Varkala, beach on Indian Coast

Top: Varkala beach scene
2nd: Fishing boat on beach, covered with thatch to protect it from the sun
3rd: Caye with vendor in traditional dress
Bottom: Path behind our hotel: sheer drop-off about five storeys down.
Here are some shots of our beach stay at Varkala. Pictures make it look like Hawaii and it is idyllic. Nice breeze, not crowded or over developed. Lots of vendors with elaborate cloth and rugs, a long narrow boardwalk along the edge of cliffs above the beach.
The beach at Varkala seems to go on forever, has beautiful sand, and is only sparsely used. There are few Indians on it, mostly tourists, who have discovered a coastline -- southwest India -- that’ has great sand, mild weather, gentle surf, and is relatively empty. Of course we didn’t see what it’s like further along the coats, but from what people told us, it’s similar.
At the back of our hotel, which was actually more like a large house with the yard going to the cliff edge, was a community path where you could take one step and go over the edge. It made us wonder about kids who walked along it. In India there seems to be a general assumption people can take care of themselves, as there are often big holes dug in roads or sidewalks, or paths along cliffs like the one pictured, and no fencing or rails at all. You’re just expected to notice these things.

Caye told some grade 6 students that she was partly Native American and the news excited them. They bombarded her with questions: did she use a bow and arrow? Did she live in “one o those things”, gesturing to illustrate a teepee? .

Indians, at least the ones we’ve visited, get by nicely with far lest appliances and tools that we do. We made a list of some me of the things we haven’t seen, while here: microwave, washing machine, dryer, toaster, Forman grill, dishwasher, coffee pot, bread machine, thermostat, power tools, lawn mower, leaf blower, or any other sort of lawn tool. It’s surprising how quick you get used to not having them. There are probably an equal number of things Indians are used to having around that we don’t have in the U.S., we just haven’t been around enough to know what they are.