Varkala and the Vancouver Canucks

Sitting high on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea, Varkala is well known as a temple town and a favorite destination of backpackers and old hippies. Nothing, of course, will compare to our eight days in paradise but we feel that this could be a good fit for us.

We've found a great place to stay right on the beach away from the busy tourist scene above. Our room, we are told, has been built from the timbers of an ancient house originally owned by a wealthy man whose son first disappointed and then bankrupted him. Whatever the story, we like the room very much. 

Directly in front, the sea pounds the shore. Jagged, black rocks abut a sandy beach where it's possible to have a swim in bathtub temperature water. Our terrace opens out onto a breathtaking vista and once again at dusk, the sun will fall into the ocean directly in front. To make us feel even more at home, we're not here long before we've met the three resident yellow dogs who will come to spend a lot of time sleeping outside our door.

Early the first morning, we are amazed to look outside and see a dozen older fishermen manipulating a huge net secured by a massive rope on either side of the rocks. Slowly and with great effort, they begin to pull the net in, chanting as they do, until the catch is up on the shore. We learn that this ancient fishery is dying. Commercial vessels harvest the bulk of the fish and the younger generation has little interest in such labour intensive work. We feel lucky to witness this tradition.

The hours of our days are marked by the muezzin's call to worship starting very early in the morning and ending promptly at 8 pm each evening. Our curiosity gets the better of us and one day, we follow the call to the mosque itself, a gorgeous turquoise and cream turreted building set spectacularly just up from the water.

Most days, just after breakfast, we grab a tuk tuk for the steep ride up to the clifftop where we see para-gliders sailing high above the water, eagles flying close beside them. We walk along a narrow path to the many shops offering bedspreads, drums, jewellery, and tours of every description. The selling is pretty relaxed here and it's possible to actually look around with no hassle. We've found a very favorite cafe which serves great Indian food and the best people watching anywhere. The hours slip away.

Later in the afternoon as the sun sets, we sit out on the beach and are served dinner at a candlelit table by one of the many young men who work at our place. Our dogs lie at our feet and accompany us back to our room in the pitch black night.

Although we are far, far from home in a most exotic place, we can't help but still be pretty interested in hockey and the vagaries of the Vancouver Canucks. As a die hard Edmonton Oilers fan, I always find it hard to wish Vancouver well and have been known, quite frankly, to cheer against them...loudly. I am, therefore, alarmed to read a story in one of the Indian newspapers about the arrest and jailing of some 60 university students for "sedition." Their crime? Cheering for Pakistan in a local championship cricket game.

This item has given me pause for thought. I'd never thought of my behaviour as criminal but maybe, just maybe, under a panoply of dazzling stars over nighttime India, I can make the decision to change my hockey loyalty. I'm good at cheering for losers, I don't want to be charged with sedition, and the Vancouver Canucks may just be my new dream team.