Varkala

Wednesday 3rd December 2008 (Al)
Arrived late in Varkala, Kerala. It was dark as the town's lights were out due to electricity cuts but we were shown around the gusthouses on the clifftops which overlooked the moonlit beach. Great value for money here. After a number of places we decided on a room with bathroom overlooking the ocean for only 900 rupees for 2 nights (A$14 /night). Settled in quick having a few beers on our balcony before having another seafood dinner at the restaurant owned by the same owners as our guesthouse (Sunrise). Looking forward to another full day on the beach. Looks like there is some surf in this area.

Thursday 4th December 2008 (Wendy)
Had our last day on the beach. Read our books and drank some real coffee. The sea has quite a strong rip here in Varkala hence them having 2 lifeguards on duty. One thing I did notice were local men being told to move down the beach by the security guards. I’m assuming some Indian men have caused some issues by watching western women in their bikinis. Seemed srange though that the locals were asked to move down to the other end. We stayed on the beach till sunset and had a beer on the balcony. Allan had seen squid coconut curry on a restaurant board earlier in the day so we headed out for food. However he couldn’t help himself when he saw the fresh tiger prawns on display. The squid coconut curry turned into a tiger prawn coconut curry. I must admit it was very tasty and it only cost 6 pound. Very happy.
We walked along the cliff past our room (north) and discovered more restaurants, shops and accommodation. India is ready for the masses but they are just not here. It seems such as shame. Some people will be deterred from visiting India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.