Black Beach! Went looking for a place they call 'Black Beach!' today, which is, well, a beach with black sand...surprisingly. So we asked a local where this could be found, and headed off on the 5-6km walk along the shore...without water...at 1.00pm. So, off we went on our short walk to find the wonderful, amazing, spectacular, mysterious Black Beach! in 35 degree heat, without water. Our walk took us past the bars, restaurants, and shops along the cliff front...

Been settling in well in our new place, been to most of the restaurants and bars along the cliff front. We've had some really good Indian food, fresh fish (every place has a stall with a wide range of fish just outside for you to pick), everywhere has a tandoori oven, naturally, and we're taking full advantage of the cheese naan. Its probably as traditional as Tikka flavored Walkers crisps, but I am especially addicted. Most places shut at about 11.00pm of a nig...

Alex didn't sleep too well in the last place, as it was ridiculously hot, in our dirty room, on our dirty bed, with our dirty, ineffective fan somehow making it hotter...and dirtier. So we decided to find another place, which would have been easy if Deepack wasn't so bloody nice. When we told him we were leaving his face dropped like a rejected child. Even so, he was still unbelievably nice and invited us for a cup of tea the next day. He asked what the problem ...

Wacky Races to the train station where the same care-free approach makes us look like headless chickens. Slightly embarrassing running from one end of the train to the other, only to get on and it remain stationary for another 30mins. At least we didn't miss it though. Then a 6 hour journey to Varkala which was a nice way to take in the scenery and talk to some locals/watch them sleep. Arrived in Varkala to our guesthouse and was greeted by Deepack, the guy who r...

So, we arrived safely. Not that the flight was realistically going to be too much of a problem, no. Our connecting flight felt a bit like the blind leading the blind but I think everyone's just a bit more relaxed about things. That's fine by me. The taxi ride from Cochin Airport to our homestay in Fort Cochin was the nerve wracking part. We arrived at the beginning of rush hour and were thrown into what seemed like some sort of Worlds Most Mental Driver Competit...