The last stop on our Southern tour! Trivandrum (now called Thiruvananthapuram) is near the southernmost tip of India. The land is lush and thick with full-fronded palm trees stirred by tropical sea breezes, the sun is strong and the seafood is delicious and abundant.

Beautiful Lighthouse Beach, Kovalam
Our hotel, a ‘beach resort,’ was located at Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam a half hour drive south of Trivandrum. We had imagined a pleasant resort on a beautiful serene stretch of beach...it was, however, in the middle of a warren of hotels, private residences, alleys and garbage tips. One had to find one’s way through a walled maze to get to the beach, wondering if a trail of breadcrumbs would be necessary to find the way back. Above the beach is a crowded boardwalk lined with tourist shops and restaurants, peopled by Euro-trash and the attendant touts, as well as Indian holiday makers and honeymooners. The beige sand is oddly discolored with black sand clumps and streaks, maybe mineral deposits, maybe not. One can’t help but wonder where all the sewage goes. All this, plus a strong riptide, kept us high and dry. There is a lovely lighthouse surrounded by palm trees on a promontory overlooking the beach. One can only guess at how idyllic the area was before it was ‘discovered.’

Looking back at the boardwalk

Waste pipe discharge near beachgoers and fishermen

Messy beach and strangely discolored sand
A few kilometers away was an interesting and busy fishing village: one half was Muslim with a mosque and the other half was Christian with a large spire-topped church.

Muslim side of large fishing village

Christian side of fishing village

Catch of the day
Our tour of Trivandrum included the Puthen Maliga Palace (‘Horse Palace’) with its incredible wood carvings and museum with interesting exhibits that are, sadly, poorly maintained. Unfortunately, there was no inside photography allowed.

Row of carved horses for which the palace is named
The Padmanabha Swamy temple is next door to the Horse Palace but off limits to non-Hindus. The intricate temple tower is adorned with beautiful carvings which are hard to see because they get moldy and need periodic cleaning.

Man at temple

Part of the temple tower
The public gardens and zoo area include several museums and an art gallery. We found ourselves amongst many school groups there, which were as entertaining to us as the exhibits. We were impressed by the respectful yet good natured kids, some of whom were very photogenic. Many students wanted to practice their classroom English: “Hello, how are you?” and going into fits of giggles when we would stop to have a conversation with them.

Pretty schoolgirl opening her tiffin box

Schoolboys saying "Hello, how are you?"

Big smile for the camera

Colorful museum goers keep cool in the shade

Nun in full habit chaperoning her group