Travel Week: Days 8, 9 & 10

The final stop of travel week was in the beautiful cliff-side village of Varkala. Albeit very touristy, spending time here was a wonderful way to finish our trip. Unlike previous places, our time was more unstructured and relaxed. We arrived at a gorgeous resort complete with a pool, restaurant, and spacious A/C rooms around 10pm that evening. Exhausted from a full day of exploring Fort Cochi, everyone retired early.

The following morning we departed from the resort around 8:30 for a Varkala backwaters tour! While time estimations were anything but accurate (20 minutes was, in reality, nearly an hour), we made it to the tourist department and began our day of adventuring. A small island nearby uses waterways as a primary method of travel and vaguely resembles those in Venice. After a short trek through the woods, we hobbled on to a converted rice collection boat and were off! Perhaps one of the most fun parts was ducking for the low bridges...it kept you on your toes, and there were plenty to go around.

Photo credit: Alexandra France

Kingfisher: this name is also a popular Indian beer.

My first water snake sighting!

Ducking for one of the (many) low bridges.

Along the way, we stopped to learn about
how coconut fibers can be used to create a
very strong rope. Unfortunately, the cost of
production is higher than the selling price, so
it is rarely made anymore.

This is a net covering a square, man-made pool of ocean water
where tiger prawns are raised and harvested. Yum!

Miranda and I trying to beat the heat!
Photo credit: Alexandra France

We lucked out to have a very knowledgeable guide because he grew up in the village we toured! Various stops throughout our trip provided opportunities to identify native plants (black pepper, vanilla, etc), observe coconut rope making, break for tea and biscuits (of course), and try our hand at steering the boat (by standing in the back with a long pole - it was harder than it looked!). It certainly was hot, so I was more than happy to wrap up the tour around 1:30 pm. With grumbling stomachs we loaded back in to the van and began then ninety-minute ride back to our resort. But, like always, we did our best to stay upbeat and have fun, so we started singing the "Shark" song/dance along with many other camp songs we grew up signing. Here's an action shot from "Shark":

Thankfully, lunch was still being served so we made our orders, threw on bathing suits, and hopped in the pool to cool off until the food was ready! It was a welcome  end to a busy morning. Following lunch and showering, some chose to walk around, sleep, or shop. I was eager to see what this supposed cliff-sided village looked like! Our resort was set back 3 to 4 minutes by foot to the cliff edge. We meandered through trails until we came upon the breathtaking views. Wow! It was incredible. Most of us stayed around to watch the sunset and hang out on the beach. Here are some photos:

Meg and I!
Photo credit: Meg Reid

Moira and I on the beach!
Photo credit: Moira Dhaliwal

During our walks along the water, several of us eyed restaurants' signs exclaiming various happy hour deals. Eager to relax and wind down, we decided to meet up an hour before dinner to have a drink or two. It was so fun to hang out, listen to music, and laugh together! After enjoying our drinks (and the free wifi), we headed off for dinner at a place down the path. Many of the restaurants perched along the cliff boast tables overlooking the ocean. As a special treat, we went to one of the more upscale places for a truly awesome meal. With tons of fresh catch, we had our choice of prawns, barracuda, and more - made to order! The food took nearly an hour to arrive, but it was certainly worth the wait. Here is a photo of one of the cooks preparing a meal:

 Being that dinner wasn't over until nearly 11, I was more than ready for bed after the bill was paid. And the next morning several of us were getting up early to enjoy the sunrise! Unfortunately it rained all night and this was all I saw before crawling back in to bed for several hours:

 Our final planned activity was an Indian cooking class! During this time, we learned how to make chapathi (something like a tortilla), fish thali (a gravy with fish), and vegetable thali (I think you can figure this one out). Even better, we got to eat it at the end! I left with some notes and tips so be prepared for some homemade meals once I'm back - I take requests, too :-)

Wrapping up my afternoon with some gift shopping, packing, and relaxing, I reflected on how awesome these past 9 days were before boarding our 14 hour train ride home. Who knew so many vastly different areas all existed in such close proximity? I am so fortunate to have this experience to not only experience different cultures, but to explore and learn about myself. What a wonderful life this is! Thanks for your patience at my ever-slow postings.

Love,
Nikki