Yesterday I had a software installation in Kochi. So I reached Kochi and installed the software in minutes.
When I got out of the Office on Marine Drive, it was 1100 AM. I took a boat to Vypeen Islands. This is my first trip to Vypeen. I had studied at Kochi, at Ernakulam, when I did my PDC, in 1970 and 71. Now Kochi looks vastly different.
The Boat Jetty has been improved by a new building. There are frequent ferry trips to Mattancherry and Fort Kochi. I got a boat to Vypin at 1200 PM. It went via Willingdon Island, an artificial island carved out by Willingdon.
As we neared W Island, one can see the Taj Malabar, the five star hotel. Then the boat moved towards Vypeen.
We can see the giant gantry cranes of Vallarpadam very nearby. Vallarpadam is an island on the Wembanad Lake and is the site of the International Container Transhipment Terminal. The ICTT will be functional within six months time.
The Vypin boat jetty needs a lot of improvement. Near the boat jetty is the Vypeen Bus Stand.
It is a glorious view from Vypeen. We can see Fort Kochi on the other side. Taj Malabar on W Island looked a bit far and Vallarpadam is nearby !.
I then took a bus to Njarakkal, another tourist center. We have a beach at Njarakkal, but the facilities are not developed. Construction of the roads are underway.
There is an Aquatic Club at Njarakkal. You can fish there on the brackish water fish farm. They charge 150 INR per ticket. You can get gorgeous sea food, from the Sea Food Restaurant there. The Aquatic Club is manned by Matsya Fed.
From Njarakkal, I took a bus to the famous Cherai Beach. The beach is a beautiful sight and there are hotels and bars nearby. Cherai Beach seems to be better developed than Njarakkal. I saw more than 50 Westerners, some taking sun bath and others enjoying the sea.
From Cherai, I came to Trichur via the bus route. Last time I had crossed via Jungar, from Munambam ( Ernakulam ) to Azheekode ( Trichur ). This time I came to Kodungalloor without crossing via ferry. There were three bridges, which include the famous Kottappuram bridges, to cross. I reached Trichur within one hour.
Even though I had studied in Kochi, I had not seen the islands fully before. Hence this trip made me more knowledgeable about the spots which are going to develop, as the ICTT becomes operational within June 2011.
