Kanyakumari - the town It can hardly be called a sleepy town considering there's specialized activity here, what with the sun rising and setting day after day. And each day is yet another day for the few thousand inhabitants of this small and yet, very important town in the state of Tamilnadu, bordered alongside the coconut state of Kerala. In all, an hours walk or so and you've seen Kanyakumari. So, what else is special out here? You really don't need any sort of transportation to sightsee in Kanyakumari. Every place out here is within walking distance. And as you walk down the main thoroughfare (of which there's really only one) the vibrancy of this town is clearly visible. Loud pitched voices of roadside vendors selling their wares rents the air and on sale are all sorts of things, from seashells, driftwood, pebbles, trinkets, souvenirs, booklets, good luck charms and what have you. And then there are dozens of pushcart eateries alongside the road selling delicacies, sweetmeats, fried nuts rolled in conical shaped newspaper bags, tea and coffee, soft drinks and juices. Motorized traffic is mild; it's the human traffic that livens up the evenings near the seashore.

Kanyakumari... Lands end

Kanyakumari, the town

One would think that for a teeny-weeny town such as Kanyakumari, mornings would be boring. On the contrary, it's abuzz with activity just like any other town. The cobbler takes his usual place at the street corner awaiting his first customer. The street vendor unpacks his merchandise for display on his handcart. The crowd at the fish stall is an indicator that the morning's catch has been good. The roadside tea stall has the regular squatters indulging in morning gossip, stimulated by the hot cuppa. The hotels are checking in new guests while others check out. The yellow-painted auto rickshaws are zipping up and down, emitting thick fumes from their exhausts. The taxi chaps are giving out their best bargains to those interested in sightseeing around town. And then, there are the tourists leaving their lodging houses on an exploratory visit of Kanyakumari. It's never a dull day in Kanyakumari.