Before the purists jump in and tell me that it is not the southernmost part of India but Indira Point is, I admit that you are right and I am not.
Moving on, our next destination was the Southermost (inhabited) part of India, which is Kanyakumari. Unlike other extreme geographical points in the South, East and the West, this Southern city is an urban center. Located at the junction of Western and Eastern coastal plains, this city is a famous pilgrimage center for people of different faiths. Overnight train from Rameswaram landed us at the shores of Lakshadweep Sea in Kanyakumari. A silent summer breeze welcomed us followed by a quick rain that seemed to be hell bent on drenching every nook and corner of the city.
After checking into the hotel, we straightaway went to the southernmost corner of the southernmost part of India. The Vivekananda Rock is a spiritual center located in the sea. A regular ferry service takes people to the rock, subject to the weather conditions. Nine out of ten times, the weather window permits people to see this spiritual wonder of our ancient nation. However, ours was that rare one time when the weather wouldn't relent. Despite numerous test drives, the ferry couldn't hold stable in the troubled waters because of the bloody winds that blew all across. We loitered around for around four hours and finally gave up. Though we made a good use of our time and spent those four hours walking across the city. Ancient temples, churches and old bazar is where we spent most of our time.
Waiting for the ferry to take off
One of the many churches in Kanyakumari
Troubled waters testing patience of tourists and ferry walahs'
While we cursed the high waves and fierce winds, this little kid cheered up. He was happy that these winds would send fish his way. He was tying his little net to a stone and dipping it into water. It was an overwhelming experience for me to watch a little kid learn the tricks of his trade to make his living. His friend was taking care of supplying well shaped stones to his partner.
Another test run failed. By now it looked impossible for any of the ferries to reach across
Men heading headfirst into troubled waters
The famous walkway of Kanyakumari
And that was all about Kanyakumari. Moving onwards, we were now headed into Kerala. And a pleasant surprise awaited us in those backwaters where life was slow, and water was less noisy. The famous waterways of India. We shall talk about that in our next post. Meanwhile, have a look at the amazing watery highways of Kerala.
