September 17, 2025, Wednesday
Sitting on one of the garden benches inside Veli Tourist Village, I soaked up all the beautiful sights and the heartwarming moments around me. Flowers in bloom, the toy train, the statues, kids running in the playground, seniors clicking selfies, the banter of youngsters, and the shy blushes of teenagers. Life is a beautiful mosaic, don’t you think?
Reluctantly, I picked up my bag; it was time to leave. Outside the tourist village, I inquired with the security guard chetan about bus timings. He assured me buses ply back and forth between Chackai and Veli every 15 minutes. I reached the bus stop by 3:45 pm. Within two minutes, I got a bus to Chackai.
Inside the bus, feeling sleepy, I refueled with some biscuits and water. I realised not just my phone battery, but my food supplies were also running out. By 4:10 pm, I reached Chackai. My last stop of the day – the Mall of Travancore – was just 800 metres, an 11-minute walk away. I traversed the mostly flat road, at a snail’s speed as I was tired, but heart full and grateful for the good weather.
On the way, I asked a lady for directions, and she assured me the mall was nearby. By 4:30 pm, I reached the mall. At its entrance, schoolchildren from Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, dressed up in light blue shirts and navy blue trousers or pinafore, were queuing up to enter their yellow school bus. It must be a school trip. If the new school curriculum demands that kids be taken on more trips, I’m all for it. Wonder where these people were when we were in school!
Inside the mall, the Onam decor was still on. A few lady staff asked me if I was looking for cosmetics. They laughed when I asked them the directions to the washroom.
I checked out the Ramachandran Hypermarket. Some hypermarkets do live up to their claims – it felt like they did have a sample of everything under the sun under a roof. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the Malabar wheat halwa I was looking for.
When we were kids, my siblings and I used to mistakenly call this halwa – Trivandrum Halwa, just because one of our grandmas, who resides in Trivandrum, always brought it as a festive season gift. It’s our favorite halwa.
Stores of brands such as Zudio, Van Huesen, Wow Momo, and McDonald’s greeted me on the first floor. In the morning, at Lulu Mall, I was overenthusiastic to skip the escalators to climb the stairs. Now, exhausted by the long walks, I didn’t even look in the direction of the stairs and happily hopped on the escalators.
On the second floor, there were shops of fashion brands like Soch, Allen Solly, Trends, and Max. As usual, I proceeded to the food court on the topmost floor. The sight of Amul, Chicking, Pizza Hut, Mumbai Chats, Burger King, kids’ toyshops, and the play area at the top delighted me.
I sat on one of the empty chairs and journaled a bit. It was my break to unwind. Apart from mindlessly scrolling my social media accounts for a few minutes, I spent the rest of my break researching where I could find the wheat halwa.
I left the mall by 5 pm. By then, I had run out of water and survived the mighty lure of chaats. I even checked out the menus, but ran off at the last second.
While retracing my route back to Chackai on foot, I saw a few bright orange flowers on a plant. I didn’t know their names, but they looked so fiery that I had to photograph them. That moment brought a smile to my lips.
My dear ones often ask me, “Don’t you get bored going to all these places alone?” “At such a slow pace, won’t you lose steam after covering a few states and give up on your dream to explore the whole of India?”
Honestly, on certain days, these thoughts and fears bother me, too. But on eventful days, in the middle of random but soft moments like this… I realise I will never get tired of this process, even if I become a ninety-year-old toothless grandma.
Because this India trip isn’t just about ticking off an important item from my wishlist. This whole journey is in itself a reward for me. It is slowly, but consistently, transforming me into the person of my dreams. A better writer. A smarter traveller. But also a kinder, more loving, more open, more patient, less anxious, and wiser version of myself. What more could I ask for?
A person who runs towards the goalpost will eventually lose steam. But a person who walks to their goal, slowly but steadily, like a tortoise? They might actually get there. That’s my humble life strategy. Let’s see how this pans out.
As I reached the crowded Chackai bus stop and waited amidst a stream of strangers, I remembered Mahi Bhai’s inspiring words, “Take care of the process; take care of all the small things. And eventually, you will get the desired result.”
I really hope so, Mahi Bhai. I really hope so. 🤞
Author’s Notes
~ All content on this blog, except the above YouTube video, is the intellectual property of the author. © 2026 Lirio Marchito. All rights reserved.
~ This blog is part of a series exploring my travels through Trivandrum, the capital city of my home state, Kerala, in India. You can read more posts from this series here. Trivandrum | Kerala| India
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