We spent five days at Varkala, a beach resort in the southern tip of Kerala. The view out of the train window changed dramatically as we went further South, the previously barren landscapes of the North replaced withe lush greenery, towering palm tress and glassy expanses of water.
At first it was a bit of a shock to the system when we realised there wasn't a great deal to do in Varkala. We had grown quite accustomed to hectic towns and constant travelling and sightseeing, and it was quite odd being in a place that was entirely geared for, and populated by, tourists. Within a couple of days, though, we were quite acclimatised to lounging in cafes, sunset dips in the sea and eating fresh seafood!
Varkala is divided, informally, into two sections. Tourists tend to stick to the North end of the beach, as there is a very religous element to the South side. As a result, you feel a bit like you are in some sort of holiday camp where naughty people go to parade around in skimpy swimwear and drink beer. You do, however, have to hide your beer bottles under the tables as none of the restaurants actually have a licence to sell alcohol.
One day, we decided to treat ourselves to a special massage in the India 'Ayurvedic' tradition. Completely clueless about what to expect, we were both led into different rooms, me with two women and Ben with two men. We were then told to strip completely naked and had to sit on a stool in the middle of the room, wearing only some tiny paper pants, whilst the oiling began. Later, when the vague humiliation had subsided, we found ourselves slipping around in about a bucketful of oil on a bed, during a vigourous but relaxing all-over body massage. When I tried to get off the bed, I could only flounder around, starkers, like a helpless baby bird in an oil slick, and had to be ungracefully pulled to my feet. We were both then treated to what really amounts to a sponge bath. We sat, without even our paper dignity-protectors, on stools in our respective brightly lit shower-rooms, whilct we were soaped and rubbed down by another grown adult. At this point, the bit at the beginning suddenly seemed a lot less humiliating...
