January 29, 2015
KANYAKUMARI (or Cape Comorin) to KOVALAM (in KeralaState) 107 km
Hotel Vedanta Wake Up. 1100Rs ($17.57), AC, wifi in lobby, w/o breakfast. 5 minute walk from beach

Beachfront Road
 
We didn't see the need to leave very early, since it was only about 90 km to Kovalam. We packed up and were looking forward to a nice breakfast at Hotel Sea View since we had enjoyed such a great dinner there last night. But we were sorely disappointed when we got there and discovered that their breakfast buffet was setup in a dungeon-like windowless basement. The mostly Indian fare and the depressing and chaotic atmosphere turned us off immediately. On the walk back to our hotel, we picked up some yoghurt at small store and had it with muesli in our room. We got on the road to Kovalam earlier than planned. Yesterday and today were our first tastes of much greener surroundings in a while. We loved it. 
 
Once outside Kanyakumari, we followed a narrow and newly paved lane off the main road along the beachfront. We stayed on the tiny coastal roads which are use primarily for access to the beachfront villages and not for through-traffic. We passed numerous lovely lakes ringed by coconut palms. We looked southward to the much calmer (than the Indian Ocean on the tip) turquoise Arabian Sea which was now on our left. The path undulated and wound through peaceful fishing villages and coconut plantations. We were surprised to see so many large Christian churches. Here and there were a Hindu temple or a mosque. People of different faiths appear to be able to live harmoniously. 
 

What? No Coke?
 
We got many friendly smiles and waves from the locals who do not see a lot of foreigners, I'm sure. We ran out of water only to discover the small stores here don't carry bottled water or cola or plain soda. There is no demand for it. One little shop was able to drum us a local sugary Sprite-like drink in a bottle. 
  
 
Sleepy Fishing Villages

We pulled over and walked on one of the many secluded beaches strewn with simple wooden fishing boats. A group of fishermen were having a break in the shade waved at us. They asked us where we were from. They all had big smiles when we told them " USA". One of them inserted, "Bush" another corrected him and said "Obama".
 
Nothing indicated that we had crossed from Tamil Nadu State into Kerela except the web of rivers and small lakes we passed. We stopped for a break in the shade of coconut palms along a river.

When the coastal road options ran out, we joined the busier main road through endless coconut groves and larger towns where we saw brightly colored homes and opulent mansions. 
 

Most Developed Beach Resort Town in Kerala

At 2:30 pm, we finally arrived in Kovalam, the most developed beach resort town in Kerala. 
 
We had not reserved ahead for a hotel. We made our way through a maze of small roads to another maze of walking trails where we parked the motorcycle and began walking through coconut tree groves to Lighthouse Beach, one of the three crescent shaped beaches. Many of the hotels and guesthouse are on footpaths and not car roads. Several very cozy looking places were full. We checked out several ocean facing options. They were nice but not worth 3000 rupees to us. Most people must think the same, since they were many rooms available. And they were only willing to offer a 10% discount. We made our way to the lovely clean "Vedanta wake up" hotel who's upper floors look over palm groves.  It is about 3 minutes walk from the beachfront. We negotiated a small discount to 1100 Rs (normally 1250Rs) and got a modern air-conditioned room on the top floor. The "Vedanta wake up" is a chain of hotels which advertises itself as a hostel. But it is more like a mid-range hotel with some dorm beds too. It was tempting to spring for one of sea view hotel contenders but we figured we get our dose of direct sea views during our time dining at the lovely sea-facing restaurants.

Dave walked back through the palm grove footpath maze to the motorcycle and drove it 3 kilometers around the hills to get it to the side of the beach near our hotel. I got the cushy job of filling out the lengthy forms for check-in process.
 
It was 4 pm by the time we settled in to our room. And after we showered to get the road dust off, we did a bit of exploring then settled on a terrace with cool drinks and watched the sun set into the Arabian Sea. Think we can put up with this for a few days.
 

January 30 & 31st - KOVALAM

Two Days Putting Up with Kovalam
 
We're in Ayurvedic Country. Internal purification and drizzling oil massages offered in health centers and spa's abound. Tiny shops, cafes and juice bars cater to the tastes of the neo-hippy spirits. There are 5-star options located up on the ridge.

We soaked up the laid back atmosphere. The temperature rises to uncomfortable levels by 8:30 am.   We'd go to 2nd floor veranda of the Swiss Cafe for a two hour breakfast and watch the sea. They know how to put together a western breakfast and whole grain bread is baked on site. Sales touts engage tourists as they walk in front of the shops. That is one negative of staying in a touristy town but they are cherry and not overly aggressive. We hid out in our air conditioned room in the hottest part of the day and, by late afternoon, we were ready to stroll.

Full Moon Festival is Coming
 
We booked ahead to the #1 rated B&B in Varkala, another popular stop on the Kerala tourist trail. The American expat who owns the B&B recommended we consider staying long enough to see the exotic festival that happens once a year during the full moon. Could be interesting.