Kanniyakumari is in Tamil Nadu and the southernmost point in India and is described as ‘the end of India’. We travelled by train from Kovalam in Kerala and in just a few ours on the train, with stunning views, so much is different! We were stopped on our way off the train by an Indian family keen to take photos with us, this is becoming a regular occurrence. The language has changed from Malayalam to Tamil and less Indians speak English. Kanniyakumari is a popular tourist destination for Indians but we only saw a handful of Western travellers in our few days there. We saw obvious poverty here and sadly many families with babies sleeping in cardboard boxes on the roadside and children begging, one evening we had a group of girls younger than Phoebe dressed up in mystical witch outfits following us through the crowds, poking us with feather topped sticks and demanding money. They only stopped when a local market seller threatened them. 

We visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial which is reached by a short boat ride and the beach with stunning sunset views. The sunrise and setset can be viewed from the same spot but we didn’t make it to the sunrise. Normal bedtimes have been left at home and the cooler evenings are better for exploring so we struggle to get up early! Kanniyakumari is also a major pilgrimage center for Hindus and we also met a Hare Krishna monk bathing in the sea.

The food has cotinued to amaze! We had dosa for breakfast at Cyril Hotel and Sophie enjoyed bathing in a bucket – Indian bathrooms often have a cold shower with a hot water tap and bucket and it can almost be spa-like throwing the hot water on yourself!

The local animals included numerous very cute puppies, goats and cows ambling along the roadside. We have yet to see any of the 

We met a school trip in a park and Phoebe was ambushed by a few classloads of very friendly 10 year old girls who were keen to play and chat with her

From Kanniyakumari we had our first experience of a sleeper bus, the girls loved it and slept soundly despite the bumpy ride. Craig and myself made the most of the chai stops and spent the next day swaying like we had spend the night on a boat.

We are now in Chennai for our last stop in India before we move on to Sri Lanka.