Kovalam and Varkala beach

The drive from Kanyakumari was smooth, and Aarush took a short nap. The road was an undivided two-lane one, so our speed was limited, but the lush greenery of paddy fields, coconut groves, and plantations was a pleasant sight for the eyes.

We reached Kovalam as planned and witnessed a magnificent sunset. It was a great experience to witness a perfect sunrise and sunset on the same day. The public beach was located next to the Taj and Leela hotels, with a large portion reserved for their private beach. We began our search for a hotel and ended up at the Blue Sea. While the property didn’t have any standout features, the food was definitely good, and it seemed like the property was divided due to a dispute between two brothers.

The next morning, we headed to the Lighthouse Beach, which we found to be much more serene compared to the earlier one. It had a long stretch for a leisurely stroll. We had breakfast at one of the sea-facing restaurants, and we noticed some reasonably priced hotels with ocean views that we planned to explore later. Aarush and Santanu ventured into the water for a dip. Initially, Aarush, with his plaster, was hesitant, but once he got used to the waves, he wanted to spend more time there.

In the afternoon, we returned to our room, had lunch, and took some rest. Then we went to Thiruvananthapuram to visit the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. The drive from Kovalam to the city was not very long but was plagued by heavy traffic. This sacred Vishnu temple, one of the 108 in India, boasts a magnificent blend of Kerala and Dravidian architectural styles. The temple enforces strict rules, allowing only Hindus to enter, with males required to be bare-chested and wear a dhoti. They even had a dhoti available to rent for Aarush. Afterward, we set out to find a place in Thiruvananthapuram to witness Kathakali and martial arts performances, but we ended up passing by Napier Museum, Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library, and other old heritage buildings, which were worth seeing, although we couldn’t capture them from our moving car. Unfortunately, these sites are on main roads where you cannot stop without proper parking.

What captured our attention was the abundance of jewelry and gold shops. It reminded us of the popular “sweet shop followed by a medical shop” phenomenon in Calcutta. In Bangalore, wine shops are prevalent, and in Kerala, come across Gold Jewelry shops then anything else.

Around 8 PM, we returned to our room so we could have an early dinner and set off early the next morning for our next destination, Varkala Beach. We settled our bills with the hotel for a prompt departure.

We left Kovalam at 6 AM and managed to cross Thiruvananthapuram city without encountering any traffic jams this time. Varkala is also renowned for the 2,000-year-old Janardana Swami Temple, often considered as Dakshin Kashi. However, we decided to head straight to the beach around 7 AM, and it felt like paradise. It’s truly a place worth staying over.

The cliff and the beach host numerous resorts, restaurants, and shops. The cliff features a long stretch of small shops that extend for over a kilometer, where we took a leisurely walk and had breakfast at one of the restaurants. It appeared that Varkala is more popular among foreigners. The breakfast was delightful as we enjoyed some European dishes.

Since we had already booked our stay for that night in Kumarakom, we couldn’t extend our time. The views of the sunrise and sunset are simply breathtaking.