Kanyakumari

• Sunset is among the most beautiful I have seen anywhere. The crowd throngs at the main beach to watch the sea gulp the sun slowly.
• Ferry ride to Vivekanand Rock has pros and cons. While the island and adjacent Thiruvalluvar Statue are worth the visit, the queues are a killer on both sides.
• There are several food joints along the beach facing the sea with authentic south Indian cuisine worth trying.

Trip: Bangalore > Kanyakumari > Kovalam > Trivandrum > Rameswaram > Bangalore

Kanyakumari is like one of those beautiful Russian spies. Allow them to nudge you and you will bleed dry. Stay game and you will be allowed to play a little. Fate let us arrive at this southern most tip of peninsular India on a Christmas morning.

Vivekananda Rock & Thiruvalluvar Statue

We enjoyed breakfast from a seventh floor restaurant that had an envious view of Vivekananda Rock & Thiruvalluvar Statue. A rock jetty was visible from atop which we decided to take up next. It was a windy path that lead right into the middle of ocean while the prime real estate of Kanyakumari was always visible to the right.

Kanyakumari from top of Hotel Ocean View

It was noon when we decided to venture into the main stream that fate laughed at us. Vivekananda Rock is nothing less than 'The Rock' on a busy day as we realized four hours later while we were still queued up to return to mainland. View of Kanyakumari city is good from here and we took few clicks.

Thiruvalluvar Statue as visible from Vivekananda Rock

We returned to the mainland by 4, hungry and tired and settled in a Sarvana Bhavan restaurant. Thali was good and helped us regain some strength. We came back to the hotel for some rest. Just before sunset we started for the Sangam point which is where Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet geographically.

Triveni Sangam, meeting point of three oceans

While the sun was hidden behind the cloud, the crowd's enthusiasm was undeterred. We walked around through the market and settled at a roadside restaurant. The coffee served was the best I had in my life. Plain dosa was added to another cup of coffee and we left the place content and ready for a good night sleep.

Lady of Ransam Church @ Kanyakumari

Early next morning we started for Lady of Ransam Church. It is one of the grand structures in Kanyakumari. Station is nearby from where we had to take a train to Trivandrum. Our plan for next three days was a lazy stay on the Kovalam beach.