Travel Diaries: A Nightmare, a Missed Boat, & an Ethereal Ride to Sambranikodi – Part 1

See Ashtamudi

On August 9, 2025, while I was walking through the shores of  ‘Ashtamudi Lake’, near the Kollam KSRTC bus stand, I noticed a double-decker boat, with the name ‘See Ashtamudi.’ Out of sheer curiosity, I jotted down the boat’s contact details. 

Back in the comforts of my home, I dialed the number and was delighted to learn that it was a passenger-cum-tourist ferry service, operated by the Kerala government. Starting at 11:30 a.m., the ferry offered a five-hour ride through the Ashtamudi Lake, helping tourists explore its associated wetland ecosystem, particularly the adjacent mangrove forests and nearby islands, such as Sambranikodi, Mundrothuruth, and Kaakkathuruth. 

Mundrothuruth and Sambranikodi were two spots on my Kollam itinerary that intimidated me, mainly because I had no idea how to reach those spots by public transport. I was planning to take a bus to Prakkulam (a village in Kollam) to catch a ferry to Sambranikodi, and a passenger train to Mundrothuruth to explore these islands. So imagine my joy when I discovered there was a direct ferry service from Kollam town to these spots. I leaped at the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Despite the Onam season and associated vacation rush, I was able to secure a reservation on the ferry for August 28th, a Thursday. 

August 28, 2025, Thursday

A Nightmare

My anxiety rarely lets me sleep on the nights before group tours or pre-booked journeys. As usual, on August 27th, I kept tossing and turning on my bed all night.

The next day, on the day of my trip, I woke up at 5 am, wide-eyed and startled by a nightmare. In the dream, I was at my maternal grandma’s house, too busy with chores, clueless that the hour needle of the clock was stuck at 9. I realized my mistake only around 11 am, with not enough time to get ready or catch the ferry. 

Imagine my relief when I woke up from this nightmare and realized that I still had 6.5 hours to catch the boat. Phew! They say, “You never realize the value of something until it’s gone.” Waking up from that nightmare, I understood how much I was actually looking forward to that trip. I vowed not to miss that boat and to enjoy the journey to its fullest, come what may.

Rain & Powercuts

I felt tense again as the morning was riddled with heavy showers and strong winds. The one question that plagued my mind at that point was, “Will the organizers cancel the ferry service due to bad weather?” Nevertheless, I tried to stay optimistic. 

At 8 a.m., while I was busy cooking breakfast, my whole house sank into darkness, thanks to a power cut and the heavy rain outside. There wasn’t enough power in the emergency light, so I had to switch on my mobile phone’s torchlight to continue cooking.

Alas! I realized my blunder. What if the electricity wasn’t restored anytime soon? Then my mobile phone might shut down by the time I go on the trip. How would I navigate a new place like Sambranikodi, click photos, and make notes about the trip without my phone?  What if I faced a critical situation where I badly needed my phone’s help?

I quickly switched off the torch and turned ON my phone’s power save mode. It turned out to be the right move, because the electricity was gone for hours.

Phone Calls

I had finished my household chores and freshened up, but my fear that the trip might get cancelled due to the poor weather got the better of me. So, at 10 a.m., heeding my brother’s advice, I called the contact number of the boat again. 

The staff didn’t pick up my call at first. When I retried, the line was busy for some time. Though the staff eventually picked up my call on the third or fourth try, they cut it abruptly, saying they were busy with a boat trip and asked me to call back later. The fact that they were working that day dispelled all my worries. 

What I Packed

The rain continued, but the heavy showers had given way to slight drizzles.

• I wore casual clothes and rain-friendly rubber sandals.  
• Since it was raining, I packed my purple umbrella and borrowed my brother’s yellow raincoat as well. (Yes, the raincoat reminds me of Jonas’ yellow jacket from the Dark series.) 
• A few plastic covers to keep the wet umbrella/raincoat. 
• Some cash in hand. 
• Some tissues, a mask & sanitizer. 
• A one-litre bottle of water.  
• I went to the nearby grocery store to stock up on some healthy snacks and energy bars. But I ended up choosing Snickers and a few cream-filled croissants, purely for their taste. (Fair warning: You shouldn’t take diet advice from me. 😎)

Nightmare Turned Reality

I left home by 10:40 a.m. After buying snacks, I boarded a bus to the Kollam KSRTC bus stand and walked to the nearby boat centre. I reached the boat jetty by 11 a.m., thirty minutes before the boarding time, or so I thought. 

My jaw was on the floor when the staff told me that the ‘See Ashtamudi’ Boat left by 10:30 a.m. My mind immediately went to full-on panic and disaster analysis mode:

“Did I hear the timing wrong during the call?” 

“But the Kerala Tourism website also mentioned the start time as 11:30 am.” 

“So how did I miss the boat? Oh, this is a nightmare!”

Seeing my confused face, the staff explained apologetically: “Due to the Onam rush, we had to convert the daily 5-hour trip into two 4-hour trips. The morning trip starts at 10:30 a.m., and the evening trip at 4 p.m., which will be inaugurated by the MLA today.”

After confirming that my name was on the reserved list, the staff also added, “We called everyone who booked a slot with us, but we were unable to reach you.”

My bad luck! What are the odds of missing a boat due to preponement? 

“At least, my intuitive powers are still intact, and the nightmare forewarned me.” I tried to look at the brighter side of things. 😬

My DDLJ Moment

Seeing my sad face, the staff started showering me with options. 

“You can return at 4 p.m. for the second trip,” one of the staff suggested.

“Or there’s a regular passenger boat run by the government bound to Sambranikodi at the jetty now. You can get on that,” the second staff member recommended, pointing at a ferry at a distance. “It might leave soon,” he warned me. 

Upon hearing his words, I sprang into action. Like Kajol in that iconic DDLJ train scene, I ran and leapt onto the boat’s deck. Though there were a few major differences:  There was no need for such rush or drama as the boat was still at rest, and of course, there was no SRK on the deck. Sigh!

To be continued…

You can read the second part of this blog here. 

Author’s Notes

~ GIF credit & source – Make A Gif

~ All other content, including images, on this blog is the intellectual property of the author. © 2025 Lirio Marchito. All rights reserved.

~ This blog is part of a series exploring my travels through my hometown, Kollam, a beautiful district in Kerala, India. You can read more posts from this series here: Kollam | Kerala | India.