We are spending this holiday season in the small beach town Varkala. The main tourist attraction here is the famous Varkala Cliff. It beautiful, but is too touristy for us. Luckily, we found a lots of nice places around the Cliff. We really enjoying our time here and new people we met in our life.

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After settling in Varkala, we made a trip to Kollam.  Kollam is a small town located 35 km north from Varkala. The majority of backwater trips are originated from this town. The main attraction is the Ashtanamurti lake and backwaters.

Typical breakfast

The easiest way to get to Kollam from Varkala is by train. It is a short 20 min trip, and we made it… in a sleeper!

From there we visited Monroe Island and saw the local life, how many famous spices, herbs, and fruits grow in nature. Very enjoyable and peaceful experience.

We also took a short sunset cruise around the lake and were “amazed” by “Goddess of Light” strategically places on small private island. She is so ugly and should be observed from every angle!

Last day in Varkala surprised us with the rain and with the many dolphins we say the second time during our long stay. They swam so close to us that we felt they are saying “goodbye”… (The dolphins did not pose for the photo

Another surprise was a cobra show performed by the local family near the Vishnu Temple.