Varkala

Touristy. Overpriced. Only foreigners. Not the real India.

Yes, all of the above statements could be used to describe the beach town of Varkala.  But I do not care. It’s January. I’m Canadian. And my body, normally accustomed to trying to stay warm in this climatically accursed month, is wondering what the hell is going on with the +30 degree weather and blazing sunshine EVERY DAY FOR NEARLY TWO WEEKS. Oh…and don’t forget about the beach and the bath-water warm ocean water and awesome waves - maybe not quite surfable (not that I surf - yet), but good enough for body surfing and boogie-boarding.

Overpriced? Well, yes, but only by standards elsewhere in India. The room of my guesthouse - cold-water shower (in this weather, not an issue), mosquito net (yes, it’s needed) and no frills - is 600 rupees/night, the equivalent of about $13. I’ve gotten accommodation for well less than half that amount elsewhere in my India travels. The food at the numerous restaurants and cafes overlooking the ocean - killer sunsets every night, by the way - is pricey (again, relative to elsewhere in India) and often unremarkable. But still, I do not care.

My days have consisted of waking late and going for breakfast. Then heading to the beach. Reading, either at the beach or at a café. (Normally one who reads at a glacial pace, I’ve blown through two books since I’ve been here). Surfing the internet at wifi cafes overlooking the ocean. Playing cards with fellow travelers. Basically, a whole lot of sweet nothing.

Varkala has a laid back feel. It’s not the big party spot that Goa is reputed to be. There are a few cool places here to go for drinks. (Sadly, like all of India so far, the only beer available is the putrid Kingfisher. But any old port in a storm.) I don’t think I would enjoy Goa any more than I’ve enjoyed my time here, so I’ve decided to give it a pass, extend my stay here and then head straight to Mumbai.

Do I have any bad things to say about Varkala? Well, there are these guys who walk around selling these goddamn bongo drums. Playing them while trying to sell them. Let’s just say that many a serene moment, drinking coffee or having a beer while staring at the sea, has been marred by these drum-playing annoyances. For the last time, no, I do not want to buy a drum. And no, that it is "best quality" doesn't matter. No, it doesn't matter how low a price you give me. Now please stop playing it while standing right in front of me…

Other than that, I’ve enjoyed this place. Back to the “real” India tomorrow. Sad to leave Varkala, but looking forward to Mumbai.

Vistas like this...

...and beaches like this...

...equals this. One happy, relaxed traveler.

Kerala

Since my last blog entry, I spent a further two and a half weeks in Northern India: Agra, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya and Calcutta. I then caught a flight to Kochi, in the southern Indian state of Kerala located on the country’s western coast. Perhaps I will add a blog entry at a later date regarding those final two weeks in the north - but knowing my lack of consistency in blogging…well, no guarantees. :)

The south has been a welcome change from the north. Don’t get me wrong, I loved (most of) my experiences up north. I will go back some day. I was told that the south is more laid-back, perhaps due to its warm climate. It has certainly not disappointed.

I flew into Kochi from Calcutta. I instantly noticed the warmer temperatures when I got off the plane. I spent about five days in Fort Cochin, which is an old colonial area right on the water (I guess, technically, much - if not all - of India is an “old colonial area”, but what I meant is that the style of architecture gives it a colonial feel). Colonial architecture, tree-lined streets, no random cows, nor the accompanying not-so-random cow poo, and only a minimal number of burning piles of garbage: Kerala truly was different from the other parts of India I had visited.

After Kochi, myself and my Scottish friend Kevin caught a bus to Alleppey, where we spent a couple of nights and where we did a backwater canoe daytrip. The Kerala Backwaters are a popular attraction for visitors. Many people do overnight houseboat tours, but the price was a little steep for us. The canoe trip we opted for, while only for the day, took us to some of the backwater channels that the houseboats could not access.

We had a guide who paddled our canoe for us while, at first anyway, the two of us just sat back and enjoyed the ride. But just as Kevin and I both shared our guilt at having an old man do the paddling for two younger guys, our man motioned for Kevin to grab a spare paddle at the front. So, Kevin and I took turns paddling throughout the day, happy (believe it or not) for some exercise.  Every so often, locals would come by in a boat, or nearby on shore and they would share a laugh with our guy in their language. I’m convinced they were laughing at how he got the white guys to do some of the work. Also included in the backwater trip was breakfast and lunch at the guide’s house in one of the backwater villages. The meals were cooked and served by his ever-smiling wife. No utensils for this meal: hands only. Our guide and his wife would both stand over us and watch us as we ate, which was a little bizarre at first, but it seems they just wanted to make sure we had enough food. They were intent on stuffing us, I’m sure. One of our other stops included a riverside bar of sorts where we drank some coconut beer. One of the more surreal moments: canoeing by a riverside church which had a Backstreet Boys song blaring out of its loudspeakers. (Note: I did not identify the song. It was Kevin who was able to name the tune, to his everlasting shame. Sorry Kev.)

After Alleppey, we caught a train down the coast to Varkala, which is a touristy beach town. Yeah, I know it’s not the “real” India, but I’m loving it here. I’ve been here for about ten days and am enjoying beach life, the sunshine and +30 degree temperatures and doing a whole lot of nothing. I’m off to Mumbai in a few days, which will be my last stop in India before I fly off to Thailand.

 

 

Our guide

The Backwaters

Enjoying coconut beer

Our backwaters ride