Varkala & Pondichery

After reaching the southern most tip of India we obviously had to start our trip up north. Our first stop on the way to the very north was Varkala - not that far from our Ashram - right on the western coast in Kerala. In Varkala we met our Polish friends who are also touring India. Obviously our pictures can by no means be compared to his but it is definitely a good target for us to keep in mind :) Also lot of kudos for them for making it all the way from Goa in one day. It was great to see them and enjoy easy going afternoons and evenings while eating fresh fish right from the sea. We also met lots of people from the Ashram as it seems Varakala is a favorite retreat for those a bit tired of waking up at 5.30 am for meditation. So we met our Polish friends from the Ashram and at some point Rita ended up being the only "foreigner" amongst five Poles.

As usual when we arrived we did not know what
to expect from yet another place in India. What we have learned so far is ALL places are very different. There is no way of knowing what to expect. It can be awfully crowded and filthy or stunning in all aspects. One thing is for sure - every time you arrive somewhere you will be somehow surprised. Varkala for us was great. It is a stunning little beach resort with lots of beautiful little houses offering accomodation among palm trees. All of them are located on a top of the cliff right next to the sea. In fact you have to go down the stairs to reach the beach. The top of the cliff is lined with dozens of very nice restaurants and stalls selling all you can imagine but without too much harassment from the sellers if you just happen to pass-by. Therefore strolls along the cliff was always a very nice experience. The sea was a bit rough with strong currents but going in is still lots of fun. It was a beautiful setting for Valentines day! Incidentally we happened to find a lite version of India for that specific day:

After Varkala we set off with an overnight train to Pondichery. This relatively small town for Indian standards is located on the east coast of India. It was our first time on that side of subcontinent and we landed in "little France". Pondichery used to be a French colony and you can smell it everywhere - huge French consulate, baguettes everywhere, French schools and cultural center, Mediterranean type of architecture etc. Yet another setting for a relaxing day. We hired two bicycles and set off for explorations outside Pondichery and ended up in sort of slums or at least districts where life seems to have stopped some centuries ago. The contrasts in India are mind blowing - I think I have never in my life seen poverty and modern developments coexist so close to each other. In the evening we went for an open air jazz concert organized by Alliance Francaise - excellent venue and good music as such.

There was also an Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the nearby but we decided to skip it - otherwise we would never make it our of India - you can always find new things and places worth seeing.