Travel is always enjoyable, whether it's a long trip or a picnic. COVID-19 made a net of fear and all are cornered to limited spaces, the home or to the maximum ,the office. Retired people like me spent most of the time at home since April 2020. Now, in fact,the fear is lessened and have a confidence to go out a little. Hence,we decided to go for a picnic to avoid the boredom of confining at home. It was nine o'clock when everyone woke up from the laziness of the holiday. Then at 12 o'clock, all were ready after breakfast. We packed lunch from a near by hotel and went to Shankhuthurai beach. This was where we had gone earlier too. The beach is located at a distance of 14 km from Nagercoil. The beach has no proper place to rest at noon. We climbed the tower and had a view of the beach and the vast sea for a few minutes .Viewing sea is really an enjoyment and it expands our thoughts and feelings .The beach was less crowded,only a few young boys were there. Only the whistling of the Casuarina plants could be heard . The boys suggested there is an estuary(pozhikkara) near, where the lake and the sea meet. We decided to go there .
We moved from main road to a narrow lane where both sides have coastal settlements. It eneded on a place where thick bushes and screw pines were abundant.Then a road without tar and gravel for driving. A few prsons were playing cards on the open compound. Empty liquor bottles were everywhere. The place was just like Veli village and Paravur pozhikkara in Kerala,but not having that beauty. We felt it was not a good place to spend an evening, so returned from there. We crossed Shankhuthurai and went ahead on the coastal road. People had built houses parallel to the sea , may be expecting a tourism boom in future and have plan to convert them as home stays or resorts.
The journey ended in Sothavilai. Sotha Vilai is one of the beautiful beaches located in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. There are a lot of people coming to the beach to enjoy the evenings.There are also places to relax and children to play. There is also a tower to view the sea and the sunset. Another feature of the beach is the good white soil. There is no other beach in Kanyakumari district with such a long beach. The beach is located between Shankhuthurai and Kanyakumari. There are several resorts and an Ayurvedic center nearby. There is only a very small shop here .Hence, those who love to visit the palce must bring the food ,if needed. The sale of ice cream was in full swing. Authorities are trying to restore the beach, which was badly damaged by the 2004 tsunami.
The time was around 3 PM. We unpacked the lunch boxes and had food at the lounge. The stray dogs,very common every where in India , were waiting for food as it was an open space. We gave them food ,then their numbers began to increase. By then we finished the lunch and washed our hands. There is no security personnal on the beach. Governemnet may plan such things in future. Sothavilai can be developed like Kovalam at Thiruvananthapuram. It will definitely be a pleasure to spend an evening on the beach having a playground for children. The heat had not abated. So after spending some time there, we headed towards Kanyakumari. When we reached Sunset Point there, the sun was shining brightly and was getting ready to go to sea for a night's rest. Nice cool breeze welcomed us. Devotional music could be heard from a temple in the distance. The sun was going down with its rhythm. Even though after it was completely submerged, the light was still there for some time. It was getting dark and then we returned.
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