Another overnight train journey and we wake up in another state of India, this time we have arrived in the far south – Kerala. The journey took us right down to the southern tip of the sub-continent, skirting the ranges before we headed north again following the coast to the state capital Triruvananthapuram or Trivandrum for ease. From there it is a half hour taxi ride to Kovalam, one of the famous beach resorts of Kerala. Popular it may be in certain circles (or age groups – we had seen it called “a tropical god’s waiting room”), after being spoilt in the Andaman’s for beaches and weather – it’s just a bit rubbish in comparison (there were also a lot of Australians probably in hiding from the Ashes performance.)
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On the afternoon we arrived it was overcast, by the evening it was pouring and for the next two days it was torrential on and off. In between there wasn’t much else to do apart from read or sit in the beachside restaurants from where you could watch the Kovalam life pass somewhat slowly like the promenaders. On the 3rd day the sun appeared weakly and we wandered down to the local village, with its large fishing fleet. Which brings us on to one of the highlights of Kovalam – the seafood which is very good and carried in fresh twice a day and then displayed in front of each of the restaurants.
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The 4th day we finally managed to make in for our first swim in the Arabian Sea. Not as peaceful as it may sound as you spend most of the time duck diving under the waves and trying to avoid the undertow from pulling you out to sea. It’s good fun but quite treacherous, and you definitely wouldn’t go in straight after a meal from one of the restaurants. Plus once you are back on beach you are then persistently pestered by drum, cigarette, fruit, sarong and any other sort of seller who asks you at least 6 times a day each to buy their product.
That afternoon it turned again into heavy rain and the next day we weren’t too sad to be staying goodbye to Kovalam, although the guest house we stayed at Shirley’s Guest house,was good, very cheap and run by the very friendly Shirley and family. But all in all, I can’t see us coming back for a least another 40 years.