Day 154 25 Nov Fri Madurai to Kanyakumari

We get off the bus in Madurai; wet, itchy and bleary eyed at 5.30am after a very uncomfortable night on the bus. It is still raining. We manage to find our way from the roadside to the correct bit of the bus station and board another bus at 6am to take us further south still to Cape Comorin - the southernmost tip of India where three seas meet in the town of Kanyakumari. This is another local bus and there are many stops and comings and goings along the way. The time passes slowly, at times we doze, catch up on journals and watch the scenery change as we pass through towns and villages. We do stop once along the way and experience a roadside toilet and chai stop. 

 

We all agree it is probably the worst toilet experience we have had on this trip - we almost needed a boat to get across - but the coffee is hot and very welcome - and at 6p for 2 cups a real bargain! We get back on and bump and trundle on.

 

Half an hour away from our destination, David stands up at the wrong moment as the bus lurches and gashes his head - much to the consternation of the other passengers and the conductor. There is quite a lot of blood and an inch cut.

We patch it up as best we can and we reach the end of the road. Literally!. Taking pity on the last passengers on the bus, we are dropped off outside the hotel in Kanyakumari we have planned to stay in -the Tamil Nadu government hotel. We trudge into the reception and it is clear from the start that they do not want us here. the choice of available rooms seems to lessen at every turn and the prices are vastly inflated. We get the message and seek alternative lodgings. We settle, eventually, on another hotel, stretching the budget for somewhere which looks half decent given we have had a rough night.There is no warm friendly feeling about this very impersonal place though and after finding there is no hot water except between the hours of 5.30 amd 7.30am David makes the decision to leave. We have discovered in the meantime that not only are our bags wet, but also the contents are soaking - all our clothes and trainers. We consult the guide book and commandeer an auto rickshaw who takes us to a couple of places which are immediately ruled out. In desperation we go to the Sea View Hotel (a grand looking place) hoping that the rooms here would not be grim or out of our price range.

Something about our bedraggled little family obviously touched the receptionist who immediatly takes pity on us, slashes the rack rate to what we can afford and even throws in free breakfast. Magically the manager appears with cold drinks and an escort to our room. Our bags are delivered, along with a kettle, water and drinks. The effecient housekeeping team arrive with an extra bed and collect all our wet clothes to launder over night. The restaurant has a wide range of delicious food and the staff couldnt be kinder.

Finally we are having some good fortune in India!  We pass the rest of the day drying out and recovering. It rains intermittantly though and we dodge a rain shower to explore a little way before tiredness sets in again and we return to the comfort of the hotel, supper and bed!