Arrived in Varkala - a beach paradise in the South of Kerala where it is sunny all day, the sea has a lovely temperature, there are plenty of good restaurants and I spend time with really nice people, mostly brits. Life is sweet :)

The full day hike in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kumily, was really good. We went on the hard one, the so called Border Hiking, which started out at 8am and ended at 4.30pm. The hike lived up to its name; it was hard. Very steep hills and a lot of walking - but it payed off in the end: We saw some wild monkeys, one wild bison and, wait for it, thirteen wild elephants! Even the guides were impressed! :D It was a really good experience. And doing this trekking finally payed off carrying my huge hiking boots, so that was quite nice aswell. They are annoying to carry arround, so it feels good that they sometimes are useful.

After three nights in Kumily having very good company by Marieke and Hanya and eating lovely food at the even more lovely restaurant, which we went back to five times, I think (a nice little family run restaurant, where the housemom both took orders, made the food, brought the bill and smalltalked - it was like eating in their private home (only two tables)), I went to Amma's Ashram on the 29th of January.
What an odd place! There are plenty of ashrams in India and they are some sort of spiritual communities with different gurus. It was fun to experience a tempel and tempel life so closely by being almost a part of it, but two nights there were enough. The people were just too weird to me. Really really weird. Luckily I met two likeminded women, Jude from London and Wilma from The Netherlands, with whom I could discuss the weird people living in the ashram as well as laughing at them...

On the 31st Jude and I left the ashram heading towards Varkala and the sweet beach life. We found a room costing 300 rs a night, so we pay arround 16 DKK each a night. Perfect! :) A big party was going on the day of arrival so we went there, and so did Wilma who also left the ashram, and it ended up being some sort of reunion party: I met 7 people who I have been traveling/talking with at other destinations in India! Michelle and Jasmin from Hampi, Andrew and Francesca from Mysore, Joeri and Heidi from the houseboat tour, and Tom from the ashram. What a coincident :)
On the 1st of February I and Jude met with Andrew/Andy, Francesca and Tom x 2 (the one from the ashram + another Tom) on the beach and had a really good time there. Frisbee on the beach was lovely :) Afterwards we went for lunch, I did some shopping, and at night we all met at a restaurant where they showed a film followed by some hours in a bar. All in all a really good day.
Today is another beach day just like I plan the next four days to be :) After Varkala I go to Trivandrum, the state capital in Kerala, where I plan to get some indian clothes tailored. I'd like some punjabis and a sari. From Trivandrum I go to The Andaman Islands on India's eastcoast (close to Thailand) which are said to be amazingly beatiful - actually more beautiful than the Carribbean! Now I just need to buy some flight tickets to go there - hope to get a good price :)

So I am still very good here in India. Hope you are good as well. Take care.
Signe