As I was travelling solo, I booked a general class ticket in the KK Express - though it was a very long train travel, it was totally worth it. Carry your own food though, they didn't serve it in the train. I had to go hungry. :(
I traveled in October, which is believed to be a bit cooler, but it was hot, and i would suggest you carry / Buy scarves and hats. It started raining later in the day and the weather was much better for some time.
After another 17 hour long train journey I was back to Bangalore and hit life with full vigour!
Varkala Beach or the Papasnanam beach, it is very near to the place i was staying at. Overlooking the Varkala Cliff, it was quite close to Vedanta Wake-up, where i was put up. The mornings are lively with the locals having their early morning stroll and kids playing football. I dug up a spot in the sand and just soaked up the happenings.
After a quick bath, i came here around 1PM, found myself a quiet spot and ordered fish and beer- the most tastiest and melt-in-your-mouth fish.The Sunset so mesmerizing and the waiters so nice, i ended up staying till 7PM. One thing to keep in mind though is most places in Varkala do not accept Cards - make sure you keep some cash handy. the people at God's own Kitchen gave me a lift to the nearest ATM, and dropped me back to my stay.
So when you go to Kerala, you always look forward for an authentic massage - i headede to this place as thi swas juts next door to where i was staying , and though i had just 45 minutes to spend, it was totally well spent. i came all all glowing and super oily.. :D
This beautiful place by the cliff- i landed here around 4PM the next day with a book- stayed there for an hour with an orange juice. The atmosphere was lively, maybe because it was Friday night :). I took a stroll down the cliff and landed back there around 8 to have a quick bite, only to find this place super crowded. What i understood from being here for 3 days is foreigners stay here for long period of time, and hence over time they get to know a lot of other groups and make friends. So Darjeeling cafe's atmosphere was full of friendly chatter and romantic dinners that Friday night , and boy, yes i did feel let out. he he.
Being a solo woman traveller, i was quite worried by the fact that i had booked a bed in a mixed dormitory, but my worries were uncalled for- i immediately fell in love with the place and the people. there was a homely touch to the place, with a sit out section furnished with bean bags TV and furniture.. I shared my room with 2 Brits and they were a good company too. So they have a kitchen where they serve food for travellers who have opted for it, they have a fully stacked fridge with water bottles and juice.Ah.. jjust home away from home. I looked them up after i returned to Bangalore and found they are all over South India. Cant wait to stay at another Vedanta!!
it has all kinds of shops- you can buy clothes, colourful skirts, shorts, scarves!! i myself did a lot of shopping (giggles), the cliff is around 2 Kms long, and you can take a nice walk down.. This cliff overlooks the Papasnanam beach on one side and the Edava beach on the other.
This is a kind of lagoon, where sea and backwaters running parallel divided by a more-than-one km of straight road. There is also an estuary that connect the sea with the backwaters here. Very scenic, and should be on your must visit list. ;)
