Varkala Beach

So, shortly after I arrived back in the ashram from the tour, I immediately felt the urge to drive to the beach after all the excitement.

The ashram here is right on the coast of Vallikavu, but there is no swimming here due to the strong undercurrent and rocks on the shore.

So, Varkala Beach was on the program for me 🐟😎🧜‍♀️

After breakfast, I went alone with the rickshaw (I'm always glad when I come out alive - though by now, I've gotten quite used to the driving style there) in the direction of the train station. I arrived there at 10 o'clock and the ticket seller told me that my train would arrive sometime in two hours. "It may be delayed," she said. :D ... and now?!

No clocks, no schedules - everything in Malayam. So, it was meant for me to 'Wait & keep calm,' as I often say 🤣

So, I grabbed my headphones and my backpack as a pillow and made myself comfortable on the bench at the platform :).... One more hour... a loud honk... Juhuu, 30 minutes. According to my watch... the train arrived at... yes? 2 p.m. 🤣🤣🤣 Fortunately, I didn't have to pass the time alone because I met a kind Portuguese guy who was heading to the same destination. We both thought, 'WTF?!?!' Every time a train arrived, I would say to him, 'Look!!!! There it is...!!!.' 😂HAHA- Wrong thought- The train, of course, didn't stop. 😣

Okay - after a total of 5 hours including travel time, we finally reached Varkala. Yeeey! Together with the friendly Portuguese guy, Mario, we took a rickshaw to the beach.

The beach is beautiful!!! It lies right along a long steep cliff and is very wide and completely clean. I was really surprised 😊 This is because the place is very popular among tourists, and the garbage gets collected daily. 👏

Finally😎😄😄😄- I went into the water. The waves were sometimes really high, but since the super kind lifeguard constantly kept an eye on us, I felt very safe. And I simply did not want to miss the opportunity to jump in 🏊‍♀️

The accommodation right by the beach was very affordable and clean. We were really lucky with our dear host Rita. 😊 I assured her that I will definitely come back soon. It's truly a dream place there, even though it's very touristy. But for me, it's the perfect contrast to the vibrant ashram with so many different people together. The occasional retreat to this paradise comes in handy for me 🙌👌

After a nice evening with beer and cigarettes (which I just had to have, 😋), the next morning, I went straight to the beach and into the waves. 😄 I missed it so much 🧞‍♀️🧞‍♀️

Once again, in the afternoon, I arrived at the train station in Varkala, and the travel adventure started all over again 🤣🐢🐌

After getting my ticket back to the ashram, the seller told me that the train was about to leave from platform 2 in a few minutes. So, I headed to platform 2... Unfortunately, I realized that the information was incorrect because my train arrived at platform 1 at the same time and left right in front of me. AHHHHHH 🤣🙄😤🤣

So, it was time to WAIT again.... this time, for a total of 4 hours. 🤐 It's at times like these that I realize how much time dominates my everyday life back home and what it does to me. It gives me structure and security. I must admit, it's still somewhat challenging for me to adapt to this completely different rhythm since I'm naturally a very punctual and mostly 😋structured person. But I believe I can get used to it. I'm optimistic 😊😊😊

My conclusion: No matter how long I have to wait next time, 😛 it's worth it, and I'll definitely come back 😍