Varkala....

After almost 4 nights without sleep I finally managed did it!  6 hours of uninterrupted unconsciousness.  Joy of joys!
Yesterday morning we did our 7km group walk from our village along the coast, finishing where the fishermen beach their boats.  Early morning is a perfect time for walking, running, meditating.... anything in fact.  The temperature is beautifully warm.  By 9am things are beginning to get hot, with early afternoon knocking on mid thirties.  The coast line here in Varkala is similar to that of Goa and much of the south west region of India.  Long sandy palm fringed beaches interrupted by small jagged rocky outcrops.  Then as small tourist towns and villages kiss the coast, dapplings of cafes and restaurants line the beaches.  The fishing villages continue to operate from the shoreline where local fisherman repair their nets in the evenings in preparation for hanging them out to sea at dawn the next day.

Early evening we attended a small Indian festival.  The participants were adorned with intricately painted faces that in many cases take up to 12 hours preparation.  There were other with masks and bright coloured costumes, whilst liberally decorated floats were pulled by slightly bored looking
truck drivers.  The large plastic and fibre glass animatronics were very entertaining.  The time and effort that goes in to one of these processions is incredible.  The locals don't have tens of thousands of rupees to throw at such a procession so everything is 'low tech' as you'd expect.  But the effort and preparation has to be admired.

Capturing Colour and Movement.....

Bright!

Elaborate Hat!

Little girl watches photographer....

The streets were lined with the locals along with the rural community who come in to town to enjoy the scenes of religious celebration.  Rickshaws (the little 3 wheeler taxis) and cars tried to squeeze through the crowd from time to time, orderly waved through by the local constabulary. The music was loud and at times seemed random, but I'm sure that was just my untrained ear.

Families Watch....

As the procession continued a couple of local boys who had clearly 'seen it all before' continued to play their game of Karim, (an India/Nepalese game played on a glass powder covered wooden board with holes at each corner.  Circular plastic discs are then aimed at the 'pockets', much like a game of pool, but using fingers and discs which slide on the powdered glass) on the street corner opposite.  I didn't want to push my way through the crowds to get pictures of the procession, and I thought these boys might make a nice photographic subject.

The Karim Den....

On entering the 'Karim Den' I was invited to sit and play along. It wasn't long before one of the local boys.  had me well and truly beaten.  He wasn't trying to humiliate me, in fact he continually missed to allow me a few more goes.  A large group of local boys closed around to see how bad a western tourist really could be at Karim!  My abismal demonstration no doubt confirmed what they were expecting to witness.  At least it left them all with a smile on their faces.