Diet Pepsi and Death By Chocolate on the Arabian Coast

This past weekend the Vellore four decided to leave the grind of village medical life and hit the coast of the Arabian sea for a weekend of sun, food, and shopping. We took a 13 hour overnight sleeper train to the Southern state of Kerala. The train, or slumber party on rails as I like to think of it, was an experience in itself. We found our way around the train station and walked a quarter of a mile down the tracks to the spot where we were supposed to board our top tier luxury train. We stepped aboard around 10pm and were met with the smell of stale urine and fried food. We found our seats/beds to be filled with Indian travelers fast asleep stacked three deep in open compartments. We felt like rude Americans as we politely asked for our seats, but our slumber party had to commence. We climbed onto our bunks, popped ambien pills, and awoke rested but somewhat bruised from jostling on very hard “mattresses” all night. In the morning we grabbed our toothbrushes and face wash and headed to the bathroom. Unfortunately, we were greeted with the most dire bathroom situation we have seen yet. Two small footholds were situated around a funnel like hole that was open to the tracks below. To use the restroom you had to maneuver your clothing and squat over this hole as the train bounced along its merry way. And of course, no soap or toilet paper! Needless to say, I kept myself dehydrated for the return trip home as to not repeat this experience.
We arrived in Varkala the next morning ready for beaches and fish. We checked into our super charming bamboo huts with bathrooms open to nature and we were mere feet from the cliffs of Varkala. Then we hit the beach where we jumped in super strong waves and sacrificed Elena’s sunglasses to the sea. A voodoo woman convinced us to buy a whole watermelon which we munched happily until a naked Indian boy came up looking hungrily at our dripping fruit. We surrendered the melon then hit a rooftop restaurant for a much needed cocktail. The rest of the day was spent shopping for colorful scarves and shirts and eating delicious fresh seafood.
So, I have never really liked diet pepsi, or even diet coke for that matter. If you know me at all, you know that I prefer regular soft drinks in general and Dr. Pepper in particular. In India where they only serve mildly chilled 7up, sprite, regular coke, orange fanta, maaza (a mango soda), and mirinda (another orange soda), diet coke and diet pepsi have become very precious, and Dr. Pepper is absolutely unheard of. So, when on our relaxing weekend we found an awesome restaurant that served up these low cal treats, we were beyond thrilled. I believe we attempted to high five our nice waiter, but he did not understand this gesture and just looked at us strangely.
We woke bright and early and found some chocolate crepes and fresh juice at the Juice Hut. Then we hopped on a 2 hour long train ride and hit the town of Allepee for a backwater tour. A bamboo covered boat carted the four of us through villages and backyards to see people bathing, fishing, and cooking in backwaters that seemed like Venice meets African safari meets the slum. It was beautiful and relaxing. Then halfway through the tour our guide pulled over and told us to stopped by the coffee house. We wandered into some pinetrees to find India’s premiere Starbucks. It was an unventilated hut where a man and his wife showed us to a beat up table and made delicious homemade coffee and fried onion doughnuts. Only in India.
We spent Valentine’s day dinner eating some good Chinese food at a candlelit table poolside at a hotel in town. Then back to the hostel that we were told by other students that was one of the most charming in Kerala. We found our rooms to be bleak with hard mattresses and rough bathrooms, but we are now troopers with Indian standards so we hunkered down for the night. Liz and I were roomies for the night and were about to fall asleep as she noticed two toothpick sized antennae poking out from behind a mirror. Open further investigation there were definitely some eyes back there with what I am sure was a record sized body attached. We fled to our mosquito nets for the night and prayed that they did not leave their dark refuge. The next day we ventured by bus to the Fort Town/island of Kochin. We watched Chinese fishing nets being pulled in and contemplated buying coconuts carved into monkeys (we decided it would be a tourist mistake and as the coconuts still held milk inside they would probably get confiscated by customs anyway). Then some friends from Malaysia and Kansas bought fresh red snapper and giant prawns from a fishmonger and needed some help eating it all. We sent the fish ahead to a nearby restaurant and feasted on seafood and tomato rice. Delish! Then we viewed Santa Cruz Cathedral and Saint Francis Church. Beautiful old churches build by Europeans.
Then we took high tea at the teapot. They had the best iced raspberry tea that I have ever experienced and a “death by chocolate cake” that finally fixed my chocolate craving in India. It was absolutely heavenly. I could have eaten many slices, but there were still sights to see. We also checked out Jew town. A tourist area filled with antiques and the regions only synagogue. To end our trip we ate soup at a cool Chinese restaurant and proceeded to use their non-gross bathroom to change clothes for the slumber party on rails part deux. We arrived at the train station with time to spare so we gave the Indians a show by brushing our teeth and washing our face at a sink on the platform and using several baby wipes to clean our hands and feet for our journey. Unfortunately round 2 was even less pleasant than round 1. We had no a/c on the route home so we were sure it would be sticky and hot. However, India must have had a cold front because it was absolutely freezing with the open windows on our train. We had only beachware so we bundled in our mosquito nets, sandy towels, and paper thin scarf purchases. It was miserable, but at least I never used the bathroom (liz had to go twice!!) We have never been so happy to see our lovely Darling residency and take a steamy hot shower (our first in 10 days!)