Friday 19 September 2014

Ferry to Vivekananda Rock Memorial


 

Directly after the sunrise at Kanyakumari Beach this past Saturday, we caught a ferry to Vivekananda Rock Memorial, which was posted in previous pictures. According to Wikipedia...."It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the Hindu spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda to rock during the month of December 1892. It is claimed that he meditated on this rock."

During my visit......There were constant lines that stretched for several “blocks” where you could wait for a couple of hours to purchase a ticket for the ferry. On each side of the line, there are small areas where you can purchase souvenirs or snacks, and also lots of hotels on this path. And, no post-sunrise long queue of ferry-goers would be complete without some drama…..yes…..there are random line “cuts” (which I like to think of as "misunderstandings", haha) which result in heated arguments, and are so interesting to see! For some reason, watching people argue in a foreign country is so much more fascinating than watching a group of people you have already witnessed disagree, your whole life. Someone would step away for a few moments, or a new family member or friend would arrive, (where their family was established in the line to get a ticket). This new face pops in the line, and the group behind them calls over the security guard and suddenly...“It is ON”. People are called out of line, to “hash this situation out”, and I know that personally, my attention is suddenly diverted! The only thing missing is Judge Judy.

Once we reached the ferry, I immediately determined that stepping onto this boat, The M L.Guhan, is going to be a bit of a thrill. The wake is causing the ferry to toss about in such a way that the platform to step on rises by a foot and drops by a foot, and there is that ever-moving gap in between the boat and the cement docking. You become absolutely careful and precise to time your step and hold onto the friendly Indians who are trying to keep you alive throughout this process. The ride over is pretty short but feels great as there is a breeze, and there is nothing like being on the water! Once you reach this island, you can see the mirror that is opposite to the beauty you saw from land during the sunrise...looking at the shore of India is so colorful, and alive with action. Pictures of shoreline from island are posted below.

I took a picture of the small boats that had left at sunrise for fishing, pictured above. Also posted here are the fish that had been freshly caught that morning, for sale, lines of people awaiting a ticket, and a neat line of schoolchildren awaiting to board the ferry.

Alas, I still have more destinations and blogs to post from this (past) weekend, as my friend took me to so many fabulous places! So grateful to have experienced such a wonderful weekend, with such awesome company.

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