Cherai Beach to Varkala

Having made the decision to move down to Varkala we spent our last day in Cherai at the beach before packing up all our things ready for an early start the next morning.

We said our goodbyes to the children before they headed off to school and with final hugs Peter and the children loaded all the bags into a rickshaw for the ride down to the bus stop at Cherai Junction.

The rickshaw was rather full once everyone had climbed in so Ippy and I decided to walk into town enjoying the peace and calmness of the morning.

Once again the bus we needed was full when it arrived and with our extra luggage we squeezed aboard, tucking the bigger bags between our feet in an effort to make more room.

I got to sit on Ippy lap but even there things were a bit snug!

At North Paravoor we waited with the other commuters for the bus to take us to Alvur and this time we were lucky enough to get seats right at the back of the bus!

The bus hurtled its way through the streets grinding to a stop every now and then to let people on or off.

We crossed a wide expanse of water, passed shops and street vendors by the dozen before eventually pulling into the large Bus Depot opposite Alvua Train Station.

As we had been here before we knew exactly where to go. Ippy bought the tickets while we settled on the platform, surrounded by all our various belongings, to wait for a train to take us to Varkala.

Indian trains are incredibly long and when our train arrived we were not exactly sure which carriage we were suppose to be in.

We climbed aboard to find the train packed with people, parcels, bags and boxes. Sellers wandered up and down calling out their products as they went.

With so little space available in the carriages we settled ourselves near one of the open doorways.

In India the trains race along with their doors and windows wide open allowing a breeze to rush through. Ippy has travelled this way loads of time but I found the whole thing an amazing experience.

I looked out as the dry vegetation along the track rushed by, towns and villages came into view and then disappeared into the distance. 

Cars, people, trucks and bikes waited patiently at the level crossings as the train raced past sounding its horn in long loud blasts as it went.

Ippy still had her map from the bike ride and we tried to work out where we were but the station names that we stopped by didn't seem to match the coast towns on the map.

Ippy had travelled this way before and was quite confused, as far as she remembered there was only one train track from Mumbai all the way to Kandykumari. 

There was the occasional place where the track ran inland but Ippy thought the train we had booked ran straight down the coast to Trivandrum.

It wasn't until we reached Kottyam that Ippy realised we had indeed been travelling on the inland branch of the track not the coast one! 

In Kottyam our train took a fork to the right and back towards the sea. Suddenly everything became more familiar as we travelled through the famous Kerela Backwaters.

Four hours however is quite a long time to hurtle through the Indian country side no mater how fabulous the views are!

We ate the few snacks we had brought with us and then Angharad and I settled down for a quick snooze while Peter and Cian took a turn to sit by the open doorway.

Our plan, when we reached Varkala, was to go to the Bamboo Village to see if they had any vacancies. Ippy had stayed there a few times over the years watching it grow and improve every season.

At Varkala train station we were approached by a driver asking if we needed a rickshaw, we smiled and asked how much. 300 rupees would get us directly to the Bamboo Village.

We looked at the bags sitting in the heat of the day. 300 rupees is about £5.

£5 to get five of us plus the bags directly to where we wanted to go? …. bargain!

The rickshaw turned out to be a taxi! …. Bonus! And within 6 minutes we were walking up the pathway to Bamboo Village reception.

The last time Ippy had stayed the site had been quaint and the prices great. 

As we walked Ippy noticed that the whole place had been landscaped. 

Bricked pathways, lawned areas and neatly arranged hammocks now filled an area that had once been covered with baked dust and the odd plant!

The prices had also changed to 1,500 rupees a night! 

This even by Indian standards was quite a large amount to stay in what was basically a beach hut! 

The last time Ippy had stayed here the prices had been 400 rupees a night!

We all shouldered our bags and headed out onto the cliff top to look for somewhere else.

A quickly revised plan was made to drop the children and the bags at the nearest cafe or restaurant while Peter, Ippy and myself checked out the prices at some other locations.

We wandered down to the Blue Moon restaurant deciding we could all do with a cooling drink before we went exploring. 

A lovely man called Dhama came over to take our order, looking at our pile of bags as he wrote down the various drinks required.

“You need a room?” he enquired.

Ippy looked at the bar area. “You have rooms here?” she looked a little confused.

“No, No,” Dhama replied, “My friend next door, he has rooms. You want to see?”

Ippy quickly explained to me that it is not what you know in India but who you know. Everyone seems to have a friend or a brother who can help you out and it is usually a lovely way to find hidden away places to stay.

While we waited at the restaurant, Ippy went with Dhama to find out about the rooms only to return 10 minutes later saying they were great and did we want to see them too.

The rooms were indeed just what we were looking for.

Two rooms with a balcony, over looking a shaded and private courtyard, close enough to the restaurant but far enough away to stop any noise.

Plus they were only 20m from the stone steps that led down the cliff face to the long sandy beach far below.

It even had a huge flat roof for Ippy to do her morning Chi Gong and yoga!

Ippy had already arranged a pretty good price but she asked Peter to arrange the final rates for the stay as he loves to barter and always gets amazing deals for slightly longer stays.

With the price finally set we unpacked our things and headed back to the Blue moon for lunch. 

Ippy sent a message to her friend Nanda to say we had arrived, the children logged onto the Cafe internet and sent messages to all their friends back home and Peter relaxed with a cooling beer, his first one in India!

We were now officially in Varkala!