25 February – 18 March 2010 - Varkala, Kerala - the town and places around

Varkala, the town, is noticeably cleaner than any other Indian city on the north. It is also very colorful and I may not be objective, but I think that Varkala buses are the most colorful! Some architectural items and signboards on the streets had made me smile quite a few times... 

One day we made a tour around the town. There is a beautiful lake within a few kilometers from the town and we saw picturesque fishermen houses around it, built just between the palm trees. 

Also between the palms is St. Sebastian's church, beautiful and big enough to admit all Christians of Varkala town. 

Back at North Cliff, we took a cooking class one evening. So now Thierry knows all the secrets of fish molee!

I did not mentioned in my previous post that I visited a homeopath doctor (as he calls himself) at North Cliff. Note the only book on his table, the Lonely Planet Guide... 

Soon we will leave Kerala and India. And like many other places we have been to, people we met in Varkala will always stay in our minds. 

25 February – 18 March 2010 - Varkala, Kerala

Another overnight train and here we are, in Varkala, North Cliff.
Varkala is a small town of about 40,000 inhabitants in the state of Kerala. But our final destination was so-called North Cliff, a purely touristic spot on the top of a cliff adjacent to the Arabian Sea, about 5 km off from Varkala town.
The first line on the cliff is a chain of hotels, shops, cafes, restaurants and Internet cafes. Behind them you will find various guest houses, jewellery shops, drum and joga classes, and numerous ayurvedic spas. Life here is quiet. Unlike Goa with parties-all-night, Varkala is for families and health-conscious people. As our Lonely Planet book says, “It seems like every man and his dog has an Ayurvedic-related product to sell”. This is so true!
For me Varkala smells
Ocean….
Incenses from the shops…
Fresh fish and sea food in the evening from nearly every restaurant…
And it sounds
Reggae music (and don’t ask me why it is so popular here!)
Coconut fall that can make wake you up in the middle of the night
Invites from the shops with an unforgettable accent, “Have a look! Come to my shop!”
I should admit that food in South India is the one I prefer the most. It is less hot than in the north but still full of mild spices like coriander, fennel, cinnamon and a lot of coconuts. The specialty of Kerala is fish molee, fish stew with coconut milk, and for me, fish has never tasted so sophisticated! If you did not manage to go to Nepal, here in Varkala you will have a chance to taste Tibetan food as many restaurants here are hold by Nepalese.