Day 12

In the morning I went for a walk. I didn't want to use a map, but I also didn't want to go by obvious paths to the beach that were already familiar to me. I strayed quite far and left Varkala proper. Whatever village or place that was, road looked really beautiful. Here more than usual for Varkala people were curious with me, especially multiple children tried to say something to me. First one boy was riding bike alongside me, but didn't say anything. Then he alarmed children from some neighbors' house. Little girls were really excited and saying hello to me multiple times. I saw also lady who was carrying on her head huge basket without use of hands.

At some point I gave up and looked up at the map and discovered that actually I'm almost at the beach, but it was quite faraway beach. I met some young fishermen resting there in their huts (I'm not sure how to call it, it's basically roof with net around it). They greeted me and wanted me to sing something. I really didn't feel I'm good at singing, but after a lot of encouragement and looking for lyrics with bad internet connection I tried something, but they weren't impressed. So they get one guy to sing who behave as if he was completely stoned. Another guy was the main talker, there was also silent type. In a hut there were also half-sleeping uncle. The main talker at some point started to murmur something to me. I couldn't understand why. Is he hiding something from others? From whom? Silent type, stoner or maybe sleeping uncle? I couldn't properly understand his murmuring, but I think except drugs he said that he could organize me various things, he could find me Indian girl. It wasn't really something I wanted to hear and I truly hope it was just some stupid brag or that I simply misunderstood what he was telling.

I went along the coast to the main beach and then when I was there, I realized that I'm not really prepared for swimming clothes-wise. I thought that it's good opportunity to come back to hostel and train station along the way which is just close by. I did whole round then to hostel and train station and then beach again. But at the train station ticket seller said me that tickets for tomorrow I will buy tomorrow. It wasn't exactly the answer I wanted to hear, almost like I lost so much time from last day spending on the beach.

At the hostel I met some Tamil neighbors and we started to chat. They were curious about polish currency so I found whatever I had hidden deep in my baggage. I gave one guy 10 zł and multiple coins and he tried to give me rupee equivalent in cash, so I told that's not really a problem. He was surprised by it, but I explained that I faced so much kindness and generosity here that I won't hesitate to return it as small favor, even if it wasn't them directly showing me kindness. When leaving hostel I bought some snacks and snack seller by gestures asked me (jokingly, of course) if I would want to marry his daughter (or maybe it wasn't his daughter). They didn't speak English at all, but gestures were evident. Old guy gestured thali (necklace symbol of marriage used in subcontinent regardless of religion, Tini also got one during Christian ceremony), writing contract and pointing at the woman. I know that it was just joking, but why can't it be so simple in some other cases?

When I returned I got a little bit time swimming, but soon it started to darken and life guards started to whistle on everyone to leave the water.

Somewhere along the way Nicha (short of Nirosha, name she preferred to be called) started to text with me and she thought I might be lonely on New Year's Eve if I'm not with someone now and if I would be in Kollam she would accompany me. Honestly, that felt like a such a hit, but it was too late to change anything. It was really comforting thought to know that she was thinking about it.

Before I knew it, it was getting late and I wanted to just leave the cliffs and go down to the beach, but crowds were so huge on cliff that it taken me a lot of time to reach the beach. At the beach people were trying to launch into the air sky lantern when the midnight was approaching. When it finally came, people started to wildly scream, there were no countdown before it.

It came out that after the midnight, despite of beach being very wide in comparison to cliffs, leaving it started to be a challenge with whole crowd gathered. While I was leaving many people were wishing me happy new year.

I returned to the hostel with the thought that it was the last day in Varkala and it's enough time for some change of pace. I noticed that what was before small rash on my right tight become big and really red and there were rash on left one as well. I was sure that it's probably I have been going on a salt-soaked jeans for days and tights is the spot when my skin has the most contact with the jeans. Change of scenery is welcomed.

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