Thiruparrap Water Falls

After the bridge we needed to cool off from the heat so we went to Thiruparrap Water Falls. I was there 7 years ago and we had the place almost to ourselves but we weren't so lucky this year. It was extremely crowded but Devin and Naomi still managed to squeeze in a shower under the falls



Naomi and Devin enjoying the water...

Mathur Bridge Aqueduct

The Mathur Aqueduct is one of the longest and highest aqueducts in South Asia and it is popular tourist spot. It's quite close to our village so we took a day trip to see it...

As you can see in the next 2 pictures, it's a walking bridge and I’m not going to lie it was a bit scary to walk across. Do NOT attempt the walk across if you're afraid of heights.


You can either walk across the bridge or take those long stairs down

The views are just stunning and so so green from the bridge


Enjoying it...


After walking across the bridge we decided to walk the steps back up... it's the only exercise we got ;-)


Ready for the next stop on our day trip... stay tuned :-)

Schindram Temple

Another attraction very close to our village is Suchindram Temple. It's not very clear when this temple was built but most say it was between the 17th and 18th centuries. We had a great tour guide that showed us the many statues housed inside of Hindu gods and stone musical pillars. We were not allowed to take our cameras inside the temple which is unfortunate because the stone workmanship was just brilliant & amazing to see. Another interesting fact, shoes needed to be removed and the men had to take of their shirts to enter.




as with everywhere else... fresh yummy food can always be found right outside

Day trip to Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is located at the southernmost tip of Indian, it is also know by its former name Cape Comorin. It’s about 13 miles from my village so we took a day trip to see some memorials. It lies at the meeting point of three bodies of water: the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

As with everywhere else in South India you see fresh fruit stands EVERYWHERE!!
A typical spice shop... all the spices are so fresh
We needed to take a boat to see our first memorial... Devin showing us the way
It's extremely sunny and hot so hats are a must! You can buy them locally for less than a dollar--stylish, aren't they?

Vivekananda Rock Memorial-a sacred monument and popular tourist attraction that we took the boat ride to. The memorial stands on one of two rocks located about 500 meters off mainland India's southernmost tip. It’s in honor of the visit of the great spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda. He swam to this rock and meditated about the past, present and future of India. It is said that he attained enlightenment on the rock, and then became a reformer and philosopher.
After the boat ride we got some local sodas... yum!! I already miss the Limca
Mmmmm--refreshing!!
Gandhi Memorial-ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were kept here as well as other locations all over the country and the world
View of the marketplace from the tip of the Ghandi Memorial
Yummy!! Fried goodness right on the street
The fried onion tastes very much like a bloomin' onion according to Devin I stuck to the fried chilies--very spicy!!
Elephants walking along the streets are not all that uncommon