Munroe Island and the road to Perugalam

Munroe Island is a cluster of tiny islands in Ashtamudi Lake. The Kallada River flows along the northern part of the island and joints Ashtamudi Lake near the western end of the island. This island is named after Colonel Munroe, the British Resident of erstwhile Travancore State. The place is famous for boating and canal cruise around the Islands

I started from Varkala on a fine morning, took the beach route to Kollam and while walking around the elongated strip of Kollam beach, called Prem (my brother-in-law) to ask about the best route to Munroe island.  He was a bit unhappy, keep on asking me why I didn’t inform him earlier, so that he could have taken a holiday from work to go around Munroe island with me. He loved to travel around, and was sad thinking that he could have shown me some places which I will miss otherwise. At the end, he advised me to take the beach road to Kollam Chinnakkada and then NH66 to High School Junction and turn right to Kollam–Elamballor road. After Anchalummood, turn left to Perumon, and to the Perumon ferry terminal to Murnoe island.

As I approach the Perumon Ferry terminal, a ferry was preparing to leave to Munroe island and was so fortunate to get just enough space for my car. The ferry left the jetty as soon as I boarded. The ferry trip was amazing, though barely for a distance of 400m. The mighty Ashtamudi lake was almost calm except for some minor ripples as there was no wind at all. It was such a cloudy day.

Off to Murnoe Island, from the ferry

A view of the Munroe Island Boat jetty from the ferry

As soon as we departed from Perumon, a train whistled past us over the famous (rather notorious) Perumon bridge, summoning up the images of that old train tragedy in 1988. One of our distant cousins had also perished in that very waters on that day. My thoughts started to wander away and then, a sight of a lonely paddler on a wooden boat with a vietnamese conical hat rowing away along with his own loneliness brought me back to the present. We arrived the famous Munroe Island and it took a while to offload, must appreciate the patience of the ferry workers ensuring the safety of disembarking vehicles.

Train on Perumon Bridge

a lonely paddler with a vietnamese hat

Kaaruthra kadav was my destination, to pick up a boat to drive around the canals and if possible to the lake as well.  I read from the web that boat tours start form Kaaruthra kadav, which is a boat jetty in the Kallada river on the northern part of the Island. Prem also confirmed that.  It was a long drive from the southern end of the island to the northern part, Murnoe island-Perumon road to the Munroe island railway station and then Murnoe island-Chittumala road to the boat jetty in the quietly flowing Kallada river. Kallada river has an average width of more than 100m and I was told that the water depths will reach up to 25m at certain parts (especially the middle) the of mighty river. while asking for directions, some shop owner kindly gave me phone number of a boat driver and I happily managed to find that guy near the boat jetty.   

A ferry on the Kallada River, view from Kaaruthra kadav

The drive along the canals was amazing, trees on both sides and the canal was covered by the shadow of these trees. Some of the canals are quite small, just enough place for a boat to maneuver through the waters. Just as we started, my boat driver pointed to s snake swimming through the waters, unfortunately i couldn't get a proper shot.

Drive along the canals 

Drive along the canals

Drive along the canals

Drive along the canals 

Drive along the canals

Drive along the canals

Most of the places, banks are protected with mud that was excavated from the bottom of the canals.  On the way we saw a guy steering his boat full of fresh mud mined out for some land owner. My boat driver had a chat with him, looked like they are buddies, and he complained about the low prices of the mud and hardship of digging it out. 

Boat carrying fresh mud

A few freshwater farms for prawns with covered nets can be seen along the side of the canals. It is really catching up as a big business there, my boat driver told me. 

Prawn farms

We see mangrove forests at some of the places, looks like mangroves are dying or may be not that abundant in our chosen path. They could have planted more mangroves to protect the land. 

Drive along the canals 

Drive along the canals

Drive along the canals

A few mangroves noted along the way

A few mangroves noted along the way

A fisherman 

One of the most touching thing noticeable at many places is the number of abandoned wooden boats, along the banks of the river and canals.

Abandoned wooden boats

Munroe island was in news recently, as the low-lying areas of the Island are under a threat of submerging in high tides. Sinking of land is also reported at various locations.

Sailing back to Kaaruthra kadav

Road to Perugalam

Perugalam is an isolated place from the rest of the Munroe island and is located to the west end of the island. The road going there is really amazing, a car or even motorcycle can go only to half of the way, then it will be a narrow strip of land just enough for a person to walk. At one place two coconut tree trunks are used as the bridge to walk over a small canal. Most of the places are more flooded than rest of the island. Arrays of coconut tree plantations that are partially flooded on both sides of the roads.

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations 

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations

Partially flooded coconut tree plantations

Flooded areas, Ashtamudi Lake in the background

Boat ferry to Peugalam, skeleton of the broken bridge in the background

There used to be a bridge to cross over to perugalam, which was washed away once during the floods or so. The skeleton of the bridge is still there and at present a boat is used for ferrying people across the canal to Perugalam. 

I didn’t cross over to perugalam, just went up to the see the skeleton of the washed away bridge and came back. That will be for another trip.