There had been a long time since
I had gone out. So this time I planned a weekend getaway to Kanyakumari. The idea
was to visit Kanyakumari, catch the sunrise and sunset and to visit nearby
tourist places.
Kanyakumari( Cape Comarin) , is
the southernmost tip of India is the meeting point of three oceans- Indian
Ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal. Standing at the southernmost spot of
Kanyakumari, you see ocean everywhere which make it a unique experience. Kanyakumari
has always been a popular destination among tourists. People visit Kanyakumari
to see sunset and sunrise. It is considered the best place to see sunrise.
The journey starts ....
It was almost 9 pm on Friday when
I started from Coimbatore. My plan to reach there in morning, enjoy the day
visiting nearby places, watch the sunset and sunshine.
Since I had to travel during the
night, I opted for the train journey to avoid disturbing my good night sleep. I
had booked the hotel prior to get the preferred location. The hotel I choose
was TAMIL NADU HOTEL which is run by state tourism. The hotel has an added
advantage of location. They have both suites and cottages. The room on the
first floor towards the sea provide beautiful sea view. Be reasonable in your expectations
since it’s a government property. They have a restaurant which is open for
limited time and have very limited menu. But you can always visit the nearby
food corner and hotels. The tariff of the hotel is quite reasonable.
Day 1
After reaching the hotel and
getting familiar with my surroundings, I started to explore the destination. On
the very first day I visited all the temples and museums which are nearby in
the city. To escape the noon heat I took a break and had lunch in a vegetarian restaurant.
Then during the evening I was out to the sea. There is no beach as such in
Kanyakumari. But the view of water everywhere makes you fall in love with that
place. I saw sunset which was mesmerizing. Sun, slowly moving down to its cave
and the whole sky becomes so dynamic with so many colors bursting out of it. I
sat there for some time and enjoyed the sea breeze which tends to blow us away.
Since the restaurant at my hotel was expected to get closed early, I had dinner
and then moved in. At night also, I sat in my balcony till the time my eyes
felt heavy. I had kept an early morning alarm so that i don’t miss the sun rise
by any chance.
Day 2
I got up at 5 am. Sadly didn't check out the sunrise time and
ended up getting so early. So when i came out it was all dark and breezy. I started
walking and soon when i reached the main lane, many people started following
me. I had planned to watch the sunrise from the view tower. I took the ticket
and climbed up. Coming early paid its advantage as soon the entire circumference
of the tower gets filled up and then you have no other option but to peep through
people. You will come to know when it’s time for sunrise as the sky becomes radiant
to welcome the sun. I took some really awesome pics there. 
So now it was time
to come back to the hotel as the entire day was planned. The day was kept for the Vivekananda
memorial for which I had to take a boat from boat jetty. Packed my bag for the
day and reached the boat jetty which is at the walking distance from the beach.
There was a long queue outside, so I started looking for the end of this tail. It
reminded me of “Sanp-Seedi” game where you never know which snake is going to
drop you to its tail. Till the time, I reached its end; I had walked a kilometre
and knew that the same distance I’ll have to walk again but in mini- steps. So
slowly the queue was proceeding. And you have no option other than watching the
road side shops. I took a nariyal pani to quench my thrust. Finally I took the
tickets and entered the hall which was meant to wait and was made like a snake
to keep the rows separated. Finally the call came and we ran to jump in to the
boat. It’s a small distance and you’ll soon reach the memorial.
Rest of the day
I spent at leisure, sitting and enjoying surrounded by water from all
directions. The place is so windy and quiet at the same time. They have a hall
structured for meditation and a book shop where you can get some really nice
collection. I bought some book from there. In the evening while coming back to
the hotel, I did some shopping of the local craft and shell artifacts.
Don’t Forget:
- Take sunscreen and sunglasses, you will surely require them.
- Try the “mirchi-pakoda” from some street side vendor, hot and yummy.
So now it was Sunday night and I
had to return for a week to my office and plan the next weekend.
Keep Smiling ;-)
