Yes, it's true. I'm a virgin blogger. Embarrassing to admit that I am somewhat self-conscious. All names will be changed to protect the innocent.
I'm currently in Kerala, looking for the perfect beach.
We've just arrived in Varkala, after a day spent going on a boat from Allepey to Kollam, through the backwaters of Kerala. It was terribly relaxing, drifting through the coconut palms and banana trees, stopping only to eat more food. It was only near the end of the eight hours that I started to get a bit restless, and consider that we still had a bus to catch.
Sure enough, when we arrived at the bus station it turned out that the last bus had already left. We had no idea where we were going (or even how to pronounce the name of the town), and what should have been a 35-minute trip took an hour and half. The second bus was incredibly packed. One person was literally hanging out the door. I was impressed with his resilience. I was having trouble staying upright inside the bus, what with the rally-style driving.
Anyway, we arrived mostly in one piece and found a lovely hotel (ie. expensive. We'll have to look for a cheaper one tomorrow, when we can locate the beach). Unfortunately we went to look for dinner during the power cut. There's a half hour power-cut every evening to conserve electricity. We were wandering along the road in the dark looking for somewhere to eat, and realised ten minutes later why there were only candle-lit establishments. Sarah and I read Cosmopolitan by candle-light to keep ourselves amused. I've run out of books again. . .
We've just left Chenganuur, where we were staying with Lexy's friends. It was great to stay with an Indian family for a bit, and feel less like gawping tourists. They fed us huge meals constantly, and unfortunately I now find that I am used to it. I only had three meals today, and now I'm feeling the need of a snack. Will continue tomorrow when blood-sugar levels are higher.
Posted by eithne at January 20, 2004 04:57 PM | TrackBack