MUNROETHURUTH - a solitary verdant paradise of tranquility..!

                It took no time for me to finalize our destination for the one-day leave in the middle of the week; May 1, was a Tuesday this year. We’d already covered almost all the nearby beaches, hill stations, waterfalls etc., near Trivandrum. But one place which was always there in the initial rounds of discussion in every trip plan, but somehow failed to make it into the final itinerary was Munroethuruth, a beautiful inland island just around 80 kms away from the capital city of Kerala. I brought up the idea of cruising through the narrow canals around this alluring piece of land in local canoes, and was easily acceptable for all in the group. There are a lot of local canoe operators in this island, and we short listed “Munroe Island Canoe Tours with Vishnu”, based on the reviews it had. The deal was made for a sum of 1500 rupees for a 2-hours long ferrying through the green labyrinth of narrow canals in this beautiful group of 8 islands placed at the confluence of the Ashtamudi lake and the Kallada river.

                We started off to our destination by noon. On the way we had delicious traditional repast of Kerala, consisting of Steamed Tapioca, Prawns fry, Squid roast, and much more from the famous Velliyazhchakkavu Shaap(Toddy shop) near Varkala. Since we had enough time to reach our destination, we deviated towards the Varkala beach and spent some time strolling through the cliff and getting rid of the hangover of the heavy food we had that noon.

Varkala Beach

                We finally reached our destination by 3 O’clock in the afternoon. We met Mr.Vishnu, the owner of the canoe, who introduced us to Kuttan chettan, our guide for the day who was already in the canoe waiting for us. With all the excitement we stepped into the boat and Kuttan chettan started rowing. Just a few yards ahead and there in front of was a small bridge barely a couple of feet above the water, and no other route was also found to continue the journey further. On seeing our puzzled looks, Kuttan chettan asked us to sit down on the floor of the boat and bend our head. That’s when we realized that we’re gonna punt beneath the same short bridge, by literally sitting on the floor on the boat. It was quite an interesting experience and throughout the entire journey we went through under a lot of such bridges.

                

                Ferrying through the canals gave us a glimpse of life in the banks of these backwaters. We saw small canoes docked near the gate of each house at the banks. These small canoes are the major mode of transport across different parts of these tiny islands. Paddling of ducks swimming along, an eagle waiting in the tree for its prey to surface in the water, Little Cormorants occasionally raising their heads from the water for a few seconds – we enjoyed all these scenes while cruising through these narrow waterways surrounded by coconut plantations. 

                After almost an hour through the canals we were finally welcomed by the breath-taking view of the vast Ashtamudi Lake in front of us, where the narrow canals gracefully settle into the wider backwaters. Entering the vast lake from the canal was altogether a mesmerizing experience. As we moved forward the mangroves started showing up, which had a lot of water birds resting on them. A shoal of small fishes jumped out of the water near to our punt, as they were super excited to welcome us.

                After a short tea break in a hotel in the lakeside, we started off our return journey. The emerald green water in the canals looked more beautiful in the evening sunlight. There are several Prawns and Pearl-spot(Karimeen) farms lined on the sides of these canals. We dropped in on a few of them and our guide explained the various techniques and processes used in these farms. The sunlight started fading more and we resumed our return leg of the cruising. It was 6 in the evening when we reached back to our starting point after an almost 3 hours’ ride through these placid water-bodies.

Fish farms besides the canal

Prawns farm

                After bidding farewell to our guide, we drove back to our home with our minds completely rejuvenated because of these few hours spent in the warmth of mother nature. Yes, this cluster of tiny islands resting calmly away from the tumult of megalopolis has a hidden magic in it that can lure any traveler. However, a recent newspaper article about this pristine island is not a good news for any nature lover. It reads that this island feeling the pinch of climate change and resultant sea-level rise & erosion, is sinking gradually. It’s high time for us to realize the importance of protecting nature and not connecting it with man-made disasters…