I did it, I booked a non A/C 2nd class carriage to Varkala. It was about £3 for the 4 hour train ride. It was a 'sleeper carriage' so I should be able to get some kip if I want to... First things first, I need to get to the train station and also to be there before 10:10. This would mean a walk through Tuk Tuk infested streets, I'd be constantly saying "NO I DON'T WANT A TUK TUK", "NO THANKS", "NO I DON'T WANT A BONGO DRUM". I said cheereo to the guys at the hotel and wandered down the street. I passed a cash point on the way and topped up my non existent funds. 10,000 rupees, the machine dished out some nice crisp 1,000 notes, great. The ferry ride was 4 rupees, it was first thing in the morning so nobody had change. I decided to ask someone white if they had change, a German man and his daughter said that they could manage to simply pay for my ferry fare. Oddly enough in the 15 minute ride, they mentioned the swastiker twice, and also Hitler in separate non related conversations. As soon as the boat docked I goose stepped off to get some smaller change.
When I arrived at the station I had an hour wait for my train to arrive, I was on the last carriage, it was about a mile long. As I made my way along I saw businessmen sat in comfortable chairs, then the same but with bars on the windows, then benches with bars. The people looking out like cattle on their way to be mixed with some horse meat to end up in a badly made Lasagne. I continued along till I too was getting on the cattle truck and looking out. With no health and safety in India, you can open the train door and sit on the steps and watch the world go by, I opted for staying in the carriage, if I fell off I'm sure my travel insurance wouldn't cover 'being stupid'.
The train ride was nice, the view is amazing, I don't think I'll take another plane in India, there is too much to see out the window. On arrival in Varkala I got a taxi to "where all the tourists go" I was driven to a place that is owned by a brother of the taxi driver, it was ok, but I hadn't seen where I was, hadn't got my bearings and hadn't consulted hostelbooker or trip advisor... I wasn't making the same mistake as Goa ! I wandered towards the sea, and there it was... The best view so far, tourists with backpacks a great sunset and bars and hostels all over the place. I sat down got the WiFi code, and the best place that came up was the Vendata, part of a small new chain of backpacker places, it had great reviews and wasn't too far away from the seafront. I smashed a Byriani and headed to it. On arrival I was shown an Air conditioned marble 6 bed dorm, WiFi was everywhere, and within minutes of arriving a Peruvian guy called Alfonso was saying hello and inviting me for a wander down the beach for a beer. Nice guy ! We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening having the odd beer, some food and chatting to other random people. This is more like it !
Oh nearly forgot to mention the room is 300 rupees a night. About £3.60. Love this place.
When I arrived at the station I had an hour wait for my train to arrive, I was on the last carriage, it was about a mile long. As I made my way along I saw businessmen sat in comfortable chairs, then the same but with bars on the windows, then benches with bars. The people looking out like cattle on their way to be mixed with some horse meat to end up in a badly made Lasagne. I continued along till I too was getting on the cattle truck and looking out. With no health and safety in India, you can open the train door and sit on the steps and watch the world go by, I opted for staying in the carriage, if I fell off I'm sure my travel insurance wouldn't cover 'being stupid'.
The train ride was nice, the view is amazing, I don't think I'll take another plane in India, there is too much to see out the window. On arrival in Varkala I got a taxi to "where all the tourists go" I was driven to a place that is owned by a brother of the taxi driver, it was ok, but I hadn't seen where I was, hadn't got my bearings and hadn't consulted hostelbooker or trip advisor... I wasn't making the same mistake as Goa ! I wandered towards the sea, and there it was... The best view so far, tourists with backpacks a great sunset and bars and hostels all over the place. I sat down got the WiFi code, and the best place that came up was the Vendata, part of a small new chain of backpacker places, it had great reviews and wasn't too far away from the seafront. I smashed a Byriani and headed to it. On arrival I was shown an Air conditioned marble 6 bed dorm, WiFi was everywhere, and within minutes of arriving a Peruvian guy called Alfonso was saying hello and inviting me for a wander down the beach for a beer. Nice guy ! We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening having the odd beer, some food and chatting to other random people. This is more like it !
Oh nearly forgot to mention the room is 300 rupees a night. About £3.60. Love this place.
A local watching the world fly by
Another demonstration of the health and safety, a pedestrian crossroad
Knobbly knees
This is the view from someone sitting in my carriage looking at me...as you do.
No comments:
Post a Comment