Hello, where are you going?
It was a big effort to leave Varkala. The daily routine of eating, swimming, eating, swimming, walking, eating, plus the perfect sunny climate and laid back attitude made the idea of entering back into the real India was terrifying. I managed to meet some other travellers (including a few Aussies) who made it a lot of fun, with a great effort on their part we managed to spend New Years with cold beers and even some fresh Mojitos, bought a table of freshly grilled Butterfish, Snapper and Prawns, and had a swim under the moonlight before watching the sun come up. Hence the next few days were a haze, but due to a communication failure between me and the guy running my guest house, I was basically kicked out of my room and found myself saying so long to my new friends, and on a train to Cochin (Kochin?).
While my previous memories of the place were of cobblestone walkways between dutch cottages, chinese fishing nets and live tabla, the city centre has much left to be desired. Mind you I did arrive at 11:30 and they had no rooms available anywhere, but I was glad to be only spending one night there, and I didn't want to share it on the footpath with the rats. 
Having no idea where I wanted to go before I left Varkala, and having heard different stories from others, I decided on Munnar, a town set in the Western Ghats boasting fields and fields of tea crops. I'd remembered seeing pictures of it before and thought it looked too good to be true, so I got myself onto a very uncomfortable bus and up the hills into a new kind of paradise.
Having no idea where I wanted to go before I left Varkala, and having heard different stories from others, I decided on Munnar, a town set in the Western Ghats boasting fields and fields of tea crops. I'd remembered seeing pictures of it before and thought it looked too good to be true, so I got myself onto a very uncomfortable bus and up the hills into a new kind of paradise.You can't help getting a sore neck on the way to Munnar. 
Not just because of the bumpy ride, but as soon as you see the mountain peaks you can't stop looking up at them. I was very excited and eager to start this new journey on my own, though I hadn't thought about the fact that it's not the kind of place that attracts single backpackers, and after walking around for hours with a heavy backpack I was soon enough on the verge of tears when I found a lovely man who ran a homestay, which is basically his house with 
some extra rooms attached. I couldn't resist his kind nature, and after that I dropped my guard and set out to savour the sights. The food here is amazing, and I've yet to have a meal over $2. After some lovely smiles from my local restaurant I headed into town and hired a bike for the day ($3), grabbed a dodgy map and headed out to what I thought was the right direction. Luckily it wasn't, because I was soon 
riding through the hillside of an incredibly large tea estate, and found even more smiles from the workers along the way. One man asked me where I should be going, I was headed for a dam which he informed me could be accessed further along the track. Riding, smiles, mountains, the smell of tea, more smiles, and I found where I was headed. If I'd gone the way I should have I'd have been sharing the road with a million Indian tourists, horns a blazing and not a traffic rule in sight. I deicided to head back to town through Hobbiton again and find some other sights to see. After more smiles I was about to return the bike before a bunch of schoolboys asked if they could have a ride. I had some time to spare so watched them one by one zig-zag into the distance while their friends practiced their English on me.
Not just because of the bumpy ride, but as soon as you see the mountain peaks you can't stop looking up at them. I was very excited and eager to start this new journey on my own, though I hadn't thought about the fact that it's not the kind of place that attracts single backpackers, and after walking around for hours with a heavy backpack I was soon enough on the verge of tears when I found a lovely man who ran a homestay, which is basically his house with 
some extra rooms attached. I couldn't resist his kind nature, and after that I dropped my guard and set out to savour the sights. The food here is amazing, and I've yet to have a meal over $2. After some lovely smiles from my local restaurant I headed into town and hired a bike for the day ($3), grabbed a dodgy map and headed out to what I thought was the right direction. Luckily it wasn't, because I was soon 
riding through the hillside of an incredibly large tea estate, and found even more smiles from the workers along the way. One man asked me where I should be going, I was headed for a dam which he informed me could be accessed further along the track. Riding, smiles, mountains, the smell of tea, more smiles, and I found where I was headed. If I'd gone the way I should have I'd have been sharing the road with a million Indian tourists, horns a blazing and not a traffic rule in sight. I deicided to head back to town through Hobbiton again and find some other sights to see. After more smiles I was about to return the bike before a bunch of schoolboys asked if they could have a ride. I had some time to spare so watched them one by one zig-zag into the distance while their friends practiced their English on me. Now, bike returned and a hot bucket of water at my homestay, I'm heading out to the street for some fresh coked dinner. I don't know what their making but it looks bad and smells better.
Love (and marriage)
Shon
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