Spring in Kerala: I’m Melting!

Within a few weeks the temperature in Dharamsala, India went from snowing to full-blown Spring. It was perfect weather, but after spending the winter in the Himalaya I was missing the ocean terribly. Against the advice of nearly everyone, I decided to visit India’s southernmost state during its hottest season.

 

 

My bus started downhill at 6 pm with stunning sunset views of golden pink light reflecting off snow-covered mountains. I thought I was experiencing motion sickness from the winding roads, but as we reached the flatlands and my stomach began to cramp and I realized I was on an overnight bus with dysentery and no bathroom. It was a hard night.

Arriving in Delhi at 5 am, my flight south wasn’t due to take off until 6 pm. I could’ve spent the day exploring Delhi with a friend, but I still wasn’t feeling well. So, me and ‘Indira Gandhi International’ got to know each other quite well.

Upon boarding, I stuffed myself into a window seat on a full flight and for the next four hours proceeded to annoy the heck out of two older Indian gentlemen, climbing back and forth across them to get to the restroom.

We were instructed to stay in our seats when the plane touched down in Kochi for 45 minutes (Ugh!). But there were extra seats on that last 1/2 hour flight to Trivandrum, so a steward allowed me to move to an aisle seat.

 

 

At 10:30 pm I was picked up at the airport by a very nice man, in a very nice taxi. Had I arrived in Hawaii, or was I still in India? Everything’s so nice …and clean. Kerala is known for its strong economy, but I had no idea it’d be this nice.

I spent three days exploring the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram (better know as Trivandrum), staying just around the corner from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, the “richest place or worship in recorded history.”

The gold stored in Sree Padmanabhaswamy is worth at least 1 trillion dollars. For Hindus, this gold belongs to Vishnu, the deity of the temple, and is not considered an asset to the country.

 

 

An Indian couple staying at my hotel took me on an adventure visiting art museums and explaining the history and spiritual significance. They offered to take me with them inside Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple for a ritual celebration and were preparing to find me the right outfit, but I chickened out knowing that only Hindus are allowed in the temple. I didn’t want to be disrespectful and frankly wasn’t up for feeling that alienated and different.

 

 

I spent evenings online investigating options for a beach town to settle for a month and finally decided on Varkala Beach.

 

 

Varkala is a wide, yellow sand beach cradled by tall red cliffs, popular with Indians and foreigners alike. Several mineral water springs spill out the cliff walls, providing a natural shower to cleanse away the salty Arabian sea. Shops, restaurants, hotels, and ayurvedic clinics line the red-brick walkway along the cliff-top edge.

 

 

 

 

Papanasam Beach is at the south end of Varkala, where the cliffs dip down to the beach level. The sea at Papanasam Beach is considered sacred. Hindus come to wash away their sins and bring the ashes of their loved ones to be purified by the holy waters.

 

 

 

 

Varkala town center is slightly inland from Varkala Beach and holds little interest for foreigners, except to visit the ATM, of which there are none at the cliffs.

 

 

I found my hotel online. For the most part, it’s been a good fit for me. Situated on the quiet north cliff in a grove of coconut trees, away from the main tourist area. I have a breezy upstairs room with a balcony, ocean views, and a rooftop yoga pavilion which almost always sits empty.

 

 

The advantage of being in Kerala offseason is that I’ve missed the crowds. The season is over and tourists are dropping off by the day. But that’s also a disadvantage because businesses are packing up and closing down. Owners and employees travel north to spend spring and summer at home in higher altitudes. Luckily, there are a few restaurants still open.

 

 

 

There’s a very good reason everyone leaves… It’s unbelievably hot and keeps getting hotter! I can hardly sleep because of it. I’m also just too hot and unmotivated to travel away from here. I can’t get my brain to function enough to make travel plans, so I just spend a lot of time swimming.

 

 

 

 

There’s an empty, unused yoga pavilion on the roof of my hotel. Early mornings I spend sweating my way through asana, pranayama, and meditation in the company of a bunch of crows who perch in the rafters.

 

 

I’ve been in Varkala for 30 days, eating papaya, practicing yoga, swimming, going for walks, making friends, watching them leave, drinking coffee to stay awake, and sweating.

I decided to stay here for the remainder of my time in the country. I’m familiar with the surroundings, the people, and for the most part, I feel safe here. India is an incredible country, but it’s a difficult place to be female alone.

 

 

 

A group of young men practicing stick dance at sunset in a coconut grove by the shore.

 

One of the highlights of my stay in Varkala was paragliding off the cliffs with a Frenchmen who lives here with his Indian wife and child.

Aurelien understands wind currents at a level foreign to me. Lift-off and touch-down were no big deal. I felt complete confidence in him

The perspective was stunning, flying with crows and sea birds, right over the tops of coconut trees.

I didn’t get a single photo (Sorry!), but sometimes you just have to put down the camera and enjoy the moment.

 

Preparing to transition out of India, I’ve been reflecting upon these last 6 months and contemplating some of the lessons learned:

• Complaining is a choice and it doesn’t help anything.
• Many obstacles can be resolved with time and patience.
• In order to live by my intuition, I must slow down enough to hear it.
• I need to stop thinking I have to do everything by myself and accept help from others once in a while.

 

 

On May 1st I fly to New Delhi and then onward to Tokyo, Japan where I’ll visit a friend whom I haven’t seen since my teens. Itoe Parsons is a Japanese stained glass artist whom my family befriended when she lived in California. Since my flight to California made a layover in Tokyo, I turned that layover into a five-day stop to visit Itoe and her country.

 

 

After Japan, I’ll be in California for a bit preparing for a job working aboard 60 passenger ships for an expedition travel company in Alaska.