Save The Beach, Save The Turtles, Save This Legacy

On the shores of the Arabian Sea in Kerala India my friend Francis operate a home stay with his wonderful wife Jacqueline and their two young daughters, Hannah and Olive. Recently they learned all will be lost if the owner of the common beach leases his land to a chicken farmer who plans to dump feathers and entrails next to the sea. This beach is the nursing home of the endangered ridley sea turtles for whom Francis protects.

In January of 2019 my wife and I were traveling around Kerala, India and had the honour of meeting a wonderful family at a homestay in Kollum. We had decided to try Sea Castle Beach Homestay  on our way to Alleppuzha and it turned out to be a very special time.

We were warmly greeted by our hosts, Francis & Jacquilin and their two beautiful daughters. During our time there, we were treated with such great kindness . Jacquilin’s cooking and attentiveness was superb; Francis was a fantastic tour guide.

Francis knows Kollum like the back of his hand. He took us to to all points of interest in his tuk tuk, and even showed us some outstanding trees when he found out I was an arborist.  In the evening he showed us neighbourhood elephant celebrations and temples alit with a thousand diyas (oil burning lamps).

He is a wealth of information and very close to the environment. The ocean is close to his heart and the endangered Ridley turtles that visit this beach annually , are his passion. He protects the beach near the homestay when eggs are being laid, and even goes so far as to buy turtle eggs which turn up at markets, and buries them in the beach near his house so they can hatch and flourish; instead of becoming local food fare.

Francis and Jacquilin have put all their time and resources into Sea Castle Beach Homestay and developed a loyal and satisfied customer base. They have invested their future in the business, and have planned for a prosperous life together.

Sadly, a short time ago Francis came to find out that the beach property he protects and relies upon for his livelihood will soon be used by a chicken farmer as a dumping area. Blood and byproduct will cover the beach the homestay overlooks. The present owner of this land has made a deal, and Francis is sick with worry.

The smell and vermin will most certainly drive away any clientele and destroy a profitable business. The inevitable rats that will ensue undoubtedly will feast on any Ridley eggs; further impacting this tenuous population. The area is sure to be decimated, and so too Francis and Jacquilin’s dreams. Neighbours seem to be apathetic to this potential threat and maybe don’t fully realise it will impact an area of several hundred metres.

Today Francis approached the land owner and found he is open to selling the property outright and cancel the deal with the farmer. There is hope!

Unfortunately Francis doesn’t have the ₹3.25lakhs (CA$6035) to make this ocean front property his. This is an overwhelming challenge for this beautiful family, and one in which we are hoping to remedy by rallying friends and whomever can identify with the challenges of having your dreams snatched away by a system that makes it so hard to get ahead.

Please look at the reviews for Sea Castle Beach Homestay and see for yourself what people are saying. Go through the pictures and videos and see what Francis and Jacquilin stand to lose. If you have visited them, please share your experience and your pictures, and please help them to achieve their dream.

View Francis and Jacquilin's Sea Castle Beach Homestay