January 28, 2015
MADURAI to KANYAKUMARI (or Cape Comorin) the most southern tip of India. 250km
9am to 2:30 pm
Hotel Bharani 1060Rs ($17.56) AC, no breakfast, no WiFi

The Cape

Our goal today is Cape Comorin, now named Kanyakumari. It is the southern most tip of the India and has a view to the confluence of three major bodies of water, the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. It also has a smattering of monuments, temples and Christian churches.

We had a timely breakfast at 8am and took off promptly at 9 am, on our way to Kanyakumari, 240+ kilometers. We usually like to keep our daily km's below 150 km so this was a stretch for us. But we knew much of it would be on National Highways, the best roads in India


Are They Shouting at Me?

The initial getting out of town is always tense, especially for me. I tend to carry my emotions on my sleeve. That incessant shrill noise from the horns and traffic passing on both sides, just drives me insane. Maybe it is a bit mental but It is like they are all shouting.... at ME. In any case, once we made it to the cushy toll road, we could relax.
 
 
Cushy Toll Road

Toll roads in India, by the way, don't charge two-wheelers. The toll gates have a narrow lane on the far left which bypasses the money collectors. It was an overcast morning. Very pleasant and with some possible rain brewing up ahead.
 
The scenery was not noteworthy for the first 200 km. Occasionally a few sunflower fields broke the drab monotony of flat land.

With 50 km to go, we passed several wetlands teaming with birds. Miles of bright green rice paddies, banana and coconut plantations. And mountains to our right, that had been shrouded in haze, became more visible. We stopped on the side of the road next to an ashram or religious school and had our lunch, some cheese, crackers and fruit. 
 

Land's End
 
And at 2:30, we pulled into town. On our way to a mid-range hotel recommended in our LP guide, we made a quick stop to check out Hotel Bharani. Bharani turned out to be a fabulous find. We got a spacious clean room on top floor with great ocean view. It normally goes for 1250Rs and, without even asking, the desk guy lowered it to 1060Rs. Ahhh, the benefits when tourist season has ended. Only downside to this hotel is no wifi. We can live with that.

 
The Sights - Temple, Church, Rock, View

We had enough time left in the day to check out the few sights in town. 

From our hotel's roof, Our Lady of Ransom (Catholic) Church glistened in the sun.
    
We went to the waterfront and stared out over the Indian Ocean on the most southern tip. Indian tourists and pilgrims alike flock to the small temple here and take selfies with a backdrop of the Thiruvalluvar statue on the small island a few hundred meters off the rocky coast. Vivekananda Rock is about a hundred meters from the shore. Thiruvalluvar was a 3rd century Tamil poet and philosopher.