10 march 2013 Varkala, India

Breakfast by the sea, a quiet morning reading Ian Rankin, a walk along the cliff-top to the beach. The north end of the beach is where tourists and locals relax and play on the golden sand and in the sea. There are powerful waves and a strong undertow, Stanley had been right to warn me off going out too far. They lose swimmers every year here, despite beach ‘police’ who constantly blow whistles and wave furiously at people who stray too far from the shore. They are fully dressed in a proper uniform with no lifeguard equipment other than a sunshade and a chair so obviously have no intention of rescuing anybody. However their whistles are very loud and insistent.

I spend a very pleasant afternoon on this beach. It is Sunday and a lot of local youths are having a great time climbing on each other to make towers and running and splashing in the sea. All good fun, happy atmosphere.

The south end of the beach is used by Indians to scatter the ashes of their cremated dead relatives into the sea. Devotees believe that the strong religious properties of the water will extend to the souls of the departed. They don’t seem to mind us potentially swimming in their ashes.

Early evening I take a walk up the back street behind the holiday villas, very quiet with a few local people going about their business. The supermarket is about 10 ft. square, I buy water.

This evening I attend the Kerala Food Festival incorporating the Indian Classical Dance Festival in the garden of The Bohemian Masala. It’s Indian food of course, buffet style, so I help myself to a little of everything and find a table with a good, if distant, view of the stage. The setting is lovely, towering palm trees, flowering bushes and subtle lighting. I enjoy the Indian music as much as the dancing. Two ladies and a young man give solo performances, then a boy and a girl join the man in a coordinated display, all danced beautifully and rhythmically in time with the music.

A very pleasant day, good night all.