Amoi on Pedals: Onion Power, Kerala Backwaters (26 Oct to 2 Nov, 2019) : Day 3

On the road at 4 pm, this tired man is still able to share a beaming smile!

Riding out from Illikkalam Lakeside Resort

Waterways by the lakeside

Houseboats moored

Different grades equals different prices!

Doing laundry by the riverside is a common practice in Kerala

Kumarakom Boat Jetty intersects with SH42's Kumarakom-Cumban Rd

Our ferry to Muhamma

Fancy being the captain of the day !

Lots of activities by the river. Many fishermen with small paltry catch of clams are seen passing this route.

Scale by the boat jetty

At 10 am, the ferry saw less than 10 passengers though every trip requires 3 personnel to man the boat; the captain, the engineer and the deckman

Lots of water hyacinth choking the lake, a side effect from Thanneermukkom bund project

Catch had reduced significantly since Thanneermukkom bund project affected fish breeding

Muhamma boat jetty. There were lots of churches by the riverside

Our hopes of taking Thalavady-Punnamada Rd to Allepey (Alappuzha) was thwarted by intensive roadworks. We had to make a U-tuRn back to SH40's Alappuzha- Madurai Rd

Taking a tea break at 11.30 am

Samosa, vadae, etc are served throughout the day in most places

Traffic starts to build up as we approaches Allepey

One of the craziest traffic conditions in Allepey is at this intersection between District Ct Way Rd and VCSB Road aka Boat Jetty Rd. The tiny roundabout in the middle of the road serves little use while the traffic police's signals are often ignored ! The Allepey boat jetty is 250 m away from this roundabout.

Pedestrians can opt for safer passage using this iron bridge which takes you to Thaff, a local eatery recommended by the locals.

All sorts of boats ply this waterway which is often used by houseboats, ferries and day boats.

Getting out of Allepey on Mullackal Rd. 4.5 km later, we made a detour to a new shopping mall yet to show up on Google Maps' satellite view for a final attempt to get an Indian simcard. Yet another fail but the mall comes with a drinking water filter system which we quickly refilled for free! The mall was strangely empty but comes with underground, multi-level parking and further topped with double decker parking system! At this point, Mullackal Rd joins NH66 to become a 4 lane highway!

We suffered NH 66 for 18 km before turning off to the coastal road; right after Pamba River. Having said that NH66's traffic was mild compared to downtown Allepey! This junction is marked by many fruit shops. We bought some bananas and rode less than 1 km away to an abandoned park by the river mouth for a break.

View of the river mouth from the abandoned park

View of the bridge that traversed Pamba River from the abandoned park. A local was seen taking a bath in this river!!!

Beautiful coastal road with frequent sightings of the sea

Quiet coastal road for 20 km all the way to Perumpally Tsunami Bridge

Right after the junction to Thattarambalan-Thrikkunnappuzha Rd, we were constantly riding next to the Indian Ocean. Note the basic fishing vessel made out of styrofoam and black polythene tarp leaning against the coconut tree!

Sand washed onto the road. Local buses do ply this route! Sadly this area was badly hit by the December 26, 2004 tsunami

Milk collection

Perumpally Tsunami Bridge, built after the 2004 destruction.

Quiet village life, view from the bridge

Back to tranquility on Vadekke Anjilimoodu Rd. Earlier, we had to turn back to NH66 after Perumpally bridge as the new birdge connecting Perumpally and Azheekal has yet to complete. This adds an extra 15 km to our ride.

Ochira-Ayiramthengu Bridge

View from the bridge

Azheekal Beach

Sleepy Azheekal Beach surprisingly comes with a water park cum restaurant. According to Rikesh, the beach is usually packed during the weekends

Dinner at Chat Busters with owner Rikesh who tried to help us get our Indian simcard. They served the best Bathura we have ever tasted!

Samosa chat

Right after the beach proper which comes with a park, street lamps and benches is this bridge still under construction. It will connect Perumpally and Azheekal reducing travel distance by 15 km.

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The journey from Kumarakom boat jetty to Muhamma boat jetty

Ferry service run by the government

Ferry schedule. It left promptly at 10 am and arrive on the other side at 10.40 am

10 rs per person, 10 rs per bike

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Kadaltheeram Homestay - Azheekal

We booked the homestay because it was the only one available in the area. Otherwise, we will need to ride extra 12 km inland to another town. The reviews on Booking.com and the photographs shared were positive. Besides, we found the owner to be helpful when we made enquiries on possible boat transfer from Perumpally Tsunami Bridge to Ochira-Ayiramthengu Bridge, as recommended by Google Maps' walking route. In the end, after making enquiries with her and seeking Shankar's and Gaju's help we decided not to follow the dubious recommendations made by Google. Google was wrong which explains why Hema doesn't seem to understand the questions directed to her.

Anyway, we arrived at the homestay at 6 pm and were greeted by the neighbour who opened the door for us. It turned out her sister is the neighbour and she came through the kitchen door!

Our first impression stepping into the house was a horror. The floor felt extremely sandy and the dining room was poorly lit by a single light bulb. Stepping upstairs, the walls were warped and the staircase uneven. The first room given to us was just as pictured on booking.com but the bathroom with missing window panes were letting in a lot of mosquitoes when we arrived. We were in a dilemma but decided to stay after a 5 minutes discussion on the grounds that the room was clean enough.

It was rather distressful initially as the house appeared abandoned. The living room was completely dark and doesn't look like it had been lived in for a long time. The dining table was totally lacking in chairs. The washing machine doesn't look like it works anymore. The knobs to the kitchen stove were missing, the refrigerator door is held closed by some cables and there was a sewing machine blocking the kitchen sink which makes any kind of washing impossible! Topping it all, the kitchen door is never closed!

Exploring further, we found another room right opposite the first room offered to us. Since the second room doesn't have any open windows, we requested for a change. It did not come with any curtains and there were quite a few spots of lizard droppings on the floor but it certainly beats being bitten by mosquitoes.

We could not understand what could have happened to Hema for her to have fallen so hard in life. Hopefully, she will be able to get her act together for she was really a warm and friendly person during the brief time we get to talk to her. She had come home at 7 pm and gone out for a funeral just as we were stepping out for dinner. The next day, she was outside waiting to bid us farewell just as we were heading out to Kollam to catch our ferry back to Allepey.