Hey, let’s get ready for some exciting insights about a trip that I went on. Here are some of my recommendations and experiences which I am gonna share with you guys so that you’ll could use some tips if you ever need to make travel somewhere down south.
Well, this definitely wasn’t one of those trips which was all planned – it came up like a surprise trip, you know? All that I knew was that I had to accompany my family for a wedding somewhere in the South India.
You might be wondering as to why would I want to go on a trip all of a sudden – just a wedding after all but my work load was getting too much on me so I just decided to take this trip. Wait! It doesn’t actually end there, it would be my first time visit to the south, so there was some kind of hype that was built up within me.
And the travel begins….
We took the Indian railways for this trip but honestly I wouldn’t recommend you to travel by it because in the end you are going to realize that the AC makes no difference.
We were travelling to Kanyakummari, which is the southernmost tip of India. Well, you already know that you are heading out from your state to another when you see the chai walas turning into mendu vaddas and iddlis – gives you the typical South Indian chills!
As for the travel hours, they were pretty long – we started out around 10PM in the night and arrived at about 7PM in the evening on the next day – how exhausting, isn’t it? Overall, the main station seemed to be quite welcoming with the people who complimented it entirely well.
We thought we’d board another train from Trivandrum to Kanya Kumari just then a friend of my dad's acquaintances showed up and that is exactly how randomly we ended up at their place. They welcomed us very warmly and we stayed the night at their place.
Their dadi now unknowingly my dadi too calculated I had a really bad stomach situation sensing the food options I was selecting and recommended me to have chawal and home cooked Rasam.
Meet Dadi, she was so shy to allow me to click
Wondering what Rasam is? Basically, it is an authentic south Indian delicacy cooked and served almost in every corner of South India.
The food I ate that day, was the best kind of south Indian food and I am specifically talking about Rasam.
The very next day, the known friend dropped us to the temple which was some ages old. But, then something happened there which did scare us to the core. We were asked to keep all our valuable belongings with the temple security staff and they would keep it at the counter I had almost everything given to him. Trust is a really tricky thing sometimes to have blindly.
But the thing that happened later did get shivers down our spine – the security who has all our belongings just vanished! Yes, imagine being stranded in a small South Indian village in without any of your valuable belongings – this definitely felt not so good.
How do we even communicate? Our phones, camera, tickets and almost everything was with this person who we entirely relied upon. We were running like fools all over the place, making timily calls to people who we remembered the phone numbers of.
That situation was scary as well as unforgettable, I mean what could we possibly do also? My brother on the other hand was trying to do something with the GPS and lock my phone and somehow try and trace it. But I guess, luck was in our favour and that person did turn up after 5 long hours and he gave us an excuse that he remained sleeping. #wedintspeakmuch. Just went back, packed our bags and were off to Kanyakummari in the morning.
At Kanya Kumari we stayed at the nearest hotel to the beach. Taxis are pretty much available everywhere and the hotels take care of the transport to on request. We reached Kanya Kumari later during the day. Also, the place we were staying at wasn't fancy enough because we would be out the whole day only to return back in the night.
Taking a look at the places that we explored
The main Kanyakummari statue which is placed at an Island about 15 min away from the main shore and the only way to reach to the place is through boat rides or a local ferry which can accommodate about 100 people (if you intend on checking this out, make sure you head out early as possible because you wouldn’t want to hang out in a long queue!)
You have about an hour to roam at the island where the main statue is placed.
There is also a temple which is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda and the whole area is so calm and peaceful. The island was built when Vivekananda had come here for tranquility and meditation.
A lot of sea shells and corals and other items are also available here – maybe you could pick up something for all your lovely folks back at home?
We stayed for about a day in Kanya Kumari but if you want to feel the vibe, just remember the night is all about it! The market just comes to life and so many food stalls and simple market goods are available here.
The following day we woke up at 5 to watch the sunset at 6, and guess what the sun came at 7? Never had I ever seen such a beautiful sunset, it was just so much peace and calmness, a state of meditative therapy. It was truly amazing!
Hey, folks if you are ever planning on a trip to Kanya Kumari, here are some quick tips for you (my set of personal recommendations):
If you are travelling by train, consider going my AC as it is a very long and tiring journey, make sure you get enough sleep during the way to Kanya Kumari. Try taking accommodation close to the station or where transport is easily available. Visit the market during the evening time as it much easier and less warm during this time
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