Ah, Kerala
Posted: Thursday, October 27, 2005
by Cristine Camcam
The journey to Varkala wasn't the easiest. The unfortunate factor was that I had gone into it with
That morning, I hit snooze one too many times and got to the station at 6 AM with the train leaving at 6.15. Another thing you can't do here, is not have time. I fought my way through the lines at Ernakulam station, my backpack was extra heavy as I had bought some things for a friend I was to meet down in Sri Lanka. Ran up the stairs, dodged sleeping people, peanut carts, a cow, etc. I found a seat next to a generally polite guy, again, this is an amazing place, but I had begun to get quite tired of men’s constant staring and the following, and it was getting more and more difficult to ignore. Anyway I had had only a few hours sleep, and as we headed south the sun came up, and the train got even hotter. At least I could see out the window, and if I had a rupee for each person that smiled and waved at us, I could buy a Honda Kinetic scooter. More people got on. Then more people. Then more. I saw that I was the only woman in the entire cabin. I couldn't see out the window. I realized our seats that I thought were for two people were to fit three, and a groper wormed his way in between me and Mr. polite. Luckily, he would only trickle his hand over when I fell asleep, and it happened just twice, so I loaded up on chai to stay awake. There was nowhere to move to. My forehead was drenched in sweat. The aisle beside me was packed, and I had another man’s behind hitting me in the ear most of the journey. It got hotter. My iPod died. If I dozed off, someone would cop a feel and I'd wake up with a million eyes staring at me. Even the handlebars by the doors at the end of the cabin were full. It got hotter. I pulled my scarf over my face, and took refuge in it's smell, still strong of cardamon and anise from when I walked through the spice market in Matacherry. Just as I was about to lose it, I saw the sign for Varkala. I was lucky, only 4 hours like this. I've heard crazy stories of 15 hour bus rides on winding cliff roads in the north, of people sick with diarrhea and punching gropers on the bus. In comparison, I was fortunate.
I walked across the tracks and got a rickshaw into town. I was relieved to find a lovely room, and it was spotless, with a clean toilet and showerheads portruding from a wooden beam. After the hammock in Goakarna, mud hut in Hampi, the grass hut in Asvem, I had my first hot shower in 2 months.
Keralan design is ornate, all dark wood, high ceilings and detailed metalwork. I went straight to the beach, and found the it was hard for me to be away from the sea for even a short time. Papadsam beach is lovely, the water is blue, which I did not expect. The current is strong, but the water is so warm and lovely. After a swim and a nap, I decided to treat myself to a full ayurvedic massage. This is an essential to all visitors to Kerala. The room is brick, the ceiling is high and dark, and metal pots with peacock feathers in the corners. In the center of the room is a long wooden table with little nooks carved in the ends of it. The surface is an dark brown, shiny leather. At the foot of the table is a huge cabinet filled with amber bottles labeled in letters I cannot read. I strip down, and the massuese pours hot oil up and down my limbs, and the weight of the pouring liquid is something I've never felt. Her hands are small, but strong. I noticed my arms have become sore from carrying buckets of water up the mud steps in Kudle, and carrying my backpack onto the boat. She was slow and careful, different from the way the Koreans throw you around or the Thais pull you like a rubberband. This was something else. Then- the head massage. Imagine 30 minutes of warm oil continuously poured on your head, then fingers rubbing each and every part of your aching scalp, like the ridiculous ecstasy you see people feel on shampoo commercials. It melted the journey away.
I happened on small family restaurant away from the tourist traps one finds at every beach, on huge cliff side overlooking the sea. I just kept passing these awful places, named to mimic countries that export many a reluctant traveler- "Caffe Italiano", "Dolphin Bay", "Blue Marine Resort","The Number one Sanset Cafe","Cafe del Mar". I decided on "Amantha - The Beast Thali in Varkala". (Thali:silver plate w/ cute little cups holding 4-5 different foods, raita, rice in the middle, nan, chapati) . The daughter, 13 basically runs the place, and drew beside me while I ate. She traced her hand on the paper, and drew mehndi on it. I remember tracing my hand like that once in school, and drawing a head on the thumb to make it look like a turkey for thanksgiving. She drank 3 papaya lassis, and used about a half a cup of sugar for each one. Keralan cooking is something else, hotter that most Indian food, if you can believe it. On the whole Varkala is very relaxed, the best water I've seen on the west to southern coast, the least hawkers and gawkers on the beach, the hot wind on the cliff so gentle, and one could easily decide to stay a week, but stay another month.
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