It’s been close to 3 years that I have been living alone and one of the common thing that I hear is, “are you not afraid?” Over time, I have noticed that my responses to them have minimized, to the effect of just simple smile these days. I realize their apprehensions and I guess I have come to terms with their fears. But somewhere, I am sure I hear their inner voice. The one which wish to have gotten such an opportunity to do this too, to let-go…
Letting go of things which are damaging to your core is something that my mother-in-law taught me well. I owe it to her. Years later, I have mastered the art of being at peace with living alone and travelling indigenous to where life belongs! I have made several solo trips in the last three years, discovered many of the known places and the lesser known people. One such trip was to Kanyakumari.
As most of my weekends are by myself, there have been times when I just decide on a Thursday that I want to travel on a friday night after work. This was one such impromptu trips. Luckily, I got the tickets in time. So here, I set out, just like that to the land where you can watch the sun setting and rising on the same beach. This was the first time I took the Orange tours&travels and i found their services comparatively refreshing and welcoming. They seem to be the bunch of folks who understand the need of the new age and looked like they were able to bridge that very gap.
Anyways, I reached Kanyakumari at around 6 am in the morning and realized I need to check for my accommodation. I had checked upon few hotels beforehand and had zeroed down on couple of them. Kanyakumari has a town hall and most of these hotels are in and around those. I checked with three of them and preferred one which looked good in all terms. Some freshening up, breakfast and I was out by 8 am. I went back to the city center and figured a local taxi for a day trip around the city. My cab driver who was driving me around was a young boy from the nearby village. He mentioned he had just graduated in electronics engineering and was awaiting his admissions for higher studies. We got along pretty well, I loved the ambitious spirit in him wanting to break-free. There is some sort of unexplained simplicity in people from these smaller towns and cities, a simplicity which is averse to the constant need of keeping up to an imaginary idealistic bar.
There are lots of beautiful places to see in this little town. But for me the most exciting bit was the fact that i was at the southernmost tip of India staring into the convulsions of three mighty oceans. It felt good! The Sunset here is breathtaking. Hundreds of visitors gather just around sunset to view this magnificent phenomenon. It is one of the best I have seen after my Nepal experience. Also, this is the only beach front where you will manage to see both the sunrise and the sunset. If you are visiting as a tourist to quickly scan through the town, two days is good enough. I wished I had time to stay longer to enjoy the peace and serenity at the place.
Besides the lovely sunsets, you must also visit the Padmanabhapuram Palace. This UNESCO world heritage site is a marvel creation of wood. It is said to have been built for the Travancore Royal family. Almost entirely built of wood, it is said that was built in the 1600 century and is currently maintained by the Kerala government. It definitely is one Kerala styled wonder that you can find in Tamil Nadu. The palace also has a small museum which stores various items of the older times.
Another interesting place to visit is the iconic Thiruvalluvar Statue. The statue is of a Poet in Tamil Nadu and was considered to be one of the greatest poets in India. You will not miss noticing this statue as it is visible from far across and is one of the tallest statue in Asia. Vivekananda Rock memorial will be another must-see in your list. This rock island is accessible by ferry which operates off the shore. The place is large and one can easily spend hours noticing the place and marveling at history. I have a close friend who is highly influenced by Swami Vivekananda and she ensures her living is mirrored by those principles. Her surrender made me curious and I wanted to know what made it so desirable. So I read some of his teachings, strangely though, they are not very different from most of our religious or moral teachings. Same theory, different chapters and yet — hardly any takers.
You should also not miss the Kanyakumari temple which belongs to the Goddess named Bhagavathy Amma and is one of the 108 Shakthi peetha as per the Hindu mythology. Also she is the very famous Goddess with the diamond nose ring. Tamil Nadu is famous for its heritage of alluring temples all across the land. Bhagavathy Amman temple was profound, mystic and timeless. Devotees were seen singing, praying, chanting deeply. I felt that there was chaos and silence at the same time.
I also visited the Kankyakumari zoo and the Vattukottai fort. Peaceful with very less crowd, this place is a lesser known to tourists. With a reasonable entry fee, this place can be seen in less than an hour. If you plan to spend more time avoid the noon times or carry umbrellas as it can be very hot. Another must see destination is the Church of Our Lady of Ransom. This is a Roman Catholic church and is built in the Neo Gothic style. It is said that this church is also dated back to the 16th century and is very well maintained. I was particularly attracted to the statue of Mother Mary. It looked beautiful!
Mother Mary, Our Lady of Ransom, Kanyakumari, South India[/caption]
So after two days of exploration, meeting lots and lots of new people, talking to them generally about anything or everything, I returned home. Once again to being all by myself and answering yet another set of ‘why’s’, ‘what’s’ and ‘how’s’…
Will write more about my solo trips, reach me out on my social handles, if you want to say anything :)
Till next time.. just travel!
Cheers!
Sandy
