish/shrimp would jump in panic to land in the cockpit(we don't use skirts while paddling inland).

 

Break fast at Sukuchettans Kappikada.

As the dawn arrived, we had Perumbalam island in sight. Overhead, huge swarms of migrating birds made patterns only an artist could imagine. The red sun rose majestically to our left and in the distance one could hear the passenger boats, connecting Perumbalam to the rest of the world! The tide had considerably weekend, yet there was large distance to cover before breakfast. Our destination for breakfast was Achanthuruth, where a friendly tea shop owner was our regular port call. It was close to 745AM, when we arrived at Sukuchettans Kappikada (Malayalam for food shack). He was glad to see us and wanted to know, where the others where? Exchanging pleasantries and having charged up with breakfast, we pushed south, with Thavanakadavu as our next destination.

Jim with Suku Chettan.

It was 930AM, when we halted at Mattel Church for Jim to take some snaps. The red sun was now white, the heat was building and we were paddling through some amazing stretches of backwaters in Kerala; so still, it looked like glass! We pulled into Thavanakadavu past 10AM and parked ourselves next to the boat jetty.  Morning paddle had water hyacinth all over the backwaters and Thavanakadavu was full of it, even though the public boat service agitated them every 30minutes. 

Jim at Mattel Church.

Vaikom was our stop on the last expedition and had a KTDC hotel next to the jetty, serving good food. For lunch, we decided to take the boat to Vaikom. Coming back from lunch, Jim wanted to buy a local oar for him to take back to Australia, which we sourced after a autorickshaw trip to Puchakkal. After an hour of sleeping on a wooden boat, we said good bye to Thavanakadavu at 245PM, with Thaneermukkam bund as our next way point. We had already done 23KM to Thavanakadavu; Thaneermukkam was another 9KM and our final destination Kumarakkom was further 11KM!

Glassy waters off Vembanadu Lake, South of Perumbalam.

The sun was now on the western sky, fast dipping from a White to Red. This stretch did not have any tidal effect and the Western winds were now pushing us to our destination. It was 4PM, when we arrived at the locks at Thaneermukkam. A friendly lock operator let us to the other side, to find ourselves in a patch of water hyacinth we struggled to cut through. We were now back in fresh water and Kumarakkom was just a bearing to follow. Both of us decided to keep pushing with a filled bladder and legs crying for a desperate stretch. It was an hour later, when we took a break, climbing up a wall to eat chips and other snacks, we bought at Kollam for the sea leg. We were surprised to see a skinny female dog(sure she had litters) in this desolate place, wagging her tail and decided to leave all the remaining food for her. After the break of 20minutes, we paddled on, aiming for the big white cross at the entry to Kumarakkom Jetty. Jim marveled at the setting sun; having seen it Red in the morning and evening; a rare sight in his part of the world.

Desperate for Potato Chips after a long day of paddling.

It was dusk when we entered Kumarakkom jetty; 6PM, reaching the banks close to Mathew's home. The target for the day was Mathew's ancestral house, another 4KM away. We were so tired, we decided to quit and ask his caretaker, Ashokan Chettan to help us move the kayaks. Mathew's mom was at the church and we got access, thanks to his Aunt who was home. It was a really tiring day, one that Jim remarked, 'we rarely do in Australia'. We settled in after 43KM of paddling; the next day was 25KM, as the crow flies.

Jim, Towing the extra kayak.

Waking up at 530AM, we were at the waters edge by 615AM. The plan was to tow an additional kayak to Mathew's ancestral home, which we reached in half an hour. Paddling on, we reached H-Block, a vast stretch of combined rice farm. A local shack was our port call for breakfast and it was sad to see a Open Billed Stork being brought in to be butchered. We tried reasoning with Sabu, the owner, about the criminal act he was about to commit by poaching wildlife. Even warning him about it being a non bailable offense had no affect. Huge numbers of wetland birds visit the rice fields of Kottayam and Allapuzha during their winter migration. Except for the Kottayam Nature Society that puts annual effort in Bird count, there is no focus about these winged visitors. With dwindling wetlands and large number of winter visitors, Kerala has no reserves or sanctuaries for their conservation. Loss of habitat due to reclaiming of backwaters and wetland is a big concern in India; a signatory to the Ramsar Convention. We entered Box-Kayal (the way we call it) next to H-Block; an amazing open body of water with beautiful aquatic plants, visibility, bird life and fish. We marveled at the sight of Coots taking to the air, akin to amphibious aircraft, when disturbed. The place looked perfect for snorkeling; unfortunately no one does in Kerala. If one stopped paddling, fish could be seen swimming close by. We paddled on with motorized boats cutting path for us through water hyacinth, north of Kavalam. It was 1030AM, when we reached Kavalam and halted briefly by the Krishnapuram temple.

Water Lillie's of Box Kayal

The air was still and sun baking, making paddling challenging. Being the last day, we wanted to reach Changanacherry at the earliest. We pushed on, periodically taking shelter under trees and to take a sip of water. Paddling was at its slowest, each stroke looking difficult and demanding real effort from our tired bodies. It was at 1PM close to Kidangara bridge; we called up home, asking for the pickup vehicle to arrive. Half an hour later, we had reached our destination at Allapuzha-Changanacherry road. Congratulating each other, we jumped with all our gear to take a swim; when we heard the driver call us. He had come ahead of plan, cutting short our refreshing dip.

Loading both the kayaks, we reached home by 2PM. The 300KM, three leg circuit was completed in a span of 12 days, with no support from any sponsor. The plan for sea was a bit upset by Cyclone Vardha, yet we had completed the circuit. Another wonderful adventure with nature has concluded, with the hope to be back next year.

Kayaks and equipment, washed clear of salt and getting dried.

Leg 2.2 - After Vardha, there is calm.

Photo Courtesy - Saji Chitralayam, Jibin Thomas, Dani Gorgon & Murugan Krishnan.

Saying goodbye to Thottapally fishing port.

The previous day had seen speculation about equipment theft, leaving us jittery through the night. The fishing port was open to all and this kept the anxiety levels high. When a lone boat came back from fishing, we would pop our heads to peer around for the thief, who never came! It was early morning when we woke up and  Saji came along with Pappu. We took turn to have tea, as the port came to life. Saying goodbyes, we pushed for a Northern bearing towards Allapuzha, some 20KM away. 

Local fisherman on his thermocoal tri-boat!

We crossed local fishermen, too poor to afford a boat. Their ingenuity was in building small boats out of Thermocoal; they would launch at dawn, returning after a few hours. The triangle shaped contraption had the space for one person and gill nets. Taking two Aluminum plates on a long stick would make the paddle; for paddling was kayaking style! Many of them would recite a chant as they propelled from shore to sea and back. Some of them were intrigued on what we were doing, and on few occasions, Dani took time to be with them and answer any questions they had.

Business half done @ Punnapara beach!

It was past 7:30AM, when calls for breakfast arose, we intercepted a boat and got information about Punnapara beach and provisions there. We were told to go kilometer ahead and look for beach full of activity. It was close to 8AM, when we reached Punnapara, where the shore was as calm as a bowl of water.  The place was filled with mechanized boats, coming in to unload their catch. The place looked beautiful; what was tragic was the human poop on the beach! Open-public-defecation was the norm all over the place, uncovered cat-holes looked like minefield one had to navigate. One wondered, why the job was half done? All that required was to dump some sand over the cat holes, once the 'business' was over. 

Fish at Punnapara beach.

We went to the local tea shop and a group of policeman walked in to check if we were dummies, part of the coastal security drill. After verifying our documents, they let us go, with an air of failure. Back on the beach, fishermen asked for help to pull their boats ashore. We said solong to Punnapara, heading to Allapuzha, which was another 10KM ahead. 

Calm seas at Punnapara.

The sun was rising on the horizon and slowly the land breeze gave way to sea breeze. We were paddling tree lined beaches all the way from Punnapara to Allapuzha. It was 11AM when we reached Allapuzha beach and pulled over to the grove, next to the beach and set up camp.

Camping site at Allapuzha Beach.

Re-validating our Genes!

 We took turns to shower at the DTDC facility at the beach. For a reasonable payment, one could take shower and wash clothes. After lunch we slept in tents we had pitched. At night a group of folks kept coming to the area of the beach in front of our camp, looking at us from the waters edge. We were on edge and later one of them came over to ask, what the fuss was? The characters looked shady; could be drug addicts who came for their daily high to this unlit spot, to find it occupied by strangers with boats and tents. We left a light ON as we called it a day. It was the first day of sea leg, and with no prior planning or hand to help, we had managed it well. We had covered a distance of 21KM, yet, Dani's GPS showed close to 30, aided by the zigzagging paddling patterns. The night light had died down, when we woke up. The camp was closed, and kayaks lined up on the beach for launch. By 630AM, we were going past the remnants of the Allapuzha Port, heading north. As we paddled, someone called our for Dolphins. We stopped to see two of them feeding around us. Unlike what we see in Discovery/Nat Geo channel, these were in pairs. We pushed on, passing small skiffs with outboard engines and the ubiquitous  Thermocoal boats, coming back with their gill nets, piled high behind the lone fisherman.

Ready to launch from Allapuzha Beach.

As we passed a fish harbor(Kattoor), the call was made for breakfast. No soon had we landed, a lone Policeman showed up and started asking questions. We told him about our expedition, the email and visit to the coastal police station, but he insisted on all of us getting verified and wouldn't allow us to budge, unless his superiors arrived. One policeman became three and then a jeep load of them descended. We showed them our verification documents and had to endure some not so pleasant questions. It looked as thought they had finally caught up with criminals they had searched the world over and failed; caught as they magically surfaced on that beach! 

With the police team that detained us at Kattor beach, South of Mararikulam.

Following are some of the questions we found funny:

1. How expensive are these equipment? Why do you spend big money for all this(crap)?

2. Why does your work happen in corporate and not in educational institutions(management development is taught to MBA's only!)?

3. How much do you earn?

They asked for our home numbers and parents name, which we gave. Some of us visualized the scene at home, getting called from Police! Finally, an hour later, we were let off. What an experience!

After landing at Thaickal Beach.

Having lost an hour and finding no breakfast in the local shack, we were left with some tea and snacks to fill ourselves. The sun was burning as we pushed north, passing the pristine beaches of Mararikulam and regretting our stop at the fishing harbor! We went past the beach at Chethy and the church town of Arthunkal.  The sun was now baking, the sea getting rough. Our destination was Thaickal beach, west of Chertala town. The beach had rock walls to prevent erosion and the place looked difficult to land with high surf. Some of us showed early signs of sea sickness and this is where Jim took over and decided to land first, next to a football field. One by one we landed to the signals Jim gave, with hearts beating in our throats. It was treacherous and it felt great to be back on land, the sand was hot and the sun was at its peak, it was past 1PM. 

Dani sleeping on a Thermocoal Tri-boat.

We found a couple preening gill net, under a coconut tree. Reaching out to them and narrating our journey, we sought their permission to camp for the night. We settled by pulling up all the kayak, freshened up and requested a neighbor to get us an autorickshaw to go and have lunch.  As soon as we reached for the Road, a policeman arrived and asked us to wait for his superiors. It looked as if the morning was repeating itself! The Police jeep came in few minutes, large crowd gathered to see the commotion.

After the police verification at Thaickal Beach.

The Inspector was extremely courteous and polite, his way of asking questions, was an art by itself. Having thanked the locals for informing the police about arrival of strangers(latter we came to know that a dummy team had successfully landed and got inland at the same beach) and having verified who we were, it was time for lunch. After two incidents, we now had a positive experience. This interaction left us with a high, which  every citizen expects from their police. After lunch we settled in, slept, explained to locals about kayaks, washed clothes and rested. This place was amazing, people here were poor in material, but rich in heart - friendly & courteous. The talk of the village was Jim, with his long hair, only women in India would grow! After an early dinner, we pitched tents on a windswept beach edge and slept. Lot of stray dogs roamed the beach and our fear this time was of gear taken away by them! We had paddled above the daily average; done 24KM.

Sunrise at Thaickal Beach.

Next day morning was filled with activity as the friendly locals came to see us off. We launched at 630 AM heading north; our destination was Andhakaranazhi. The sea was calm, as we hugged the coast scanning for khaki, to spoil our day. We paddled on and by 745AM, the lighthouse at Andhakaranazhi came into view. It indicated the spot where we had to crossover to the freshwater side. Andhakaranazhi is a river estuary, that opens up only at Monsoon. Post Monsoon, the sea deposits sand, closing the estuary. We pulled the boats on to the beach and walked a bit for breakfast. One of the worst breakfast spots we have had all through years of paddling in Kerala was at Andhakaranazhi.

The locks at Andhakaranazhi.

The only solace was the 500ml, chilled Neera bottle we got in one of the shops. We pushed over to the backwater side by 9AM and set off for our destianation; Aroor. Jade colored stagnant water was the norm, and one had to imagine the plight of folks who lived on these banks. There were villages, most places were prawn farms, devoid of human habitation. The channel was narrow and lack of  wind meant that paddling was becoming difficult - Fowl, hot & steamy. 

Taking a break, Kondai Lip Resort.

Turning a corner, we saw a resort; Kondai Lip; and decided to take a break. We relaxed with lemonades and it was an hour, when we were back, paddling. We missed a turn, that further added distance to the day. One could see fishing all around and wondered; how, humans could mistreat and harvest from the same waters? We pushed on, fatigued and prying every corner to see if the destination had arrived. Taking breaks under coconut palm shade, sharing treats and pushing against the current; we finally arrived at Aroor past 2PM, dead tired and exhausted.  

Amazing delicacies, courtesy Seema.

The long tiring paddle was worth it; one of the best lunches ever cooked at home, awaited us - Lobsters, Pearl spots, Prawns and a host of other delicacies. Seema and Ani(Friends of Murgan), were our host for the day and one can feel at home with them. The 2nd leg is completed; Dani would return to Kollam; Murugan and Jibin decided to stop, as the next two days looked more demanding;  leaving only Jim and self. By 5PM, an Autorickshaw arrived; the kayaks were secured; Jibin and Dani, went with it. Murugan headed to Bangalore. We hunkered down for the day, having covered 24KM. The total distance in sea was at 70KM, as the crow flies. 

Ready to go back.

Third leg starts tomorrow, a total of 66KM, which we will attempt to complete in 2 days!

Blink and the Janamaithri Police.

Long before Nalini Ambadi researched on intuition and precipitated thoughts in Malcolm Gladwell to author Blink, children in Kerala were made obedient by saying 'I will call the Police'! With their pointed khaki shorts and crowned caps, a look was all that was needed to scare the hell out of criminals and commoners. 

Today the image of the police force in Kerala is undergoing transition. From haunted houses, the police stations are now called 'Janamaithri(friends of the people)' stations. From being scared and submissive, the average Malayalee(as folks from Kerala are called) has taken a liking for the force, with parents advising kids to ask for help from the Policeman on the beat and police stations increasing friendly interactions with the public, provided you make the right...., What?

We have always informed the Coastal Police about our kayaking expeditions. 2016 December was no exception, except that cyclone Vardha had other plans. We returned from the sea at Kollam and paddled inland to start the sea leg at Thottapally. Having seen the posters for a coastal security drill, we decided to be proactive and visit the Coastal Police station. We shared all our details; the officers were absolutely courteous; even offering a chair  & newspaper.....as we waited for the superior officers to come. Station Superiors were in meeting regarding the exercise and our wait had to be called off due to delay. We were told that an evening visit would be more fruitful. I don't remember visiting a police station all my life and this was a truly 'Janamaithri' experience; even the New Zealander in our group was impressed. We boasted to him, how the Police in Kerala was better educated, paid, disciplined and looked-up, as compared to the rest of India. 

As we passed the station around 730PM, one of us decided to follow up. The policeman on duty at the reception asked us to go upstairs. Walking into a room with computer stations and picking up the thread with the two policemen we interacted in the morning...... got cut short! A superior officer walked into the room and asked what the matter was, with a tone of disgust. He bluntly told, we don't have time to hear anything now, go off. He took us by our hand, out of the room and shooed us away.  We wondered what had happened? What had changed? Where was 'Janamaithri'?

We had walked in the morning with full kayaking gear, after practicing kayaking at sea. In the evening we went in wearing camouflaged T-shirt and Kaavi Kaili (not lungy, which is the attire of preference for the Malayalee!). What Nalini Ambadi had discovered; how people make opinion about others in split second, impacting the interaction, was in full display! What does 'Janamaithri' mean if you attire decides your experience? For vast majority of poor people who seek help from Police Stations, does their attire impact what they experience?

While most Police officers in Kerala are role models(Ask kids what they want to be?  Police Officer - Many will reply), experience as detailed here, dilutes the 'Janamaithri' brand. 

Epilogue : The team wrote to the Police and Government officials about this incident and other experience(both positive and negative) during the exercise, hoping for consistent 'Janamaithri' in future!

  

Leg 2.1 - When Cyclone Vardha called the shots.

Photo Courtesy - Saji Chitralayam, Jibin Thomas, Dani Gorgon & Murugan Krishnan.
 

Excited for the sea leg; Shakthikulangara Harbour.

We hunkered down at the Shakthikulangara fishing port on 11^th; the kayaks were neatly lined up in front of the MEPDA office. It was a curious sight for many, fishermen came in visualizing the different ways they would make use of the craft, others came in to ask, what the commotion was all about? We tried our best to ignore the onlookers and carry on with the day’s routine.

Dani had booked a room for us to freshen up, which was across the national highway. We took turns to freshen up and have lunch. Dani’s Father was a tough guest to be with; he took us to the best hotel in town and ensured we felt comfortable on his watch; that would continue though the night. A group headed out to Kollam town to purchase food items for the sea leg.

Dinner at Dani's home; Amazing food and hospitality.

Dinner was arranged at Dani’s house; walking distance from the port. We were treated to the magic of Dani’s Mothers cooking! All varieties of sea food & Mutton Stew (less spicy for Jim, made seperately); with appam and rice. After dinner, Two of us decided to sleep at the MPEDA office verandah as others went to the room. Vardha(Cyclone are named in India, as done by the US, NOAA) was all over the news channel and the fishermen were praying for the winds to die down. Dani’s Father was with us all night, like a guardian angel; awake and answering questions from curious onlookers, as we slumbered. The port grew in activity past 2AM, as the trawlers started coming in for unloading the catch. People came by walk and in all kinds of vehicles; from bicycles to large refrigerated trucks. As predicted by the local fishermen, the winds died down past the moon passing the zenith and with it came swarms of mosquitos that even odomos could not repel. It was 4AM when we got up and took a tour with Dani’s Father of the jetty; filled with wholesalers, retailers and auctioneers. There was a pattern to the commotion; dedicated landing zones for the catch, with auction calls only the trained ears could decipher. Fish was in plenty, so where squids, crabs, octopus and shellfish. Mother Ocean had sustained us for eons, and in spite of all the destruction humans were causing, she looked benevolent. We walked on imagining ….how long Mother Ocean would support our indifference?

The early morning tea.

We took turns to utilize the room and get ready for the day. Dani arrived with two new kayaks for the sea leg. The new kayaks were rigged, and we were ready to launch by 7AM. White caps were visible on swells in the ocean. We were advised to return if the wind picked up speed. Cyclone Vardha was heading for Chennai and her affect could be felt in the Arabian Sea. We pushed out of the cove,  balancing the swells and navigating the crowded waterways, heading for Open Ocean.

What we throw in sea, will come back to haunt us! Garbage at the cove next to Shakthikulangara Harbour, Kollam.

Except Pappu, the others in this group of six were venturing to sea for a second time. Similar conditions in the backwater on multiple expeditions had given us some preparation for sea conditions and subdue sea sickness. The winds grew stronger, the rolls got bigger and Pappu was the first to get hit with sea sickness. Returning fishermen in small skiffs told us to look out as the wind would get stronger and there was no place to land before we reached our destination for the day – Azheekal Harbour, around 27km north.

The clouds, courtesy cyclone Vardha.

A sudden rain cell developed on the north western side and started drizzling. The sea became more choppy, forcing us to make the decision for the day. First we decided to head back to port and at the same time the rain cell disappeared, as we decided to head north. Fishermen coming in warned of the sea becoming more choppy and with Pappu’s condition not improving, we decided to head back.

Heading back to Port; Kollam.

Decision was made to take the inland route to Azheekal and restart the sea leg from there. It was past 8AM, when we went past the fishing port and halted briefly below the Neendakara bridge to give Pappu some bearing on Terra fir-ma. Dani’s Father, who had not rested, came in a two wheeler and took Pappu home to recuperate.

Neendakara Bridge, Kollam.

We towed Pappus kayak and headed to Dalavapuram church, a familiar landing place with a local eatery close by. Decision was taken to head north and see if we can camp at Alumkadav. Joseph uncle; our guardian and supporter from past expeditions was not at Dalavapura  and it was sad that we did not get to meet him. After breakfast and taking turns to tow the kayak, we pushed north, it was 930AM.  

Church at Dalavapuram, Kollam.

Going past the Chavara Canal, Vattakaya and South Kozhikode, we reached Alumkadav by 230PM, paddling in hot sun. Babu Chetan was surprised to see us come back. We told him about our abandoned plan, as we made ourselves comfortable over lunch, served with local delicacies. It was late in the day, when Dani’s Father arrived with Pappu in a rickshaw. Pappu felt much better and wanted to give the sea another try, as soon as Vardha relented. Dani’s Father shared the news of rough sea and told us to skip Azeekal for Thottapally for the sea leg. He felt that the sea would be more welcoming after two days. We said our goodbyes to Dani’s Father and headed for dinner. At 930PM, the kayaks were emptied and brought ashore as  Babu Chetan decided to close shop. We rearranged the furniture in the hotel and slept; two of us sleeping in the verandah and Dani sleeping next to the kayaks, on an open platform.  Babu Chetan and family promised to wake us up at 4AM, when they would be back for their daily routine. The day had ended with a change of plan; we covered 21KM - one has to be flexible with nature for she is ever powerful; inviting only those who can dance to her tunes and not the other way around!

Babu Chetans hotel, Alumkadavu.

At sharp 4AM, Babu Chetan and his wife came as promised and so did local fishermen who had cast their gill nets. The fishermen came to Alumkadav every day to have tea, before heading back to retrieve the nets.

Small talk with local kids.

We woke up in haste and vacated the hotel for its routine customers. After the morning tea, we launched the kayaks past 5AM. We decided to take the sea at Thottapally and pushed north past Ayiram Thenggu to reach the Kayankulam Kayal.  We stopped at Pullukulangara for breakfast and after scouting few hotels for Dosha, we were lucky to find one where a lady and her Father found it tough to serve six hungry souls, who ate faster than they could cook! We pushed on; after a brief stop at Kanakakunnu, we reached the locks at Thrikunnapuzha at 1PM.

Sleeping in a Trawler, Thrikunnapuzha.

The leg from the Kayankulam Kayal to the locks via the small canal was an uphill task, with strong flows to the south, as the locks were open. Past the locks we grouped next to a trawler that was being painted. The folks on the trawler were quite inviting, asking us to have lunch nearby and leave the kayaks for them to watch over.

If you are tired, you just need a ground!

Thottapally was another 10 KM away and after a hard backwater crossing the need for rest was high on every ones mind. After a break of 2 hours with nap, we pushed against the current towards Thottapally. It was a long day, dusk was round the corner and reaching Thottapally looked like and Everest ascent.

Sipping tea at Thottapally

We pulled ashore at the tea shop we had stopped going southbound, some tea and snacks would get our spirits back. Saji helped with a local contact for us to stay overnight and park the kayaks. The plan was to use the following day to rest and practice sea kayaking, before sea leg on 15th. We had paddled 33KM, with tides that made the effort herculean. The family that gave us shelter was kind enough and we agreed to move out to the sea side the next day. After a good nights rest, few of us and Jim went to explore the sea condition and a suitable place to camp. Saji also sent a vehicle to transport the kayaks. With sea conditions improving, we decided to camp at the Thottapally harbor and use the day for practice. 

The coastal police mock drill posters at Thottapally harbor.

We saw posters for a coastal security exercise next day and this coincided with out sea leg! Though we had intimated the Coastal Police about our plan, we decided to visit the  local police station and be sure of things to come. We ended up visiting them twice, with very different experience.

Practicing launch and recovery at Thottapally beach.

We took the down time to paddle out to sea and do some assisted rescue, launch and recovery from the beach. The sea was rough as the sun climbed to its zenith. It was late in the day when we paddled back to the harbor. Saji was much helpful with pictures he took of our practice and to help with local logistics, including lunch at a toddy shop! Saji also arranged a gala dinner at his place, which we enjoyed in turns.

At the Toddy shop next to Thottapally spillway.

The Harbor was dark with no lights in the area we had camped, few cats kept visiting the kayaks for a free meals. Pappu, who had kayaked from Alumkadavu to Thottapally, was sea sick again, he and his Kayak were ferried to Saji's house. We were now five for the leg that starts from 15th December.

With Saji from Green Roots Turtle Conservation, Thottapally Beach.

There would be no support boat, no contacts to seek help and no designated place to camp. We have to take it as it comes, scared and excited about the sea leg.