Like Florida, but way better: Varkala Beach India
Ahh…we’ve discovered a real gem. Our departure from Bangalore (which I’ve affectionately dubbed Bangashitlore) was not without drama and despair. A waiter directed us to the train station using a shortcut, which basically involved dark creepy streets which are best to be avoided by two American whimps at 9pm. We were trudging along, and passed group of wild dogs. Stray dogs are everywhere in Bangalore, but we were assured by locals that they were harmless. Well these dogs either hated our huge packs, or they were just plain racist…because they started growling. One snarl lead to another, and the next thing you know we’re power walking like a Midwestern mom down a dark street heaving huge 40 lb packs getting chased by another pack of barking snarling wild dogs. I haven’t experienced fear that real…maybe ever. I was just waiting to be robbed of a huge chunk of calf-flesh…and was trying to think about how I’d avoid falling down and getting mauled by all of them. It was terrifying. Luckily the dogs acted as though they were contained by an invisible fence, they stopped once they reached about 8 feet from my heels. Animal rights shmanimal rights, if anyone from the Bangalorean government is reading this right now, do your city a favor and shoot the gd dogs.
We finally reached the train and boarded for our 16 hour ride. I won’t go into detail, but it wasn’t necessarily our favorite. Here is a picture of JR trying to get some shut-eye:
The 16 hour train ride was well worth it. Varkala Beach is on the western coast near the southern tip of India, on the Arabian sea. Its absolutely stunning. Perched on a cliff, a narrow walking trail along the cliff’s edge is the main promanade. All hotels, restaurants and shops are along the trail. So whether your reading a book on the hotel lawn, enjoying Indian food & kingfisher beer, or at an Internet cafe…the sound of cars and horns and everyday buzz is replaced with the sound of crashing waves.
I forgot to mention that there are straight up natives living in huts about 1/4 mile north of our hotel.
It’s sort of unusual from the American point of view to see virgin coastline like this…before creepy Uncle Condo & Cousin High Rise Hotel swoop in to rob the purity.
Off to read and swim and wait for the next meal time. Ken hasn’t turned up yet. Perhaps he’s turned to crossdressing and is hiding behind a burka.
p.s. I’m trying to figure out how to post pics without linking the entire copy…so bear with me people.
Tags: India
brooke.pearson8
Keep the stories coming. Screw the mangy mutts, they wont harm you guys. but you might want to be a little more careful, or you’re gonna wind up in an arranged marriage or some creepy harem.
It pleases me greatly that you two are treating life like the adventure it is. I look forward to hearing all the crazy stories when you get back. JR, dad is very pleased and interested in your trip, he likes the website as well.nrnrStay safe and keep updating the site!nrnrYour brother in Colorado-nrnrBB