Monsoon Trails ..........

This could well be the last trip during my two month stay at Kottaram, Bangalore. After Mysore, Balaji threw up an invitation to his house; Praveen and I were ready for it and Sinu as usual came up with his regular version of Ifs and Buts....Well, the plan was to board the Friday evening train ‘Kochu Veli Express’ leaving at 20:00 from Krishnarajapuram whereby we would reach Ernakulam at 07:00 the next day. Rest of the trip was not planned, but we had made it a point not to miss the famed backwaters…..

It had started to drizzle.....

Herons,Egrets and Cranes were a common sight

Being my first trip to Alappuzha, was determined to enjoy to the fullest. The train reached Ernakulam at around 0600. Took a bus from there to Cherthala, Balaji’s hometown…Reached his house and lo!, in a few minutes time, we were left pondering the uniqueness of this land….There was an elephant, quite an old one from a nearby temple being taken out for a walk; it was standing near the gate and gazing at us. Well, such things happen only in Kerala!!!

No stretch of land went waste

The downpour had started to gain strenght

We left by Bus from Cherthala and reached Alappuzha bus stand in forty minutes time; there were four of us - Balaji, his brother Banarji, Praveen and me. The water ways are adjacent to the Alappuzha bus stand so one would not find it difficult to get to it. There were a few small houseboats nearby. We had some contacts through whom we got a boat arranged. Being a costlier option, we skipped the idea of a houseboat and opted for a normal one. It was still drizzling…..

House on the river side

The temple on the way; Serenity!

Started off at 1200 noon; we drifted away from the city bustles and were greeted by a myriad of riverside birds. The cool breeze along with the intermittent drizzle added to the spectacle. There were picturesque scenes all around, everything lush green and lively. Huge houseboats were trailing by even though it was an off season. We first came across a small strip of land, a beautiful strech connecting two land masses. There was fog all around, a lone mango tree stood out, a deserted canoe by its side; we just stood there gaping at the beauty, the charm…..

Regular sight all along the way; Fishing on the banks

The lone mango tree; Picture Perfect!

Went further inland to Kuttanad ‘the rice bowl of Kerala’; scores of children along with their family members were searching amongst the rocks for shrimps and prawns for their afternoon fiesta. Lot of Toddy shops were scattered all along the sides. Around 1400, we had lunch at one such shappu. The “Karimeen” was available for a hundred and a scoopful of prawns could vent around two hundred and fifty from ones pockets. After the meal we started our return journey; enroute we chanced upon some paddy fields and decided to get down there. A few steps into the fields, the downpour started heavily, bad for us, we had to rush back into the boat. There was this man fishing alone and he showed us his catch of Karimeen and a few huge carps. One can find so many people fishing in the waters; they use a thin thread and a paste of tapioca to lure huge fishes. Lots of birds were there all along to keep us company till the end of the journey.

Rains don't seem to bother the people there

Most of the fields were inundated, except for a few like this

By now it was raining heavily; decided to get all wet – decided to enjoy the downpour! Around 16:00 we reached back at the bus station; the whole backwater ride of three and a half hours cost us just around 800/-.

Picturesque sight indeed!

Mathoor temple during the rains

From there we decided to visit Balaji’s family temple Mathoor Bhagavathy Kshethram in Mathoor. A bus ride for another twenty minutes and we were there. On the way, one can see people selling huge prawns and fishes on the roadside. From the main road, we had to trudge another kilometer inside. The road stretched on, surrounded by rice fields with a few cattle moving around. There was a nallukettu and an ettukettu in a dilapidated condition, just a few blocks from the temple. Inside the temple it was pitch dark, the sheer majesty of the goddess all dressed up leaves you spellbound. By the time we returned, it was around 1800; took a bus back to Cherthala via Alapuzzha. By the time we reached the house it was around 21:00.

You find nothing else but the fields

Next day left alone from Cherthala back to Alappuzha, this time to pay a visit to Sinu. Planned to have lunch there and get back to the railway station on time. The train was scheduled to leave from Ernakulam at 1700. There were only two of us for the return trip – me and Praveen. We reached Bangalore quite early at 0400.

Time to bid adieu!!!

The rains kept us company throughout the trip and amidst all the ruckus over the chicken gunya scare, this trip was a time to unwind oneself and enjoy the rains….Just two weeks left to get back to Mumbai and what better way to wind it up than a trip to “Gods own Country”, a trip to the backwaters!!!

For more photos, please visit my friends' photo pages:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostalgicmemories

http://www.flickr.com/photos/panantha

http://silentphotos.blogspot.com