Namaste Cafe

My room at the Namaste is spartan. Basically a concrete block which for some mysterious reason blocks out all mobile phone signals. Meaning I have to climb some stairs in order to talk or check mail.

The room itself is ok. It's not one for sitting around in. Too dark and dingy but fine for a good nights sleep. My balcony is a bit of a mess as it's used by the cleaning girls as their store room and social corner. But it's reallly too shady for sitting around on and in the evening it is buzzing with Mosquitos.

For a while the Cleaning girls teased me calling out to me every 5 minutes, but now they have found a new play thing in the shape of a little kitten called chi chu

Oh and I mustn't forget to give the toads a mention. Lots of them sitting all day in a little pond in front of my veranda 

A touch of honey

A tribe of us beach bums, hired a boat for the day to take us 45 minutes along the coast to the wonderful secluded Honey Beach. Even though it was an overcast day, it was still very warm and the beach was heavenly, as we're the hills and paddy fields immediately behind it. The beach has just 1cafe and we had to call them in advance to expect our party so they could stock up on supplies. 

The tribe at sea

The tribe at rest

Sand and rocks

A tiny lagoon

Paddy Fields behind the beach

Big rocks with finger

Over the hill to Kudle Beach

Kudle beach, pronounced Kudlee, is the next Bay along, easily reached in 25 minutes by following a rough but we'll trodden path. It was a lovely walk that started with a Masala omelette for breakfast at a cafe overlooking Om beach. Naturally a bottle of water was also an essential companion. Kudle beach itself is nice clean long stretch of sand more developed than Om and no where near so pretty. 

Just when you thought the knee saga was over

There I was sipping a refreshing lime soda and chatting to a few folks about the local Ayurvedic masseur come healer, and before I knew it I signed up for some treatment on my knee. 

A grueling 7am start was not welcome but Joseph from Kerala with a family 200 year Ayurvedic pedigree, soon put me at ease with some gentle probing and massage. Then came the poultice, a thick green herbal paste  that looked like spinach, bound with leaves and bandages and meant to stay on for 3 hours. 

That was the easy bit. The tough part is a bottle of  Ayurvedic medicine recommended to be consumed twice a day. A more foul tasting preparation I have never tasted.  Old engine oil would taste better.

Day 2 was another 7am start and as my sleep had been bad, I was Mr Grumps. Instead of green gunk my legr ,this time, from knee down was coated in a herbal rice paste wrapped in plastic and tied with elastic bandage. With orders to leave it on for at least 3 hours. Same again tomorrow but I will have to have words about the cost. These daily gunk sessions are rather expensive.

First came the green paste gunk that looked like spinach

Then there is the so called medicine to help muscle tissue - tastes like old engine oil

Now it's the rice paste wrapped in plastic and worn for 4 hours

Beach life

Life on Gokarna beach is slow and idyllic. It's one of those places where time seems to stop in between sunrise  and sunset.

Sunrise over the beach

Rocks and pools and boats

Moonset over the Dolphin Cafe

Gokarna

Reaching Gokarna was a breeze, an afternoon train to the nearest railhead then a 20 minute tuktuk ride to the door of the hotel. The signing in was long and detailed as usual. A shabby hotel but it's cheap and has charm.

First sight of the town and beach in daylight. I'm impressed. The beach has some life, not exactly pristine but it has rocks and fishing boats and cows that wander into the beach hut restaurants to steal the tourists breakfast. Even in it's less tidy state, it still knocks spots off Puri and even Mamallapuram.

Apart from it's seaside credentials the town is also one of the Eastern coast's most holy sites. More on that later.

Pics show my coconut veranda in town and a section of Om Beach

Selfie on the balcony

Om Beach Bay