Farewell Varkala and terrifying children

An imagined scene:

Local youth 1: "hey mate what you planning on doing this Thursday morning?"

Local youth 2: "I dunno... I may hide by a beach hut and jump out on Europeans and demand photos with them..."

Local youth 1: "sweet bro! That sounds good, see you there - gonna get so many selfies"

En route to black beach this morning, this seemingly strange possibility became a reality - we were pounced upon by the local lads, who requested photos in ALL sorts of poses. Of course, we enjoyed their sheer excitement, but hearing "you're beautiful" made me feel like a (barely) hairier Bieber.

Speaking of which, over the last couple of days we have acquired our own biggest fan, although perhaps stalker is a more accurate description - a young girl working in one of the shops lining the cliff has adopted us as cash cow #1, trying to flog all ridiculous sorts of wares to us. She has become so persistent, so pesky, to the extent that tonight we adopted disguises as we made our way to dinner (see below).

We enjoyed a fantastic last dinner at Hungry Eye, albeit having to keep to a £2.50 budget - on the way back to our hotel I had a transformative experience: there, on a bag being sold in one of the tat stores, was an uncanny semblance of my/Zander sharp's face (see below).

Leaving varkala for kollam tomorrow - a shame to be leaving such an idyllic place, "but why think about that when all the golden lands ahead of you and all kinds of unforseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see".

Varkala - temples, dealers and dancing

"Hey sweety" - as I heard those words spoken behind me, the possibility of being chatted up by a bikini-ed babe crossed my mind; on turning, I saw my chatters-up were a group of 26 year old Indian men. This is the life.

Spent part of the day on black beach - originally named so as the sand was, incredibly, black. To our left the red
Cliffs of varkala jutted into the expanse of ocean, a view somewhat spoiled by the Russian fatties frolicking in the water.

Post lunch we tuktuk-ed into town to spec out the temple complex - fantastically colourful. On the way back to our hotel we witnessed our first indian drug experience - Roti the tuktuk driver took a "detour" to drop off to his man-bagged "friend". Subtly is key here.

In the hope of avoiding gap yah stereotypes, we decided to watch a performance of Kathakali, the local dance: - I had the most transformative experience: although he was dressed as a black-faced demoness, as I met eyes with one of the dancers, I felt that we were kindred spirits. Etc. (being serious, the dance was fascinating, and, typically, I was picked for audience participation).

To end the day we had a slap-up meal, complete with prohibition-style drinks (see photo). As we sign off we are
In the local "nightclub", and FYI Indian dancing skills are as epic in real
Life as they are in the movies.

With love

Verkala

As we write, we're sitting under the stars enjoying mojitos on the cliffs of Verkala - the downside? Our impending dietary apocalypse which could result from our first venture into the Indian culinary sphere.
Having dumped our bags at the hotel - referenced as a hotel for "garden gnomes" by lonely planet (perhaps more due to the small dimensions of
Rooms as opposed to the kitsch cuteness) - we strolled along the cliffs and down to the beach; there's an astonishing amount of fellow foreigners, although the bellies and tattoos on display are a stark warning against the possibility of a 30-year gap yah.

Tired from our travels, we've retreated to the cafe del mar for bevs and dinner - occasionally harassed by locals selling bongo drums and other must-have hippie gear. We were almost too un-hippie for the beach, so are planning to stock up on baggy trousers before tomorrow's sesh - any requests do contact us on provided emails.

With love
Xxx

Flight

We have arrived! Thanks be to Allah for Oman air - air hostess comes along, asks if we want any drinks: "yeah, two please - *pshh* *pshh* - glug glug glug - red wine! Red wine!" Having taken full advantage of the complimentary drinks we fell into a drunken stupor, awakening as we touched down in Oman. Costa coffee was the cultural highlight of our trip there.

Then on to Trivandrum - on arriving we were greeted by the taxi driver waiting for "Mr Sack Down". Charming. We now understand why people "find themselves"/"find harmony with nate-chaah" in India: as the taxi journeys are so frickin terrifying you really appreciate life, as it may be ended quickly by a brightly-decorated bus.

Off for evening bevs and exploration,

With love

Farewell!

Getting on plane now, speak later!

Ready to rumble

All geared up and leaving home! Emoshunal needless to say - my dog was whining, nothing to do with the fact that she hadn't been fed due to my departure party.
Now to Heathrow, where we're flying to Trivandrum (deep Deep South) via muscat, Oman.

Sad to be leaving england and all our buds, but fiercely excited for India.

Until then, with love
Xxx

Beginning

अपने ब्लॉग में आपका स्वागत है! Welcome to Lissy and jack's blog for our travels through India to Nepal.

Apologies for the horrendous name, travel-related puns are always unoriginal and/or unfunny, but overwhelmed by the vast amounts of preemptive Imodium coursing through my body I thought it a fantastic idea.

Stay tuned for updates on our movements, and email me on jackdown94@hotmail.co.uk, or Lissy at lissyhopetate@hotmail.com.

Do keep us in the loop if you have anything interesting to say, and you'll be rewarded with regular selfies.

Flying from Heathrow to Trivandrum at 9pm tonight, until next time!

Lots of love