Dear readers, the weather in this part of the world is beautiful. Sitting on the balcony while sipping my ginger tea and reading a book, rain, and greenery all around, it is pure bliss. Lately, I have started reading more on being mindful and grateful. Looking through the lens of these two words, I realize that life’s perspective has brought significant realization in my life. Being mindful of the day-to-day things, the energies around us, and the peace within seems to be the way my late thirties would be.
Do you have a bucket list? I have a mental one, never noted it but I think, it’s about time we do this. This year has been a bit tough with my parent’s health issues and our constant struggle to maintain a work-life balance. We had a million plans for travel and none of it materialized. However, last week out of the blue I received round-trip tickets from my sister, the two of us were going to Thiruvananatpuram for my pre-birthday celebration. This was so sudden that I had a day to pack, prepare things for the kids, and mentally stabilize myself to travel without my two tiny humans.
We left on Friday afternoon for a 3:30 flight to Thiruvananthapuram. My sister being bad with her time management skills made sure to check my strength while making me run for our flight at the last moment. Not like a usual run but one that made us gasp for breath and hold onto something to stand, by the time we reached the entry gate. Anywho, we boarded the three-hour flight and talked like there was no tomorrow. The first two days were her conference and we stayed at the hotel sipping tea while watching the gorgeous sunsets.
On the third day which was Sunday, we woke up early in the morning at around 3:00 am and boarded our cab by 4:30 am. The first stop was the temple of lord Ganesha, known as
Pazhavangaadi Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple
The Pazhavangadi Maha Ganapathy temple is situated at East Fort in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram City, Kerala, India. The pictures can’t do justice to the energy and aura of these places. We had goosebumps while entering these holy places. It took us about half an hour to do the rituals and visit the temple. Then we headed towards our next destination which was a recommendation of almost everyone we met.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, it is one of the 108 Divya Desams which are considered the sacred abodes of Vishnu in the Sri Vaishnava tradition. We were spellbound and teary-eyed witnessing the grandeur, magnanimity, and beauty of this place. Phones aren’t allowed inside any of the temples and most of these deposited are manually tracked. One must take care of the clothing when visiting these places. We bought these sarees during our last visit to Tamil Nadu and finally had a chance to wear them together.
It took us almost an hour here with Darshan and Prasadham.
After this, we stopped for our breakfast. Coffee and uttapam were a great combo, the next stop was another temple.
Chenkal Maheswaram Sri Sivaparvathi Temple
The Chenkal Maheswaram Sri Sivaparvathi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, houses the tallest Shiva Linga in the country. At a record height of 111.2 feet, the Shiva Linga is built in a unique cylindrical structure with 8 floors inside. Each floor inside is dedicated to the Shadadharas or energy centers of the body.
We stayed for another half an hour here and it was getting a bit hot. The next stop took our breath away with its beauty and serenity.
Poovar Beach and Backwaters
Poovar is a tourist town in Neyyattinkara in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state, South India. This village is almost at the southern tip of Thiruvananthapuram while the next city, Pozhiyoor, marks the end of Kerala.
We were mesmerized by the backwaters and couldn’t take our eyes away from the serenity around us. This area is located at the juncture of the Neyyar River joining with the Arabian Sea. We took a boating trip that was for 3500/- INR in the area and it was exquisite, to say the least.
The next stop was Kovalam however due to strong waves the beach was closed. We decided to visit another temple and then moved to our last destination.
Aazhimala Shiva Temple
The Aazhimala Shiva Temple is a Hindu temple located on the coast of the Arabian Sea near Vizhinjam in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, India. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple is known for the 18 m (58 ft) tall Gangadhareshwara sculpture, which is the tallest Shiva sculpture in Kerala.
After all of this we were exhausted and wanted to relax a little bit and ended up in an ayurvedic spa. The season for an an hour and a half, we came back rejuvenated and fresh.
We covered quite a handful of places on a day trip and still returned for our 7;30 p.m. flight on time. The place deserves the name of God’s own country and its serenity will stay in my memories forever.
This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon
Please do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter; we promise not to spam you. Have you checked our parenting zone or recipe section? Also, if you like my work, don’t forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM.
Unexpected trips are the best! And kudos to you for waking up so early to visit all the holy places. I hear you on travel plans getting cancelled. It’s been a dry travel year for me too. Hoping will get some trips in by the end of the year.
What a beautiful trip .You and your sister look so pretty.The pictures are stunning.