We woke up excited. This would be the last day of our 44 day walk! We thanked the KSEB staff for their hospitality, and set off towards the Kerala University Campus. On the way, we passed by a remarkable board that read: "Kerala Highway Research Institute". We certainly know where to give feedback about our ordeal on the roads now!Click Here to Read the rest of this article

As usual, we said our goodbyes to the Kallambalam staff, and headed off towards Thiruvanthapuram. Being the second last day, we were now looking forward to the end of the walk, while savouring the last bits of it - a curious mixture of emotions, really. The road lost its markings and lay-byes and narrowed down to a tarred track once again. This would go on until a little after Attingal, where road works were in progress.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

We left at leisure today, despite Adarsh's please to clear out before it was time for him to leave for work. Clearly, we had put on a measure of self importance that ranked higher than the schedules of hard working people. Finally, we managed to overcome our inertia and after Adarsh got back home from work specifically to evict us (in good humour, of course!), we promised to keep in touch and moved on along the National Highway towards Attingal.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

We set off early in the morning from Puthoor, for we would have a few events planned out at Kollam today. Walking through the countryside was refreshing, and we imagined this would be the last time we'd be able to do this on the trip, for we were to get on the National Highway 47 (NH47) once we got to Kollam, and then it'd be the usual routine of dodging traffic and roadkill.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

The caretaker at St. Ignatious Orthodox church was surprised, even a little intimidated. We quickly reassured him that we meant no harm, and promised to leave as soon as it was daybreak. It was hardly 4.30 in the morning when he happened upon us. At half past six, we were on our feet, ready to move on to Adoor. We hadn't used the bathroom or brushed our teeth or taken a shower as most civilized people would do at some point of the day, but no matter, if we reached Adoor, we'd be able to freshen up and get on with the programmes organized there. So off we went, and a fast pace. By the time we had breakfast, a little before Anandapally, we received a phone call from Unnikrishnan of Zyxware Technologies, that he would be walking with us today. We synchronized things with him, and finally met up.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

Leaving Thiruvalla was an easy matter. Having stayed in the heart of town, a 500m walk was sufficient to take us straight out of the town centre, and onto the TK road. Cherry stopped a little bit to catch up with a relative who wasn't doing well. We all caught up a little after Manjadi. We reached the Thottabhagom (literally "Garden Side") bridge across the Manimala river, waiting for the traffic lights to alternate traffic to either direction on this narrow bridge of vintage design. An interesting scene: the guardrails on the side had been broken by some sort of accident, and an ingenuous fix via bamboo sticks tied to the ends that remained served as a grim reminder of the safety standards we're accustomed to. It is little consolation that this very scene featured in the local version of the Malayalam newspaper.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

"Omana Ammachy" spared no affection, and made us breakfast, despite strong protest from Anoop the previous night. We had delicious breakfast, and lazed about in comparative luxury, with Cherry keying in the reports which were lagging. Since we began late in the day, the sun was out in full force by the time we said our goodbyes, and Anoop bid special goodbye to Omana Ammachy, it was almost like leaving family behind.Click Here to Read the rest of this article

We started from Thaneermukkam bund KSEB office early, as we usually do from offices, for we needed to clear out before the day staff showed up. Walking down towards Allappuzha, the coastal feel was immediately obvious. The roads were narrow and twisty, with sandy pavements and small holdings - typical in Coastal Kerala. The feel was very similar to that of Marad, Bekkal and other coastal areas we had been to. There were also a lot of beautiful temples in the area, which were made in Kerala style. The accent had also distinctly evolved towards melody as we approached the Alappuzha area.Click Here to Read the rest of this article