Kanya Kumari (by the British formerly called Cape Comorin) is the southern tip of India; it's where three oceans come together: The Arabian Sea, The Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. We were here at New Year and could sea the sun sink under The Arabian Sea in 1995 and rise over the Bay of Bengal in 1996. Very few Westerners had made their way down here - we could only see two, Surain and myself. But there were thousands of Indians, in typical style and enjoying life, which they seem to do so much better than Western tourists.

Our nice hotel arranged for a New Year party on top of the roof. In typical late Indian fashion the dinner was served at 10 pm - very spicy and we loved it. Then there was dancing and frolicking. We found ourselves ushered into being judges to select "the best couple". Not an easy task, but in India it is the show that counts and not who wins, which is just a necessary part of the game. After we had selected a couple, we found out that they were from Fiji. This was their first trip to India to trace their roots. We must have made their day!

The many Indians come here to pay homage to Swami Vivekananda (and I do wonder if my mother's first name Viveka is taken from India). He came here as a simple monk, swam out to a little rock for deep meditation. He left inspired to give a famous speach at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1892. The rock has been renamed to Vivekananda Rock and a mausoleum was built for him there in 1970.

In this same village, there is also an important Gandhi temple where some of Gandhi's ashes were kept, before being scattered into the ocean. The temple is strangely shaped to symbolize several different religions. Fishermen go out in their small boats, standing up in the big surf. Children escorted us as we strolled around in the interesting town - and declined the offer to adopt a cute little girl without parents.

This was the most interesting New Year we had ever had. Seven years later I will return to scatter some of Surain's ashes here.

When I arrived this year - alone - I quickly discovered that Kanya Kumari had become much more popular in these seven years. Nicer hotels had sprung up, hotel prices were much higher (the concept of "high season" had been introduced), there were travel agents everywhere, and foreign tourists were easy to spot. But despite this, the little town center hadn't changed and it was still a wonderful place to visit.

I spent most of the time selecting an appropriate way to spread Surain's ashes. I had originally planned to do this out on Vivekananda Rock. I joined the crowds of Indians on the boat out there. There is a beautiful meditiation room where I spent a long time. But there were too many people for me to find a peaceful place for Surain to rest, so I decided against it.

Instead I walked along the mainland beach away from town for half an hour. Vivekananda Kendra (center) is situated here, though you cannot access it or see inside the hight wall from the beach. The beach is beautiful and clean, and a stone jetty leads out to the sea. It was very peaceful and there were no people there. So I bought two wreaths and a simple wooden bowl and came back with the ashes. At the end of the jetty I put one wreath in the ocean and poured some of the ashes from the bowl. The second wreath I put on a rock, spread more ashes inside it and left the empty bowl there. As I sat there meditating, a pretty, large butterfly - blue and black - circled the ashes.

Then I walked the long detour into the Vivekananda Kendra Pratishthan and made Surain a "Lump-sum Donation Patron".

Later in the day I was at the Gandhi temple to watch the last sunset of the year. As darkness fell, the crowds dispersed and I was left alone outside the temple. Then I spread the rest of the ashes there.

I felt that the ashes at the Vivekananda Kendra symbolized Surain's hope that the religions should work together (rather than fight). The butterfly symbolized her love for nature, and the Gandhi temple her strong belief in non-violence.

I was back again (my 4th visit!) with my new wife, Ghislaine. I wanted to show her some of my favorite places in India, and Kanya Kumari was a must. More hotels, yes, but without destroying the city. I was glad that we could get a room in the Maadhini Hotel, which Surain and I had enjoyed so much in 1995/96 (it had been full when I return to spread her ashes). I have included quite a few pictures from this trip, to give you a feel for the place. They are mostly taken by Ghislaine, since she immediately fell in love with Kanya Kumari. If possible (I am not sure that it is), she loved it even more than Surain and I!

It was already Ghislaine's and my third trip together to India. Even more tourists in Kanya Kumari, but still a magical place. Once more we visited the Stone Jetty with Surain's ashes. Of all the pictures we took, I have only included very few. Surain was always so fascinated by the fishermen standing in their small boats no matter the size of the waves. Here is my best picture of a boat fighting the waves.