ScrewYouGuys!

Hello all,

Decided to spend another two nights in Kovalam, still getting over the jetlag and very much enjoying the cold beer. We wandered about the beach but after all the hassle from the fruit and sarong sellers we decided to move on to Varkala.

Day 5 was a 05:30 getup to get to the bus stop at the top of the very steep hill at 06:30, not good with a thick head first thing in the morning! We caught the bus just in time and made it to Trivandrum where we caught the second bus to Varkala. We both stood out at the bus stop and got lots of attention from rickshaw drivers wanting to charge us 400 Rupees when the bus fare was 34. We arrived with sore arses then caught a rickshaw to Rubybleu Guesthouse which was run by a really tall fella with wonky legs and his wife a raki master, they also kept a geezer that slept under the stairs but we didn’t ask.

We got the last room in the place, very nice and only cost 350 rupees so about 5 quid for a room, see the pics nice and clean like wilsons and still with an english toilet, we keep taking pics of the toilets not through some strange fetish but just so you guys can see the standards..english stylee thank god!

Varkala is not what we expected, I don’t think we expected much to be honest but it’s absolutely beautiful, the cliff top is stunning. First day we dropped our stuff off and walked a few miles across the cliff tops great for our tans you may want to know Jo & Jen (my feet are coming on particularly well Jen haha! look at my holiday feet..you will rue the day). Tried swimming in the sea but the current is ridiculously strong, no way you can just swim out and if you try the guards have something to say quite rightly. On our trek we found a really nice guest house, quite a way out but right on the sea front called Dream waves checked out the room and got the best one there the guy had just opened for the season that day so we were only charged 300 rupees so 4 quid ish…we’re getting better at this!

So this is where we are right now, woke up this morning to the sound of the sea, sat out on the balcony eating red bananas and watching a near kick off between some locals as one threw a coconut which nearly hit the other on the head, shouldn’t laugh but it was funny! We walked into town slowly as its just so chuffing hot here, then went to the local temple sorry can’t remember the name, had a wander around need to find out why they hang plastic dolls from trees quite scary really, we’ve also seen them throwing them in the sea? Set off some fire crackers and headed across the way to the temple restaurant which is a traditional Indian restaurant..aka a dirty garage complete with rats, cats, crows you name it, traditional toilet and no soap in sight with everyone eating with their hands including us. We had the local Thali which was really nice a combination of about 6/7 different veg sauces, rice, poppadom and chappati washed down with a few cups of chai and it came to less than 2 quid!! The locals were bathing and washing their clothes in the water which wasn’t particularly clean, saw them making a film by the waters edge but decided not to hang around in the background as 2 westerners just might spoil the movie!

So here we are, trying to stay out of the afternoon sun, plans for the evening not really sure seafood, which is amazing by the way and maybe an early one as we’re up early tomorrow to try and catch a train to Kollam so we’ll let you know what we find there, so keep posted for the next installment, hope everyone is well at home and before we leave I have a short horry story to tell, Mark even you wouldn’t have liked this!

Sat in a bar one day and go to the toilet where there was a beautiful butterfly fluttering around..very nice. Later on in another bar (we don’t spend all our time in bars by the way), go to the toilet and see a shadow of something fly over, a butterfly I think, then it lands in my hair, as I flick it off to my horror it was an enormous cockroach! At that moment i look up and they all start climbing over the walls loads of them it was horrendous, as I pegged it out pretty traumatized I realize that next door to the toilet is the kitchen and even worse this is where we had just had our tea! On that note I bid you farewell xx

Day two of Kelly & Sam in India….

We woke up at 1am feeling great, head out about 5am when it was still dark, a safer time to travel around the city trust me, when you cross an India road its a leap of faith and you do best to just not look and hope they stop. We headed to the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple got there when it was still dark so wandered around some really cool streets around it where we met more lovely people and had a delicious cup of chai and onion bhaji doughnut for breakie which cost pennies whilst wtaching the sun come up and enourmous bats fly over us tres cool! We’d had a fantastic morning and walked around sightseeing for a few hours and then expertly negotiated a rickshaw to Kovalam arriving at about 7:30am, as we hit the town a man stopped us and offered us a room which is where we are staying now, its lovely really clean air con and a pool all for 4 quid a room per night. after agreeing on the room we head out again (for beer) and were delighted to find I was no longer an embarassment and didn’t need to pay to go in a side room…did you check out the bed in the picture of that room, I dread to think! Anyway so we sat with cold beer and watched the fishmen painstakingly haul in their catch, brilliant to watch and when we get vids sorted got a full video of it.

A lot of jellyfish but mainly small fry. We spent the day dosing in bars, had an early night and so here we are today. Got up early watched the fishmen again but this time more respectfully with a cup of chai, the weather is incredibly hot so spent quite a bit of time in the sea then though we’d better make contact.

Not decided if we’re going to stay another day or head off to our next place which we think is going to be Varkala, will keep you guys posted on our whereabouts and as soon as we get the phones sorted we’ll let you know. But we’re happy and we’re safe and its amazing here is all you need to know, already completely forgotten about the world of work hahaha..sorry couldn’t help myself. Lots of love to you all xx

Well hello there!

We’ve arrived safe and sound, really good flights, apologies to everyone but we’re both having trouble with our phones which is why we’ve not been in touch, going to try and sort that out today though hopefully.

Well what to say, India is a crazy crazy place! Our first day was a bit random. We arrived at 3:40 and headed straight down to the beach, had a cigarette, watched the sun come up and let it sink in what we’d just done! Met a nice guy called George our first India person to talk to, turned out he was a tourist guide and so very helpful. We then headed down the beach past all the fishmen who lived beach side in a kind of shanty town where we got very strange looks and were chased off by the local dogs.

Puffer Fish Abuse

Headed into town to try and negotiate our first tuk-tuk when who should turn up but George… Sorted us out and told our driver where to go to get accommodation, unfortunately he was pretty useless and got completely lost several times!

Finally found a place to stay at the extortinate price of 4 quid a room per night, it was basic but clean(ish).

We headed out into the mad streets of Trivandrum where we were stared at by pretty much everyone by this time it was about 8am, by this time we thought we had waited long enough and went on the search for beer!

The heat was stiffling and we were wandering around when suddenly a saw BAR, brilliant…or not! We get round the corner only to be met by an official looking guy who ushered us to a little kiosk surrounded by a cage, we had to pay the man inside 2 quid for 2 beers and we were then shown the ‘bar’, what a sh*t hole and certainly no place for a lady!! Although Sam fitted in quite well, first he took me to the ex servicemens and now here, rough is an understatement. There was a guy who looked like gandi sat crosslegged at the side and we awkwardly stood at the end of the bar with a very large kingfisher yet again being stared at. We went outside where we were told we could have a cigarrette but this went down like a lead balloon with me and as I returned from the ‘toilet’ I found Sam having to pay a man just to let me stay, we had to pay for our own private room…check out the pics it was manky! Cost about 14p but we were no longer affending anyone and could happily drink and smoke by this time it was about 9am!

The day was good we walked around for a few hours and then headed to some beautiful gardens but everything else there was shut, typical! By this point it was too hot and we started to feel exhausted so headed back to crash not before stopping off for a lovely fish curry which was terriblly expensive at 3 quid for 2 pineapple smoothies, 2 fish curry and rice, I like this place alot!

Well this is it guys the time has finally come, we’re just about to set off for the airport with a cup of tea and cold roast potato in hand. Thanks to everyone who celebrated our last day at work and a big thankyou to my lot for such a generous leaving prezzie that should last me a few months!

We’ll be landing about 11pm tonight in Trivandrum, Southern India so we’ll keep you posted on our findings as soon as we can. Big Love to everyone Kelly & Sam xx