Railway Station | Image Resource : yourstory.com
We love vacationing in exotic locations and this time we opted for a holiday in Kanyakumari, after hearing so much about the beauty and spirituality of the place. I booked train tickets using the IRCTC website on the Himsagar Express.
Journey to Kanyakumari Was Smooth
The Himsagar Express runs from the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir to Kanykumari covering an enormous 3710 kilometers. During the three day journey it has 67 halts out of which Vijayawada is one.
Our journey on the Himsagar Express was enjoyable. We were in the AC three tier compartments and during our journey, enjoyed snacks and a nice rest till the train stopped at the Kanyakumari Railway Station.
We Stayed In a Lovely Two-Star Hotel
Our place of stay was the majestic Hotel Sky Ark located in Vivekanada Kendra. Our rooms were spacious, well appointed and offering the latest guest comforts. The hotel’s restaurant served delicious multi cuisine food. After enjoying evening snacks, we set down to plan what we were going to do the next day and the place that we were going to visit.
Sightseeing Was Fabulous
We took the hotel cab and the first place that we visited was the majestic Vivekanada memorial, which mesmerized us. Located in Vavathurai, in kanyakumaru it was built to honor Swami Viekananda, as this was the place where he attained enlighten.
It is also said that this rock is the place where Goddess Kanyakumari performed sever austerities. What stunned me most was, many types of architectural styles incorporated into the memorial structure. I was particularly taken up with the Dhyana Mandapam which is attached to the memorial, where I sat down for a while meditating.
Padmanabhapuram Palace | Image Resource : keralatourism.org
The next place that we visited was the Kanyakumari beach. The beauty of this beach is unmatched by others because of its lovely multi-colored sands. This is the perfect place to enjoy both the sunrise and the sunset. We could see kids playing here and some people indulging in surfing.
Mind you, the waves in this beach are huge and lash fast on the shoreline. Numerous small shops dot the beach selling shell craft and there are many eateries where you can enjoy sea food snacks.
Our next stop was the famous Baywatch Amusement Park. This is a fun and entertaining place for people who want to come with their families. They can enjoy a lovely time as there are so many rides to enjoy. You can enjoy short rides, water rides and well as different types of swing rides. There is a swimming pool for kids as well as one for adults.
With eateries and small food stalls inside the park, you can enjoy a lovely time playing with your kids, snacking, walking about, enjoying rides more than once etc. The park is open from 10 am in the morning till 6 pm in the evening. Adults are charged an entrance fee of Rs 300 while for kids it is Rs 250.
We also visited the beautiful kanyakumari temple and the Padmanabhapurma Palace, both of which enthralled us with their beauty and elegance. After some time shopping in local markets, we returned to the hotel to pack for our journey back home via train.
Spandan Backpacker 