All boys Roadtrip across West coast!!

     It's an absolute no brainer that no place in India can beat Goa when it comes to chilling and spending time stress-free. We hit the beaches of Goa and submerged into the sea of relief and let all the work calls, zoom schedules, covid scare back on the land alongside our flip-flops. Well, that dip did give a blockbuster opening to our trip. The other thing that is very unique to Goa is casinos. They do throw one into a very different world. The cruise casinos are even better experiences and we chose the best of the lot, Big Daddy casino. We tried our luck at the games and made some decent money too(not at all bad for a first-timer) and later enjoyed the delicious food on the top deck of the cruise along with some breeze blowing across the river delta.

     Our next stop was a devotional place with an adventure packed destination. Murdeshwar houses the tallest Shiva statue in India right on the shores of sea and is a treat to watch for all the devotees and travelers. We took a good look of the statue and also seeked the blessings from the temple adjacent to it and started gearing up for the most awaited event of the trip, scuba diving!! Scuba at Murudeshwar is done on the shores of an island, Netrani, which is about 21 kms from the mainland. Butterflies had started flying in our stomach as we set out to the island.
     Being a non swimmer I was absolutely terrified and even thought of pulling out from diving until the last minute but somehow managed to gather all the courage and went ahead, trust me it was one of the best decisions I ever made and that particular experience I'm never gonna forget in my life. The life underwater is so fascinating and beautiful, any person will instantly fall in love with it and would want more of it. With a heavy heart we continued on our journey and started heading to the God's own country, Kerala.

     We were aware of the fact that Kerala is spoilt for choices when it comes to travel destinations so, we picked some offbeat destinations ditching the Alleppeys and the Munnars. We made a small stop at Bekal fort on our way to Kozhikode and it turned out be a pretty good decision. The fort is huge and built on the shores of Arabian sea and has a bit of history to teach us about itself. Beach forts are the best type of forts because they come with a view, haha!
     Kozhikode is a beautiful beach town which has a story and a person attached to it which we all have read in our text books, Vasco da Gama. Kozhikode or Calicut is where Vasco da Gama hit the golden land of India for the first time, Kappad beach to be very precise. We stayed in a resort named Vasco da Gama which is right near Kappad beach to travel back in time a bit and spent the next morning at the beach and honestly, no pictures can justify the tranquil one can attain at this place. We bid adieu to the land of Vasco da Gama and headed to our next destination, Varkala.

     Varkala is famous for being a cliff beach and also for the dramatic sunsets it paints on the skies. And also it was New year Eve so the stay was already made special. Varkala didn't disappoint us, we witnessed one of the most dramatic sunsets and got lost in those colours on the last evening of a very tough year, 2020. We visited the beach again at the midnight and welcomed the new year happily along with the hard hitting waves and the sky lit with crackers.
     We also explored a small beach with lighthouse, Kovalam beach on our way ahead. Being the new year day the beach was thronged by people. We took a good sight of the light house and continued on our journey to accomplish the last leg of our trip.

     Cape Cammorin or Kanyakumari was the final destination and we were all excited to be at the only place in India where we can witness sunset and sunrise but, unfortunately it was all cloudy that evening and we couldn't watch the sunset. Nevertheless, the sunrise was mesmerizing and to see it rise as a backdrop to the marvels of Vivekananda Rock memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue was a sight to behold. We also paid a visit to the Vivekananda Rock memorial and educated ourselves about Swami Vivekananda and how inspiring a life it was and NGL, we did carry some of those learnings along with us. And, within a blink of an eye, last day of the trip was staring at us prompting for the return.

     The travel drought courtesy covid, was finally over by an amazing trip that rejuvenated us and we were all ready for 2021. Numerous sunsets, scuba, casino, beaches and ofcourse the drive had all comprised to fill the joy and happiness into us and we gracefully accepted it hoping for a travel filled year.