The other day we hired an auto rickshaw, and the driver informed us that his name was Martin Johnson. We were in awe, and felt honoured to be driven by the great man. The bad news for England rugby fans is that Martin has lost a lot of weight and can remember nothing of his former rugby career. Nevertheless he remains fit and has a nice tan.

Our first task this morning is to check find alternative accommodation here in Varkala. A short walk up the road leading from the beach, Beach Road, reveals plenty of options. We check out a modern block of just a few smallish rooms with en-suite bathrooms. "Have you got hot water in the bathroom, not by bucket?" we ask. Indeed they do, and the water heater is tested and works. We try the shower. Yes, plenty of pressure there. The bed is a little small and there's no room for storing clothes, but it's clean and modern, has a TV and adjustable ceiling fan, and is only Rs400 a night. We decide to take it, and go back to the Varkarla Marine Palace and check out.Ä B & 0 (
Back in our new room a shower is in order to start the day. The water is hot. We know that because it's coming out of the hot tap, but the shower is cold. Some brief investigations reveal that there is only one hot tap. The one question we didn't ask was "Does the hot water actually come out of the shower?"! Ho hum, no matter. We can put up with it for Rs400 and resort to the hot-water- from-a-bucket approach.

Varkala resort is based around Papanasham beach and consists of two distinct areas. Firstly there's Beach Road with a small beach area at the end. There are some small hotels, shops and restaurants along here, although some bigger places are under construction. Then there's the clifftop path above Papanasham beach which is about 1.5km of restaurants, shops, internet cafes and tailors, immediately behind which are dozens of resort-type complexes. This area has obviously expanded massively in the last few years. The path comes perilously close to the cliff edge in places, but is properly paved for most of the way. There's very little variation in any of the shops or restaurants, most of which are built out of bamboo and thatch. There are a couple of steep paths leading down to the beach, which is patrolled by the "tourist police" to prevent beach hawkers, the likes of which we saw in Goa. This is good, as they can be very irritating. Although it's very much a tourist resort, it has a certain charm, particularly at night when the whole area is colourfully lit. It's also very compact and contained, with the tourist area confined to the clifftop and along Beach Road. If they don't want to experience the real India toursists need never stray far from the clifftop path or the beach, and most probably never do.

One peculiarity of Varkala is that there are very few licenced restaurants. It seems that it's very difficult to get a liquour licence here, so most restaurants don't bother. As a result none advertise beer, but if you ask it can be provided - in mugs as "special tea"! You just have to keep the bottle hidden under the table. The mugs are somewhat incongruously decorated with "Happy Birthday" or "Santa Claus" greetings. It all seems rather a farce but...this is India!