The ocean is a cemetery

Date: July 7, 2009
Location: Fort Kochin
Accomplishments: We took the ferry to Viplin Island and cycled 20 km to and 20 km return from the beach.

We begin the day with a two minute walk next door to the veg hotel (A hotel is a restaurant NOT a place to stay) for Iddly. Iddly is a common South Indian breakfast of rice dumplings with coconut chutney sauce and sambar curried vegetables.

At 9:00 AM, we pay two rupees each to ride the ferry to he island. The ferry is packed with local people on motorcycles. like sardines, we squish onto the boat. The ride takes only a few minutes. Exiting the ferry onto the island, I am surprised y the hectic traffic. We cycle North on the island through a continuous cloud of smog as rickshaws, buses, motorcycles zoom in front, in back, and around me. Finally after an hour of crazy cycling, battling the traffic, we reach the beach. The ocean is angry. It pounds on the large boulders. The waves are gray. All around, there are disgarded plastic bottles and bags washed up on shore. It looks like a dump. The ocean to me looks like a cancer patient. if we don't save it and find a cure, the ocean will cough itself to death.

Dear readers, please reuse cups. Don't use plastic disposible cups and utencils. so many of them find their cemetary in our vast oceans.