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Published: October 13th 2008
Today we said goodby to Kovalam and cycled back to Trivandrum. We have had a great week there just chilling out and soaking up the sun. Kovalam was on the old hippy trail but now firmly a holiday destination. There is still evidence of the old hippy days like the men loitering in the shadows at night asking you if "you want a smoke". Being so close to the beach we were normally woken up to the singing of fishermen hauling in their nets. Their voices getting louder as the net came closer to shore. Although I saw a few getting paid for their efforts most just took a small bag of the catch. Breakfast was taken at Leo’s café which was under our apartment. Then we would go for a swim (the sea was very warm as you would expect for this part of the world). The sea itself was quite rough and the waves quite large. Due to the strong rip tides there are loads of life guards on duty and we saw them in action when a young girl got into difficulties and was swept out to sea - she was very lucky. Whilst we were there we
were recommended to have an Ayurvedic Massage and having now had one I would put it in the category of one of the top ten things you should do before you die. Most afternoons were spent reading and and soaking up the sun. At night the various Restaurants display the fresh fish caught that day. You just go along, select the fish you want, discuss how you want it cooked and then sit down a wait for it to arrive. The fish meals here are incredible - particularly if you have them cooked the local way. The Tiger Prawns are the size of Lobsters - massive. One evening we got talking to a British couple who come out to Kovalam every year for 6 months at a time. When we told them what we are doing they warned us to be very careful. The lady showed us a long scare on her leg which was a result of a motorbike accident last year here. She was in hospital for 10 days and still walks with a limp. I told her that I thought that it was safer on a bicycle because we travel much slower than a motorbike. She replied
that she was static at the time of he accident, waiting to turn right, when a policeman over-took a vehicle behind her (crossing double white lines as he did so) and then cut in and hit her. With that in mind we took extra care this morning when cycling back to Trivandrum. I also checked Joy’s handlebar mirror before we left to ensure that it was in the right position - looking rear and not looking at her face as it normally is. We have also had a bit of rain today which has made it feel more humid than normal. That said we felt pretty good cycling so the acclimatisation period seems to have worked. It’s quite funny really as the rain is the hottest water we have felt since we have been in India - much hotter than the 24hrs hot water as promised in all the hotels we have stayed in. Anyway we are here in Trivandrum until Wednesday before we head to the Ashram for the yoga course.
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Phill and Pat
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Hi Joy and Steve. Have just returned from Cyprus, great time had. But yours sounds better . We are so envious of you being in India , everytime we see or hear anything on India , we just want to go back . I'm sure you will love the place, it's a real experience . Well done to both of you on a fantastic acheivement . Keep the blogs coming , because we have to keep our family and friends here in Starcross , informed too !!We will send a personal e-mail soon. Take care . Love and best wishes Phill and Pat .