For a flight that was scheduled to take off at 10 am, our reporting time was at 7:15 am. Crazy, right? Waking up earlier than usual on a Monday morning should honestly be illegal. Ironically enough, all of us reached the airport before 7:30 am; however, we were waiting for one of our teachers! So much for punctuality.
After all the parents’ goodbyes (and probably a few last-minute reminders), we were finally on our way to Madurai, one step closer to kayaking on the beaches of Rameshwaram! Everything was going smoothly until we got on the plane.
Firstly, our flight was delayed by an hour due to air traffic and runway traffic. Secondly, we weren’t exactly the calmest passengers. It started with going to the washroom in groups, then meeting our friends on different seats, and eventually switching seats mid-flight. It got so chaotic that the flight attendants kept making announcements for us to return to our seats. That was embarrassing (for the teachers more than us).
After the not-so-normal flight, we had a 30-minute drive to our lunch stop. We had ethnic South Indian food, which was warm and fresh, the perfect meal after the chaotic flight and our packaged snacks. The rest of the day was all about relaxing and getting settled into our rooms after a 1-hour delayed 2.5-hour flight, followed by a close to 3.5-hour bus drive. Safe to say, we were exhausted.
The next day, we were divided into two groups: Group A would kayak for the whole day, while Group B went out exploring. Group A learned the basics of kayaking, turning, paddling through waves, capsize drills, hand signals, and of course, having fun in the water. They were at the Quest Academy, where they did these activities, and they even got to eat lunch and relax there.
Meanwhile, Group B did a beach clean-up in the morning, followed by lunch. After that, they visited the Ghost Village and the lighthouse that overlooked it, which was both exciting and slightly mysterious.
On the third day, Group A went to an island where the marine life is preserved, and there are skulls and shells. This was followed by the Ghost Village and lighthouse excursion. There was also a beautiful beach there, and the water is extremely clean, the kind
of place you don’t want to leave. Meanwhile, Group B went kayaking in the ocean at the Quest Academy
By the fourth day, everyone started off a little tired, no surprises there. Group A first went to complete their 5 km kayaking journey, which would help them certify themselves. Then they completed a test and went on for a beach clean-up. Meanwhile, Group B went to the island and then completed the 5 km excursion, followed by their certification test.
We spent the rest of the evening playing games, listening to music, and having a nice dinner at the poolside. It was the perfect way to end such an eventful trip. After that, we packed our bags and went off for a good night’s sleep.On the final day, we went back on a 3-hour journey to the airport, some of us slightly sick, but all of us tired and filled with fun memories. Finally, two hours later, we were reunited with our parents back home.
