Varkala

Just moved from a basement internet place without a fan, to one with a fan. World of a difference. Bangalore is relatively "cool", but I was dripping sweat as I typed. Can't even imagine what Kolkata will be like.

Had a great sleep last night in my new room, which is quite a bit better than the first. Fan is quiet even when on high, no roosters waking me up at 6am, and no Indian men loudly coughing up mucus across the hallway. Finally feeling physically and emotionally better today :)

So, Varakala. After another crazy, bumpy 5 hour drive, passing more amazing homes, tea plantations and mosques, we arrived at our beautiful beachside bungalows. Great AC in these fancy huts. (Thekkady had very pleasant weather, as it was elevated and inland, but Varkala was HOT!) Had dinner then walked along the beachside cliff (Varkala is known for its beautiful cliffs), then Jim and I Skyped with Papa (Blaire was exhausted and headed to bed) by the water. The crashing waves were so loud that we could barely hear him, but it was the only place we could get reception on Jim's iPad. Nice quick chat (couldn't take the heat any longer), then off to bed in our icy cold rooms :)

By 9:30am on April 2nd, I had done an hour of yoga with Blaire, had breakfast, gone for a morning swim in the ocean, hand-washed some laundry, and read. Productive morning! Jim moved from the bungalows to a heritage guesthouse just next door - gorgeous room! We got a tuk-tuk to town, walked to the highest cliff point, watched paragliders fly through the sky, then walked down a long "staircase" to the large main beach. Waves were intense but so much fun! Guidebooks actually warned against swimming there. Even with the water, needed a break from the heat, so went back to our rooms to cool off, then had a great dinner by the beach, watching yet another incredible sunset over the ocean, followed by a refreshing downpour. Smelled and felt so good! Headed back to Jim's room to play some cards, then back to our bungalow for bed.

Jim decided to join our 8am yoga on the morning of the 3rd. I did a full proper Trika lesson that time, with warm-ups, a set of postures, then relaxation. Realized how much I've missed yoga! And was fun to be the teacher! Beachside breakfast, walk to main beach again, hammered by the waves again (feels like you've just been beat up when you walk out of that water!), and had a yummy fruit salad with ice-cream for lunch. Perfect meal for the heat. Used Jim's iPad to research the course I wanted to take in Bangalore at The Art of Living Foundation. Sent an e-mail to register for the weekend level 1 course, Friday evening and Saturday-Sunday afternoon (will explain in the Bangalore blog what happened with that). Walked back to our rooms for AC cool-down and showers, then sat at the tables directly on the sand for our last beach dinner, and yes, another stunning sunset (it's quite ridiculous how many sunset photos I have). As we ate, Jim was telling Blaire about a great restaurant in Denver called Cuba-Cuba, to which Blaire responded, "So, what kind of food do they serve there? Mexican?" Jim laughed about this till the day he left! Back to Jim's room for our routine evening card-playing, then bungalows for reading and bed.

On the 4th, I went down to watch the men pulling in their fishing nets at 7:45am, which Jim and Blaire had watched the two previous days (when I had only watched it from far). What a process! At 8, I set up my yoga mat near the water for a solo session. (Blaire decided to just read in bed that morning, and I would later find out Jim didn't show up because he was recovering from heat stroke.) Decided to do warm-ups followed by sun-salutations, and as I lay down on my back for relaxation, I realized I was directly under a bunch of coconuts high up above in the palm tree. Made it a quick relaxation, since I couldn't keep my eyes closed very long, imagining being knocked out cold by a falling coconut. Went for a cold rinse, then breakfast and packing. Final ocean dip at the tiny beach (which I preferred) just in front Jim's accommodation, then shared a Kingfisher beer with Jim (Blaire drinks wine, not beer, which is harder to come by), before piling into our little Tata car (quite a downgrade from the big Toyota van that brought us here - my huge backpack didn't fit and had to be strapped to the roof!) for the hour and a half drive south to Trivandrum airport. A little nauseating again, but not too long, so not bad. Tons of churches along the way (the south is very Catholic). Checked in and waited an hour for our flight to Bangalore.

Next blog, Bangalore!