Footloose in Payannur part I

Kavvayi islands - Coconut island - watercolors & sea water :)

If I close my eyes, I can smell the sea and see the clear line that separates the Arabian sea from the sky. My sister has skipped on ahead, rolling and tumbling and galloping in the sand with abandon. The local boys that came with us on the boat from the Payannur mainland eye us warily for a while. We three are the only women.

I write about this place with hesitation. Because I know it will stop being the pristine spot that it is, the minute more people come to know of it. Because people just cannot refrain from throwing in a plastic bottle here, or a chips packet there - itching, itching to turn everything into their own dirty little dumping ground.

So here's where you stop reading and stay home if you plan to litter, strew around beer bottles and act like a hooligan.

And here's where you can read on, if you promise to respect the place and leave it untouched.

The Kavvayyi backwaters make you understand why Kerala is called God's own country.  The evening breeze from the lake is fighting the heat rising from the land. There are hazy mountains that curve and bend in the distance, coconut trees that stretch out towards them - bent into gnarled, hardy beings like sentinels of the Kavvayi river. The mangroves have kept the river in good health. It's a lovely blue-green color. A boat makes a sudden appearance in the distance and drifts away.

 In the shallows, jellyfish rise to the surface. We are excited. This is the first time we see a jelly fish in real life. "very danger" a fisherman exclaims as we bend over to take a closer look at one trapped in his net.

A 5 minute boat ride  (cost us Rs.10 per person) takes us to the Coconut island. We spot some fish that skim off the surface, but we don't get a closer look. And the island is mind blowing.  The waves are choppy and it is almost sunset. And my sister stands reflective, gazing at something in the sand. Perhaps a sea shell? The sunrays are glorious - pink and orange - turning everything golden. The moment was too beautiful to not capture - so I took out my sketchbook, grabbed some seawater and recorded it.

me