Kerala Backwaters and Varkala - India

On Thursday 4 February we set off on a long travelling day by taking the 5 hour public bus to Kottayam and then a 3 hour boat ride through the backwaters. These waters are stunning and include 5 large lakes connected by canals. The waters are also strewn with some of the most amazing houseboats you ever did see. After an amazing 3 hour trip through this area enjoying the amazing scenery, we ended the day’s travels with a train ride to Varkala as the sun was setting which made for beautiful views. We arrived pretty late in the evening and were shown to our gorgeous little bungelows on the beach. We dropped our bags and popped into the nearest restaurant for a very average dinner food wise.

We woke up the next morning to a stunning day, so we took a walk along the scenic cliffs and enjoyed the views over the sea. We were treated to a wonderful sight of fish eagles swooping in the air and dolphins diving in the ocean. After a lovely breakfast we checked out of our beautiful bungalows and headed to a hotel which Sheeba had recommended, unfortunately it was only after we were all checked in that we realised we’d downgraded somewhat for a higher cost.... schoolboy error on the travellers front. Anyway we headed to the terrace bar for a few cold cokes and some cards before we made our way to the nearest beach for a quick swim.

The closest beach to our hotel was quite small and private which is nice as there is a reputation for the locals to tend to gawk at the scantily clad ladies in their swimmers. Luckily none of that where we were. We spent most of the time in the sea as the beach sand is volcanic and black which makes for very uncomfortable hot tanning time.

Once we’d had our swim we made our way back to freshen up before heading out. The girls made their way in search of a beauty salon and the boys headed to a bar.... surprise surprise! Lara, Shands and I eventually found a lovely little place run by a sweet lady and her husband and we were soon treating ourselves to pedicures and eyebrow threading! After a short session, we came out looking like new woman and managed to get back to the boys in time to catch the last glimpse of the sunset.

We then made our way to a lovely restaurant on the corner cliffs were we got stuck into some amazing tandoori dishes. All cooked in front of us in a big tandoori oven. As it was the Leisegang and Van Alvin’s last evening together on tour we then made our way back along the path in search of a spot for some goodbye beers. We finally found a great place and settled on the terrace for just one or two drinks as everything shuts down in this sleepy little place at around 11.00 pm.

The next day we woke up and decided over breakfast we wanted to move back to our lovely bungalows so after establishing that they had availability we packed up and set off to check in. Once we had dropped our bags we made our way to the main beach which was a little further up the path. The main beach was a lot bigger and covered with white sand so Lara and I hired an umbrella (the first time on this tour) so that we could chill there for longer than five minutes (it’s hot hot hot there). After a swim the boys went back to the hotel so that they could catch the cricket and leave us girls to lap up the sun.

After enough sun we headed back to the hotel for some shade time before we popped out for sundowners and dinner which was to be our last of the tour with the Leisegangs. We ended up back at the same restaurant as the night before to enjoy those tandoori dishes again, that’s how good they were!

The next morning we had a quick breakfast and headed to the train station to catch our train to Trivandrum. When we arrived we were told our train was delayed by an hour and a half so we settled in and read our books to pass the time. Once the train arrived it was of course packed...... as we had no pre-booked seats we had to squeeze onto the door way and that’s where we stood for the 45 minute journey, wedged between the toilet and the open door.

Once we arrived in Trivandrum we said quick goodbyes to our travelling buddies who were then flying to Mumbai while we made our way to our one night of 5 star luxury in the Mathoot Plaza hotel. We stayed a short night in Trivandrum, which only allowed us a little walk through the town (where we met the world’s cutest kitten) and a lovely dinner before bed. We were up very early the next morning for our flight to Mumbai where we spent the day before bidding farewell to India and flying out to Kuala Lumpur.

Varkala is a lovely little Hippie beach town. These are the lowlights and highlights:
- The litter here is terrible, one view shows you the seaside in all its stunning glory and a glance to the left you can see the Cliffside strewn with rubbish of all kinds
- Great place to stay if you just want to unwind, there are a variety of yoga courses offered in the town and all shuts down after 11.00 pm
- The sunsets are beautiful if a little disappointing due to the haze of pollution which sits above the sea makes it a little unclear
- The beach here is stunning and the water clear and refreshing