Written By: Ashmitha Prakash
The month of October was all set to start
off with a bang. Onam season had just got over and I was back from vacation
with my family. We had gone for short sightseeing trips in Kerala. I had signed
up for the boating trip to ‘Munroe Island’ with ‘Appooppanthadi’. This would be my 2nd outing with
the group. I was eagerly waiting for it.
Munroe Island is located at the confluence
of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River in Kollam district. The place has been named so in honour of
Resident Colonel John Munroe of the former Travancore state.
There were 14 people altogether who were
joining this trip. Minu, a friend from
my previous trip with the group was also joining this trip. She was at my place
the previous night itself as she was coming from Kochi. Most of the fellow travellers were from
Trivandrum itself except a few. My hubby
dropped us at Sreekaryam in the morning. Our pickup time was around 6.20 am. We
met Liji also there. Soon, our tempo
traveller came. Sajna Ali, our group
leader and the brain behind this whole concept, came out. She always reminds me
of the idiom ‘good things come in small packages’ for the multifaceted
personality that she is. We exchanged pleasantries with her and got in.
A few more people had to be picked up from
Kazhakoottam and Kottiyam too. I was
comfy in a corner seat by the window and already feeling a bit sleepy because
of waking up earlier than usual.
Meanwhile all of us were getting to know each other. After all had been picked up, around 8:15 or
so we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant in Kottiyam. It was a nice and clean place and lots of
tables were available. All of us sat
together in nearby tables.
My table mates
(sounds similar to a product from Telebuy, eh?) were Deepa, Sreelakshmi, and
Minu. They were very lively company what
with talks about Marathon running, fundraiser events and so on. We ordered Appams, Idiyappams, egg roast,
chickpea curry and coffee. Once all had finished breakfast and freshening up,
our van started off again with its enthusiastic bunch to ‘Munroe Island’.
Around 9 am we reached the Island. Two boats were waiting for us; it had a roof
overhead, railings on the sides and chairs for the passengers to seat themselves
comfortably. We got separated in to 2
small groups and occupied the 2 boats respectively. We were accompanied by an
elderly man and the boat driver (of course) in our boat. Soon, we started moving.
The lake was breathtakingly beautiful. We took turns to climb on the elevated part
of the deck and click pictures near the bow of the boat. It was a great feeling to feel the wind on
your face and the sun smiling down upon you as u stood there free of all
cares. As our boats moved on, we were
able to see fishing nets, narrow waterways, mangrove plants and coconut farms
on the lakeshore.
We also got to see a
train passing over the Peruman Bridge. Ducks going in a row on the water was a
truly rustic scene! All were in
full-fledged photography mode. At times,
when our boats crossed each other we waved to each other like teenaged school
girls! No matter what the age range was, maybe 20s to 40s (except for Shiffa’s
daughter Aysha who’s a teen) that naughty giggly little girl in each woman’s heart
came alive, I guess.
Next we anchored at the “Marthoma Dhyana
Theeram” at Perungalam. It was a serene
and ideal place for meditation and relaxation.
Two Fathers from the Church welcomed us as we arrived there. They asked Sajna about our group and its
activities. We wandered on the grounds
of the retreat centre for some time. There
were some pet rabbits and a few birds and visiting schoolchildren were feeding
grass to the rabbits. Soon, we went back to our boats again and
started exploring the remaining part of the backwaters.
The elderly man in our boat kept us
entertained by narrating stories about the island, about the fishing there, the
losses suffered after the Tsunami and all. Lunch was planned to be eaten on
board. Large vessels containing our
lunch were brought in to our boats by two men.
Around 12:15 pm we started our lunch.
Hot, home-cooked meals and beautiful scenery around was a sure-shot
combo for total relaxation.
Post-lunch, most of us were in the mood
for a siesta. Shiffa had brought some
yummy halwa which served as dessert.
There was great demand for the ‘Naaranga Mittai’( lemon and orange flavoured
candy) too which Minu had shared around.
We all chit-chatted for the remaining time on the boat and Sajna also
shared with us some tidbits from her travels.
The boating came to an end around half past one and our next stop was at
St. Mary’s Church; an old church built in the late 19th
century.
We had to cross railway tracks
as we headed on our way to the church.
Some of us including myself took selfies on the tracks. Thankfully, there was no approaching train
anywhere! We reached the church
soon. It was painted in yellow and white
and had a tiled roof. The inscription on the front wall of the church showed
that it had been constructed in 1878. One thing that struck me was the
existence of good and evil (symbolically) in the church compound. I’m talking about the ‘Suicide trees’
(Cerbera odollam) that grew on the sides of the churchyard which bears
poisonous fruit known as ‘Othalanga’ in Malayalam. One couldn’t believe that those white
blossoms on the tree would soon grow into a deadly fruit! Just as how in this world, good and evil
coexist but ultimately it’s purely a matter of choice made by our free will.
Philosopical thoughts apart, the church
facing the lake and its surroundings also gave good scope for clicking away. Minu Marie (ART~ery) made a pretty picture
posing with her dainty little umbrella in front of the church. In spite of the
blazing sun, we all clicked selfies, groupfies etc. Dhanya was in full-on ‘Titanic mode’(no Jack
though) with arms outstretched while Nidhi was trying to “trap some air” with
her colourful dupatta held high against the wind! It reminded me of Rani
Mukherji in some song sequence in Kuch
Kuch Hota Hai!( No Shah Rukh here, mind you, strictly ladies only!
Lol!).
It was soon time to wind up. We
took the ‘Pezhamthuruthu-Peruman Jhankar boat service’ (ferry) to reach the
other side along with our Traveller proudly standing on the deck. It was the first time for me to travel in a
ferry and I loved it! I made sure to click a few pictures of myself sitting in
the ferry. After reaching the other side
of the shore, it was time to troop back into our van and head home.
The return trip was relatively quiet
except for the songs that were blaring from the player. We started around 3.30 pm. Soon, we were bidding good-byes to each other
and promising to keep in touch. Liji and
I got down at Sreekaryam. I was back
home by 5.15 pm. For me, it had been a
pleasant experience. I got to know a lot of new people from different walks of
life, doing different things, following their dreams, living their
passion. It was amazing and inspiring.
Though the lovely trip ended, our WhatsApp
group was very soon flooded with pictures of the trip and all were meeting
there in the group, sharing messages and looking forward to many more such
trips in future. Above all,
“Appooppanthadi group” stands true to its name – making each one of us feel
light as it is and to fly freely in the wind…
