Where am I today
I am writing a travel blog after 8 years. Back in 2017 when I started my job and started earning, I thought I would do 2 trips (1 international, and 1 within India) and write about it. In 2017-2018, I did start strong writing some of my travel experiences on Quora. It was also very deeply appreciated by my family and my colleagues. But as it happened, I gave in to my own laziness, procrastination and entirely stopped writing. Ever since then, after numerous trips, it’s now 2026 and I finally feel the urge to write again once in a while.
This trip was done with family and was mostly a dream wish of Lily Aunty (LA). Bhaskar Uncle (BU) decided to plan this surprise for her just before her 50th birthday (September 1, 2026). Swathi (SM) did all the planning, optimizing every bit of the travel, deciding places to visit, places to eat, the perfect timing to catch sunsets. And I had the least contribution, just made sure I was present and giving good company. Yes, I did some of the booking while optimizing the credit card points. And yes, this trip was just after a sweet promotion, so the previous months had been hectic and I did need a shut-off period from work.
That said, as with most of my trips I had done zero research on the places and the order in which we were travelling. This became embarrassing to a point that I could not tell my colleagues the names of places I was visiting during lunch conversations.
About the trip
Day 1 — Madurai
SM and I met LA & BU at the Bengaluru Airport. SM was angry at me forgetting to carry my credit card and the chance of us not being allowed into the airport lounge where LA and BU had been waiting over a 4-hour layover. But thanks to all the digital enhancements, I was able to scan a QR and enter. A flight later, we were in Madurai where we were supposed to spend the night and prepare for an early morning darshan of Meenakshi temple. We got up by 6am, clicked a few pictures and were ready to visit the temple. This was the first time I was seeing a gopuram in person, beyond what I had only seen and read in history books (6th grade Indian history). The colors on the gopuram were unique, unlike anything I had ever seen. There were long queues, but it struck me that people were patient, not shouting unlike many other temple towns. We did get help from someone near the queue who helped with expediting the queue and we could do a quick darshan. On our way out, BU was rushing as usual and LA asked us all to sit near the ‘Potramarai Kulam’, or the sacred lotus tank. SM and I again gasped looking at the gopuram, recalled our history classes and then went out.
We then got ready and prepared to head for our next stop - Rameswaram. Just as we were exiting Madurai, SM had researched the perfect place to have ‘Jigarthanda’. I had heard about it from my colleagues as well. And I have to say it’s one of the best things I have had that is so unique to Madurai and not available anywhere else.
Day 2 — Rameswaram
Drive to Rameswaram was a 4 hour drive. The Jigarthanda drink made sure we had no appetite for any lunch on the way. We had plans to see Dhanushkodi on the way, which has so much historical significance - The ghost town, Ram Setu and also the last motorable point in India. The first thing that struck us was the distinct color gradients of water when we stood on ‘Pamban’ bridge. Then we headed for the southernmost point. At this point it was about 4pm and we were starting to feel hungry with no sights of any food joints. Here we saw some shacks by the beach and local women cooking fresh-caught fish. SM and I got down to take a look and were hesitant just when BU joined us and said we can try 1 piece. We 3 sat down and the lady got us 1 piece of fried fish. We immediately finished it off and before we knew, we were done with 6 pieces of fish and a plate of prawns. It’s among the best traditional fish I have had and this is something I have always expected from any coastal town but seldom find.
We then checked into our hotel and did the first round of darshan at Rameswaram in the evening. After that we were supposed to come again at 4am and do the Spatika Lingam / Mani Darshan. I’d say it was hard to get up at 3am but I guess that’s the whole point of a Teerth Yatra. It’s supposed to be difficult in the sense that you’d have to turn away from your usual schedules. After the Mani Darshan, we took a plunge in the sea. BU and I entered first, water was not very cold and it felt divine in the sense that Lord Ram is believed to have done something similar after coming back from Lanka. We then did the 22 Kund Snan which is believed to purify the soul and cleanse our sins. LA jokingly said we can commit new sins now that old sins are cleaned.
Rameswaram temple was a bit different in the sense that though it is one of the 4 Dhams, it was not as crowded as others. Maybe I am just traumatized at how difficult it has become to visit Puri (one of the other Dhams) even as a localite. Also, I am still very curious about how this temple serves Lord Shiva whereas all the other Dhams serve Lord Vishnu. I still have some digging left for mythological facts about this. After this we returned to the hotel, had a good breakfast and left for Kanyakumari.
Day 3 — Kanyakumari
Drive to Kanyakumari was supposed to be a long one - 6.5 hours from Rameswaram. It was also tiring in the sense we were all up by 3am and already had a long day. BU was mostly sleeping in the car through this journey. The rest of us were dozing and waking up. It was also a very hot day, but overall good roads which made the journey less tiring. We reached Kanyakumari about 4pm and first did a darshan of Kanyakumari Bhagavathi Amman Temple which is a Shakti Peeth. Then we headed straight to the sunset point of ‘Vivekananda Rock Memorial’. This place was pretty scenic and again was a popular place which we always read in our history books. Sunset at this point was truly beautiful. We then headed to our hotel, had a good dinner, coffee and then a quick late night walk where BU and I chatted about whether a hotel in a temple town could be a good business. Both of us agreed it might be a good future option to do something in Puri.
We had a sumptuous buffet breakfast and then set out for our final destination - Trivandrum.
Day 4 — Trivandrum
Drive to Trivandrum was scenic as we were now entering Kerala. We were supposed to take a halt at Kovalam - a small beach town and have some seafood. BU had asked me for a promotion party and I had promised him we would have prawns and lobster here. SM has never been to Goa so I had told her that the seafood here at Kovalam might be similar. Kovalam beach side was a retreat in the sense it was small cafes, good coffee, very little crowd and good shacks serving seafood. Maybe it was just the timing of our visit. We quickly scanned through the pre-decided pinned restaurants but realized most of them were closed. SM and I quickly scanned a local shack where the food looked delicious with live fish and lobster for display. We then quickly called up BU and LA and the 4 of us had a gala time eating and raving about the seafood. Hands down, it’s the best seafood I have had outside our homes in Odisha and the best value for money.
We were just walking by the beach and BU asked if I was interested in coffee. And for the nth time on this trip we both had good coffee. I realized it’s such a delightful view to look at the sea and sip coffee and slow down the rush of life. Given a chance, I’d like to come here and enjoy a week off—maybe slow living. We then quickly bid adieu to Kovalam and set out for a short stop at the ‘Aazhimala Shiva Temple’ that had a grand Lord Shiva statue. SM was particularly impressed by the minute details of the sculpture, particularly the way Ganga was emerging from Shiva’s hair. After this we headed out into the city of Trivandrum and checked into our hotel for the night.
The final morning, we prepared to visit the ‘Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple’. This was the only temple on our trip which was strict about what people wore. Even the security guards inside the temple were dressed in the same attire. SM and I had bought my dhoti from Bengaluru. This darshan was magically quick (~30 minutes). But I somehow wish we took more time to look inside. We then took our flights out from Trivandrum. I purchased some books from the Airport. SM, BU and LA left for Bhubaneswar and I went back to Bengaluru.
Post the trip
I had been thinking of writing this experience for a month now. And I could have very easily let this slip as yet another procrastinated effort. But this time I am just more determined. And not bad that I have been able to finish writing this just a month from the trip. All these places were clean and left a calming impact on my mind, especially compared to the hustle of Bengaluru.