The Beach House
It was at a music festival in the jungle over New Year’s Eve that we got chatting to a musician from Portugal who told us about a “secret beach” in Kerala. It was the perfect place he said, to chill out and relax away from the crowds – it seemed to fit our brief for January well!! Hesitantly, he agreed to share his secret with us – and his friend who passed us the contact details echoed his sentiments that it was a very special place that not many people should be told about, otherwise it would soon lose its charm.
Using the contact details that they had entrusted us with, we booked a room for five nights without having seen any pictures of the place. A fellow traveller’s word was enough, and the seriousness with which they handed over the contact details left us intrigued enough to want to see the place for ourselves. With a Google map pin location to lead us to the spot, we headed south from Kochi in search of the promised paradise.
And this secret beach has not disappointed. Staying at the only guest house on the beach, in a small fishing village, we have had a true holiday within a holiday – luxurious as it sounds! The days have been long, the agenda has been relaxed, and the sight and sound of the ocean on our doorstep has soothed the soul.
It would be too hard to pick a favourite time of day here, but a morning walk in the village was certainly a highlight – when kids and adults alike are outside brushing their teeth, children are heading off to school, the village dogs are doing their morning rounds, fishermen are sorting their morning catches on the beach, proud property owners are sweeping their grounds, men are congregating in chai shops and women are also seen going about their morning routines.
Yesterday morning we walked past a popular chai (tea) shop where there were about 15 men congregated outside. Initially met with the routine stares that are more inquisitive than rude, it took a friendly wave and a “good morning” from us for them to break their silence and return our smiles. When I asked if I could take their photo, they were very happy to pose for me and then of course everyone wanted to see their image on the screen.
After declining the offer of chai and continuing on our walk, we passed a very well-manicured garden with many plant pots making it look like a nursery. When we complemented the gardener on his garden, he told us that he had a heart problem and was doing garden therapy as a kind of rehabilitation. A bit of context that we would not have had if we had not stopped to chat!
The end of our walk brought us back along the beach, where the fishermen had returned from their morning out on the water and were sorting their catches from their nets onto tarpaulins – in some cases their wives had also come out to help them. They were also only too happy to pose for a photo when asked!
Last but certainly not least, there are the local kids that play football on the beach in the evenings, who have learnt our names which they call with big smiles and waves whenever we walk past.
As I sit on the verandah on our last morning here, I watch the familiar locals walking past our white picket fence, going about their daily lives. Even the same village dogs walk past every morning. We have spent many hours on this verandah watching the ocean and contemplating life this week! Every day I am thankful for the chance to take a year off “normal life” and to be on this journey.
Having already extended our stay by one night, and delayed our departure time from after breakfast to after lunch, we really do have to leave today. It’s time to see the famous backwaters of Kerala!
