The day after...

We woke up really early to catch the sunrise. It was still dark when we went and sat by the temple. A crescent moon had just risen, perhaps an hour back.

Better authors have described a sunrise, so I will not attempt it here. Among the “firsts” that this trek gifted me, this was one – the first time I’d watched a sunrise over the sea (or should that be bay?) A cool 1.5 hours of sitting and watching later, we went to the nearby temple which was crowded and commercialized. Later we had breakfast at a roadside café.

The wind in Kanyakumari is really remarkable. It comes at you from any direction it pleases. It is strong enough to send a spray from the top of waves just when they break. And best of all, it is not the salty, humid kind, but a cool, refreshing one.

In the late morning, after enquiring about return transportation, we went to the Vivekananda Rock. This is a place worth visiting. A classy place, it is maintained meticulously clean. The wind and the view of waves crashing on the rocks around can itself make you wait there for more than a few hours. The other attractions on the island are the Shripad temple and a meditation room. A natural rock formation at Shripad in the shape of a foot is by lore the place where Goddess Parvathi worshipped for getting a husband. We waited at the rock until we were shooed off by the watchies at noon.

We came back to the mainland and had lunch. Shyam and Krishnan are leaving by the 16.05 Madras train while I’ll be waiting to watch the sun set before taking a bus to Trivandrum.


This is the official end of the trip and the end of the daily log. It’s been a pleasurable experience jotting down these notes in the afternoon halt and at the end of a day’s tiring trip. It’s tough to get started when you’re tired, but once into the habit, you discover it adds a lot of fun to your trek.

There is so much beauty in this world. Go out there and discover it.

Day 28: Thiruvananthapuram – Kanyakumari

I had a good sleep under the fan until six. Then had a bath. Today we’re gonna go for Kanyakumari. It’s hard to realize this had been our aim all along – I've enjoyed the journey so.

Started at 7:15am. A km on, the highway turned left at a UCO bank junction. Confused or misinformed, Shyam and I went straight on the Kovalam road a few hundred metres. We came back to the junction to find Krishnan missing!

I waited there while Shyam explored every avenue – Kovalam road, highway and back to the control room. No sign of Krishnan. Worried, I waited with the cycles while Shyam took an auto to search further. But in vain.

It was nine by now, and we returned to the control room and told the officer about Krishnan. The officer took down his description and sent out a message on the wireless. Never has any of us been missing for so long.

It is 9:45am now. I’m sitting in the PS compound writing this while Shyam is pacing the streets outside. I’m getting more anxious with every passing minute. This is most un-Krishnan-like.

At 10:30 I decided it was time for some action instead of hanging around for news that wasn't coming. We started cycling along the highway. Asked some of the lukkhas sitting alongside, and found that Krishnan had indeed cycled along that path. Called up a police station near the border and asked them to put a stop to his progress.

Heavy, hot cycling later, we came to Neyyatthinkara (20km). Had lunch in the same place Krishnan had had breakfast. I wondered why the moron was cycling alone!

At Kavakkutilai (32km), we crossed the border - a small sign and Asoka post - into Tamil Nadu, our sixth and last state. Cycled a few km on and rested in a church compound under a tree. It’s hot on the road at 3pm.

Kanyakumari! As I sit here facing the sea, it’s hard to describe my deep satisfaction to be here, as well as that exhilarating, memorable last ride here.

After changing states, we were greeted with a dramatic change of scenery. From the endless coconut palms and continuous village of Kerala, here we were met with hills. Thankfully we did not have to go over any of them. They were solitary high rocky things scattered here and there, mostly to the left. The lush greenery of the banana plantations in the foreground, the clouds kissing the hilltops yonder, is a picture I will not easily forget. And the wind... the entire evening stretch of 50+km we were refreshed by the strong wind. Now and then, we would come across lotus ponds or hyacinth streams. And the spirit... Shyam and I were bubbling with enthusiasm and anticipation throughout. I was on a continuous high and never felt the cycling, the monotonous leg exercise that had become a part of my life for the past month and would soon cease to be. I remembered what Pop had told me once regarding jogging – once you stop feeling the pain and start noticing the countryside, the jog is no longer an exercise but an experience. Luckily this feeling had come to me very near the beginning of the trek.

We reached Nagercoil (68km), from where the road was a continuous flat stretch illuminated at places. A few km on it became dark. Along the road, we were informed that Krishnan was just a few minutes ahead of us but when we finally spotted him in Kanyakumari sipping a cool drink, he said he’d been there hours back. The trio re-formed, but Krishnan was in a major solitary mood. We had cycled 88km today.

Kanyakumari is a big tourist place. Seeing the large number of hotels and lodges, I was for a moment afraid the police wouldn’t accommodate us, but was relieved when they did. It seems fitting to start and end the trek by staying the night at a police station. Perhaps I may not have this experience again.

We had our baths at a pay-and-use place and then dinner at a nearby restaurant. Shyam and I were still hungry, so we went and ate Chinese grub at another restaurant.

A long time passed with us lying by the waterfront and gazing at the stars. The sea played its unique melody as the lighthouse made its nightly rounds. Went to sleep in this windy place at 3am after debating whether to stay the night up or not.

Day 27: Kayamkulam – Thiruvananthapuram

I had an uneasy sleep, disturbed by mosquitos and policemen. In the morning, there was a slight drizzle, but not enough to even wet the topsoil. We set off at a relaxed pace, stopping by Kollam (Quilon - 36km) for breakfast at ten. After this it became really hot. Since our aim was to reach Trivandrum tonight, it was imperative that we cover as much as possible before stopping for grub.

I used to stop in the shade of a tree, then wait for a cloud to come in from the east and cycle in the shade of the cloud while it lasted. This technique of “riding the clouds” was very successful and we reached Parapalli (62km) for lunch, after which we relaxed in a nice shady spot on a disused old highway stretch.

Refreshed, we took off in the evening over the slightly hilly road to make Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram - 110km) by darkfall. Once there, we found that accommodation earlier assured by Krishnan’s contact did not materialize. So we took the highway right into the city centre and enquired at the YMCA. Expensive accomodation (by our standards). Decided to go to our good friends the police. But first had grub – “Bombay meals” at a highway restaurant. We then enquired at a nearby PS, but it was small and they could not help us. It was by now ten pm. One policeman recommended a “Rajdhani Yatri Nivas” near the temple. Too expensive, we discovered, after we cycled the 2km there. At a nearby lodge, there might have been accomodation but no water. Ditch.

So finally we completed full circle by coming back to the secretariat, near which is the main police control room. A large place, they allowed us to sleep in the hall under a fan (luxury!)

In the course of the day, I met Rehman, my counterpart in Trivandrum Engg College, who was overwhelmed to meet the first IITians in his life, and that too in extremely unusual circumstances.

Estimate of distance covered today: 110km

Day 26: Cochin – Kayamkulam

We woke up at seven, refreshed after a good sleep. After a hearty breakfast of dosas, we were raring to go! The highway to Alapuzha (Alleppey) was an excellent road in constant maintainance, and we were relaxed after seeing the INSAT photo that showed absolutely no monsoon clouds anywhere in the subcontinent. However, we did have cloud cover while cycling on this tree-canopied highway, which at places was four-laned.

We reached Alleppey (55km) by lunchtime. Cycled along the tree-lined canals having innumerable old and narrow bridges. A nice town - no wonder it’s called the Venice of the East, although Mr Sukumaran had told us that most of the old canals are either out of use or reclaimed for land.

We had lunch at a good Udupi restaurant that served payasa as well. After that, we searched for a place to rest. We could have bunked by the side of a canal, but Shyam wanted to be near the highway. We went on and took shelter under, of all places, a water reservoir. It turned out to be a good idea. Even ground, good shade, and lots of water (duh). A cool breeze is blowing as I write this.

The 46km in the evening was unremarkable and peaceful, and we completed the easiest century while entering Kayamkulam. The police there surprised us by welcoming us. The in-charge guy was impressed by our IIT status, the first chap on the trip to be so. He recommended some grub spot to us (even he called food “grub”!), after which we split a pineapple and then slept without bathing.

There was lightning tonight as well but the policeman seemed very confident it wouldn’t rain.

Estimate of distance covered today: 101km