Are the 16 days in Varkala already over? :O (Day 54 of the world trip)

28.10.2019

This morning there was no reason to get up early because yesterday was Jonas' last surf lesson.. So we didn't get up until just after 7:00 AM :p :D Somewhere close enough that we could hear it, loud singing and flute playing - really cool but not suitable for sleeping ;-)

But, that was even better for me! :p After the shoulder/neck exercises, we went for breakfast at 8 o'clock <3 We had planned to go to the Trattoria from last night but when we started walking, we somehow felt like going to the ABBA restaurant one more time - which makes sense, since it has become our regular restaurant and is certainly not innocent in Jonas' recovery :D

Jonas ordered a French breakfast and I ordered a bowl of yogurt, fruit salad and muesli as well as a chocolate pancake as planned! I was in heaven <3 ;-) It was all super delicious and especially the muesli was very filling. Jonas had to eat a pack of chocolate cookies at home, but then he was also full :D

After a short break (Lead Climbing World Cup on Youtube!) we headed out for our first shopping tour. The goal was a peeler and as Julie described, we found it about 1 kilometer away on the main road. From the outside, you only see fruit and vegetable stands, but we took a quick look inside the building and wow! They had almost everything you can imagine :O That is completely unusual in supermarkets here in India. For example, we had to go to two different stores for oatmeal with coconut milk, the toast was only available in a third supermarket and the bananas in a fourth store ;-)

The Krishna Store, named after a Hindu deity, was different. At first glance, everything looks a bit chaotic, but there is a wide range of food. They also had toys for children and then, interestingly for us, one floor below "Home and Kitchen Supplies." I would have liked to take a photo, but we somehow didn't dare. It just looks somehow like Tedi or Action, but if you look closely, you eventually find what you are looking for :)

It was funny that they had the small peelers in packages of 10. We didn't want that many.... but there was an opened package with only two peelers left, so we took that to the checkout. We said that we only want ONE peeler and the price on the package was simply divided by ten. Not bad ;-) It was also cool that there was an actual cash register! Normally, it always works here without a receipt and at the discretion of the seller using a calculator^^ Anyway, it was an experience that I was grateful that we could still have ;-)

After this first shopping tour, we "rested" for a bit (with cookies of course :p) and then started the second round. This time the goal was a beach dress for me and a book. We went to the store that had books in the display a few days ago, but unfortunately they didn't have any today :( Apparently, they are only offered at certain times^^

I didn't want a dress anymore, but there were chips to strengthen us for the rest of the way. Money money money :p At the Cafe Italiano, where we had dinner one evening, there was a sign "Book Store," so we went in. What you found there were long shelves, each filled with books. Some were standing upright, others were lying on their sides, and they were always stacked from one shelf to the next. Real maximum principle :D Unfortunately, the books were completely unsorted. Novels were next to crime books, English next to Russian, French or a Scandinavian language. There were non-fiction books, old novels, and "classics" like Harry Potter or Twilight.

We spent quite a while there until I finally decided on two books to give a try. I am a really picky reader unfortunately, but they are crime/drama, which can never be a bad choice^^ Jonas bravely accompanied me, even though he generally doesn't care for books. It was really nice that he wanted to help me choose. Very sweet :)

The two books cost me just under €4 together and they were each wrapped in plastic, although they are second hand :D But okay. I have already started reading one and it sounds promising!

After buying the books, the next break came with showers and bringing in the laundry, hoping it will be dry by tomorrow morning. For some reason, the laundry here dries really poorly :/ Even if it's not humid and stuffy, after two days despite an outside temperature of 30°C it is still damp... Oh well. We hung it on the clothes rack in the bungalow and hope for the best :D

Dinner was again at the Trattoria. I tried the homemade tagliatelle and Jonas had a lasagna, which he has been looking forward to for days <3 Since it was so delicious and because our waistlines are well-shaped today, he also got a garlic bread, and even a last cookie purchase at the supermarket next door.

Now Jonas is lying here super full on the bed and doesn't feel like packing :p :D We will be driven to the airport tomorrow at 7:30 AM, so I decided to just get up at 6:00 AM (I'm always awake anyway) and then pack, because...

Tomorrow we are leaving India after 38 days!!! :O

It was an exciting time with ups and downs. It feels like we have traveled two different countries because the north and the south are so different. We have had experiences that we will probably never forget and have met many nice people, but we are still looking forward to the next journey! <3

That is the main difference to a regular vacation. After the time in one country, we don't go back to Germany but to a new country! ;-)

We are ready :D