We have finally made it to the far south of India after several long train journeys! We are staying in Kerala for the next week. It is a really lovely place - much greener again and the people are even more laid back and friendly. Its also cheaper down south which is always a bonus. Our first stop off the train was Ernaukalum in Cochin - we booked into a guest house with a tv (what a luxury) although another cold shower. We can't remember when we had a hot shower last but at least its refreshing after a long, sticky day! We caught the local ferry over to Fort Cochi to have a look around. We watched the fishermen setting out the huge Chinese fishing nets - you can buy a fish straight from the sea virtually and take it to a restaurant where they cook it for you as you like it. There were some massive fish for sale and it all tastes so good down here. Saying that, we did go on a hunt for Domino's Pizza as we both had a huge craving for it, only to find that it had closed down and we had to settle for a curry! The following day we took a trip through the backwaters of Kerala. It was so peaceful - we were on a hand punted canoe and got to see the local people going about their daily business, drying out coconuts for the oil, spinning coir to make rope, washing or rather beating the dirt out of their clothes....there were loads of different birds and insects and we had a whole lesson on the healing power of plants! Steve had a go at climbing the coconut palm using 2 pieces of rope....it was very amusing to watch! We met up with a couple of people for a "chinese" meal cooked by Indian people - not entirely sure what we ate and our stomachs suffered a little the following day! We caught the train to Varkala yesterday. We hadn't booked in advance so ended up in the cheap seats with the locals - just trying to get onto the train with our rucksacks was a challenge and it was jam packed so we stood most of the way (4hrs) although we did manage to get a rest by the open door for a bit. Varkala is stunning - its set against big red cliffs and we have a great view of the ocean. We had a storm last night as we were having dinner so it was pretty cool when the lightning lit up the sea. We walked along the cliffs this morning but had to come back as we were both soaking with sweat (very nice image for you all!) It is too hot at the moment and very weird to think its December! We head to Trivandrum tomorrow for a couple of days before getting the train back up to Delhi ( a 42 hr trip....can't wait) and then a flight to Nepal.