From Backwater to open water...Kovalam, I love you.

Ahhhhh Kovalam. I have to say, hands down my favourite place in India so far.

We arrive at Trivandrum station, the biggest city in Kerala, brimming with noise and activity. A mere 30 minutes drive however and you land in Kovalam. An idyllic beach town, quiet as a mouse except for the crashing waves and cawing crows. Our first port of call is the Beth Saida resort, which we book on the recommendation of our good buddies Sanj and Deb. Hi guys!

Sorry guys but since you were in India this place must have gone down the crapper! We have the shock of our lives when the restaurant buffet offers us up a smorgesboard of stale food and crappy service. We wonder how this can possibly call itself a top end resort and we swiftly book ourselves out of there and head straight to lighthouse beach, the coolest place in India I reckon.

Lighthouse beach is a surfers paradise, yes Rob, you need to come here. The swell is huge every day, the water's crystal clear and warm as you like Everything about this place is warm and friendly, from the old ladies peddling fresh fruit on the beachfront - "Mango, pineapple, banana, fruit salad" to the charming locals and hassle-free shopping. This is the life for me. Neet also takes a distinct liking to this place and we end up staying the best part of a week. Every morning I'm up early to jump into the 25 degree ocean. I have a local resident who I hire a boogie board from and let the waves do their work as they pummel me this way and that. It's like a theme park ride open 24hrs a day for free! So much fun! Neet can't decide which pain is worse...the pain from the burn or not being able to go in to the water. The sand here is also worth a mention. It's jet black volcanic sand and it is amazing. It's so fine and the colour makes it look like the ocean is lapping onto slabs of granite. It's really nice, you fall in love instantly and can't somehow quite find the words to describe it. The crabs seem to love it too, and I spot a couple of big fellas that would fit nicely into a pot of boiling water. Too hard to catch though

Speaking of the seafood, every morning the fishermen come to sell their wares to the local restaurants along the strip, and in the evening the restaurants lay out their bounty for you to choose before they cook them up to your liking. I had prawns the size of small children, I kid you not! SO DELICIOUS

Unfortunately Neet's motorbike burn has prevented her from enjoying the swimming here in Kovalam but she is loving it all the same. I on the other hand have taken to the "point break" lifestyle, living for the ocean daily. All I have to worry about here is what time to go swimming, what time to nap, what time to eat amazing seafood and what time to grab a beer while I sit with Neet on our patio listening to the sounds of the waves and watching the mesmerising monotony of the lighthouse. It's something else here, I can tell you. If you ever come to India for a break, this is the place to come.

This blog update will be pretty short because honestly, nothing much happened. We just chilled and ate great food, swam in the ocean and took strolls along the beach every day. That is what Kovalam is all about, and we loved it to death

After Kovalam, we took the bus to Calicut enroute to the Ooty hills of Tamil Nadu. Ooty was fantastic and Neet will hopefully have something up soon from there.

See you soon guys, PEACE !!!