Day 10

I woke up and slowly went into morning maintenance routine. Yesterday's burns became tan, but red skin was encircling around my vitiligo spots. I don't remember that happening ever before so I got a little worried and wanted to find this sunscreen cream. After paying in a hostel I went to eat something small and then headed to the beach.

When I arrived I sat down close to the shrine placed just at the edge of the beach to write things down and slowly think what to do next in coming days. Some kind of ritual was going on and people proceeded from the shrine few steps away to give some kind of offering - like some sweets on the leaf, I'm not entirely sure what it was.

I finished for now and went to the cliff. Along the cliff I met one person that talked to me yesterday. Usually when I'm a little at loss with such practical problems I simple ask people, so I asked if he knows where I could buy sunscreen. He lead me to few shops and along the way started to talk me things I couldn't fully understand. He complimented me, my looks - but it wasn't out of ordinary, people here do that quite often. Then he asked me if I'm top or bottom, but I was in such disbelief that it didn't really sink in to my mind. Only when he directly said that he wants sex with me and he wants to come to my room I got it. I couldn't read signs at all apparently. I tried to explain to him that I'm only into girls, he didn't want to understand me. I excused myself and wanted to avoid that passage as possible for the day.

Rest of the day was in many ways like a repeat of yesterday. I was going along the cliffs (trying to avoid the guy from previous paragraph), swimming in the ocean and walking in alleyways behind the cliffs.

One significant thing during the day was that I invited Nirosha to come to me next day to Jatayu Earth's Center. She declined with a long message that she wouldn't be allowed like that, unless she would go with Tini and other cousins. Either way I had slim chances, but I wanted to try. She was trying to reassure me that she would want to go, I shouldn't feel bad and she didn't decline purposefully. I actually thought before that the only way it could happen is if some cousins would go along for a ride. Maybe I should said it explicitly, but it was last minute call for such thing.

I watched sunset from nice viewpoint on the edge of the cliff. Then I went down to the beach and walked along the shore as the sky was darkening. When I thought that probably Tini won't manage to meet in the end for today, she called. We decided to meet at the Black Beach and soon enough she and Athul came. We went to one of the restaurants on the cliff, to the first floor with view on musicians just below.

She was beautifully, but more casually dressed today. Huge bright eyes sparkled, she looked finally relaxed, visibly slightly tired after days of functions, but still somehow energetic. Easily distractable, she switched her attention easily and quickly between conversation with me, musicians down below and Athul. It was truly pleasure to see her like that, finally at ease and simply happy.

Conversation switched between practical advices for the rest of my trip, after wedding impressions ("you texted my sister, Nirosha"), Poland, how different I am from other white tourists in Varkala ("you eat with your hands"), struggles for getting intercaste marriage and such things. Somewhere along the way came Athul's brother (cousin? probably) who just arrived recently and wasn't on the wedding.

When I finished my veg biryani they wanted to give me lift. I went on a motorbike with Athul's brother and Athul and Tini on another went alongside us. I already saw how people behave here as passengers on a motorbike, but they were going most of the road alongside us with similar speed so I had the opportunity to observe Toni's behavior on a motorbike. While I was holding tight to whatever I could and tried to not fall, she was sitting with both legs on one side (often ladies' dress doesn't allow for going another way), barely holding, distracted by some things or holding phone to Athul's ear.

Saying goodbyes, we said that maybe we still manage to meet while I will be slowly going back at the end of my trip. It was good to finally have some time with her since coming here and I felt satisfied with the day.

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