Is this paradise...?

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So to quickly update on the last post, we ended up getting the semi-sleeper bus, so the seats didn't recline quite as much, but it was good enough for us.

Now we're in Kovalam (or Kovallam), and the relaxation has truly set in! The beach is wonderful, and the water is very warm, the sun is also unfortunately too hot! For those who know me, they are probably already saying: "Ha! You got burned!! And you're as red as a lobster!" And you would be correcto! I did well the first day, no sunburn, and got only a small burn yesterday, which really wasn't much to worry about. Then this morning, coated with waterproof SPF 50, the really good stuff, I went out and hit the waves with a body board for a couple hours, and bang, I'm Mr. Lobster! Seriously, I hurt. I warm up a room all by myself from the heat generated from my burn. You put a fan blowing on my shoulders, and the paint on wall behind me starts to melt off. I hurt. But I'm used to it. I blame it on my Irish blood... and now I'm waiting for my Czech blood to turn the burn into a tan, or at least thats the story I always tell when I get burned. But seriously, after a couple days of no sun, I'll have the start of my beautiful tan when I arrive home!

So we'll be down here for a total of 10 days, leaving on the 4th, when we plan to go on a Kerala backwater boat tour, which is like an 8 hour ride, and absolutely beautiful! (I did that the last time I was here, and its worth doing it again!) After that we should be close to Cochin, where we'll hop a train to Mangalore, and then catch another train to Goa... which means that yes, the plans have changed. Originally we planned on going from here to the boat tour, then from Cochin to Mangalore, to Bangalore, and to Hyderabad. Now we won't be spending any time in Mangalore (which is probably a good decision), and we scratched Bangalore altogether, but we will still go to Hyderabad after Goa, and continue with the original plans from there.

As for our time in Kovalam so far, the first night we hung out with a couple Iranian women, which was a lot of fun, and then from the morning to the evening we hung out with some Russian girls, one of whom was in the Russian military... and she said she knew enough "info" that she wasn't allowed to leave the country for five years after she finished her service time (which was also five years). Hmmm, a Russian military intelligence woman, and a US Army man (John)... it made for an interesting dinner conversation indeed! The Iranian girls are gone for a week at a yoga ashram (one of them becoming an instructor), and the Russian girls are at another hotel that specializes in meditation, where they are pretty much stuck for a week. So in a week we'll see how things go with both groups, and hopefully we won't have to juggle hanging out with both of them on the same day! To put it simply, I would have some explaining to do... And then tonight, John might have us hanging out with another group of girls, but that has yet to be confirmed. We're definitely having a good time down here!

On the flip side, Kovalam has changed over the last nine years, and its a two sided coin for change... before it was not nearly as touristy, with maybe 15-20 travelers/tourists seen on the beach per day, where now, I estimate there are between 500-1000 tourists down here. Hotels have sprung up everywhere. The cabana style restaurants and bars on the beach...? The beach is now free of them, and instead a "boardwalk" has been built with shop fronts, hotels, and a restaurants ALL along the boardwalk, from side to side. And the hotels and restaurants continue as you get further from the beach (inland). Now the cheapest hotels have no views, and the cheapest restaurants are off the beach. You get what you pay for, I guess. Also, Kovalam has made a strong turn towards being a major Ayurvedic/yoga/meditation tourist destination, which is probably the reason for 50% of the visitors here. To put it simply, this is not the Kovalam I remember. I guess thats the bad side of the coin. The good side? Well, there being three guys in our group, with more tourists comes more people to hang out with, so we don't have toooo many complaints there. But this tourist boom also brings higher prices on the beach, which doesn't help the travelers, but is great for the locals! I try to talk to the locals a lot wherever we go, and the quality of life has certainly gone up for them... there's no denying that there is a massive amount of tourist money that is constantly coming into the area, and there's no capitalistic structure to suck the money out... so it basically stays here and helps the people. Its this type of thing that does make you feel like your money is at least being put to good use, versus, say, shopping at Walmart (which I won't do). Anyway, I have a bunch of mixed opinions about Kovalam when I think about my last time here... but at least I can say that it's still a relaxing environment. And on that note, I have an appointment for a two hour Ayurvedic massage in a couple days, so assuming my burned body isn't quite so sore, it should be a very nice experience!

Anyway, more to come later!

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Comments

[amy]

it makes me a little sad that the place has grown up so much. i remember being able to find a spot down the beach without anyone else in sight which helped to magnify the beauty and stillness of the place. and no more open-aired cafes on the sand? sigh....