Wandering Sasha

Varkala! Damn! Wow. That was my first impression of this beautiful sun kissed place.

A classy mix of hippy and cultural aesthetics. Temples and bikinis blend alike here. A perfect match between western and Kerala culture. That’s what you call Varkala in a nutshell.

When I first decided to go on a trip with my best friends- Mariya and Daniyah on a weekend getaway trip, the first place that came to my mind was this one. Not just because Varkala had been trending on my Instagram feed for really long with catchy reels; also because I missed my feet dipped in the waves since a really long time.

So just like any other bestie trips, we made a ton of plans- the usual research of touristic spots and other hidden gems of the place were googled. But since I was coming to Kerala only for a short vacation we had to limit the trip to a weekend. Just two days and we had lots to explore. I had fixed in my mind that we are booking beds at Zostel, Varkala.

My fascination with Zostel began when I started to read about the customer experiences at their franchises across the country- a perfect stay for backpackers with intense vibes and good food along with people from different backgrounds trying to blend in with each other in their own personal spaces.

Luckily there were three beds left in their mixed dormitory for the weekend of 2024 February 16-18. I immediately booked all three of them at once. Trust me I’m spontaneous that way. I book the accommodation first and then make the rest of the plan which becomes naturally mandatory! The plan always works though haha.

So me and Daniyah boarded the train from. Thrissur in which coincidentally Mariya had booked her seat in!!! Imagine that lol. We sneaked into the 3AC and managed to get away from the sight of the TT throughout the journey till Varkala. Mariya was coming from Vellore. We started vibing from the train itself. It’s always great to catch up with your best friends trust me.

We got down at Varkala Sivagiri Station. We brushed our teeth from the local taps. Changed into vacay clothes from the restrooms. Put on makeup, and turned into hipster girls haha.

We reached Zostel located near North Cliff of Varkala and checked in at 12. Since we reached before time we took a stroll at the North cliff. It was beautiful. Watching the sea after a long time hits you different. A serene view that calms you from inside. That was my first thought when I saw the sea from the top of the cliff. Like a whole new world is awaiting us. The walk was worthy. We stalked the local clothes shops and all the other stores near the side of the cliff. Our main destination was Vyuha tattoos. Surprise!!!!

Me and Mariya are getting best friend tattoos together!! A memory etched into our skin forever. That was the whole plan. Plus it’s Mariya’s first tattoo as well.

After getting inked, we walked back to our beds at Zostel. Our room mates hadn’t arrived yet. We secretly hoped it’d be some handsome boys. We rested well and in the evening we went to the beach in some nice outfits we had planned months ago. This is the best part about Varkala- the vibes are different from the rest of Kerala. There are no judging looks except from some hungry eyes. It’s all foreigners around. They don’t care if you’re clothed or not. Couples or friends doesn’t matter there. There’s no headache of moral policing. A literal heaven.

We stayed up at the beach till the sun set and night sky was shining brilliantly over us with small stars smiling at us from above. We had the therapeutic girls talk. It healed all three of us.

We climbed the cliff upstairs and visited the famous cafe Italiano that boasts its own art vibes at varkala. Trust me the cafe did not disappoint. We had great seafood dinner as well as tried their special Long Island iced tea cocktail. I was definitely tipsy after a drink. The walk back to the stay was fun. At night there was a party at Zostel cafe and I danced my heart out with Mariya while Daniyah was busy clicking our pictures and shooting videos of our drunk dances. A lot of people joined us at the dance floor. It was a great night.

The next day morning started with a cup of strong coffee to kill the hangover. The coffee was exceptionally good ngl. We planned our day and set off to Golden island. We kayaked our way to the island known to be so because there has been a treasure of gold buried in the island long ago. Nobody was able to find the gold. We wondered where it was buried at. The kayaking was a nice experience just that I was worried of the kayak being flipped by the wind. It was a good arm exercise. The tour guide was really friendly and he explained the history of the island in detail to us.

There is an ancient Shiva- Parvati temple known to fulfill the dreams of marriage between couples in love. it is said that the island would be filled by couples on the night of shiva rathri to pray for a happy marriage! How sweet.

We spent some time wandering inside the forests of the island and returned back to the town hours later. We ate our lunch from a local toddy shop. Just the non vegetarian food- no toddy or alcohol was consumed because we had other plans. We reached back to dress up in sarees and went to catch the sunset at the beach. It was magnificent. I felt very feminine wearing a traditional outfit by the shore when the sun turned crimson. The dinner was from Cafe Sandy Bay. It’s a great restaurant to vibe with your friends. There’s a dance floor and almost everyone were high. We had beer and some light food. We danced our heart out and spent some time at the beach. It was the sounds of the waves hitting the rocks for me. Pristine waters indeed.

We don’t remember when we reached back to Zostel. But there’s one thing about Varkala that you’re almost always safe there. There are people everywhere be it at dusk or dawn.

We had set alarm to wake up at 6 the next day to see the sunrise. Though we had intense hangover yet we managed to catch the sunrise by around 6:30. After the breakfast we vacated the room and left to the railway station only to find our train is late by 5 hours. Damn. Mariya had her year end practical exam the next day morning and the train was terrifically late. All our excitement vaporized and we three were worried about reaching back home. Finally the train arrived and we made our way home with no regrets and a handful of precious moments.

PS: Mariya made it to the exam right before the exam started so it’s a win yeyyyy.

Varkala is definitely a great place for a break. I’ll never forget how the beaches healed me from within. Thanks to my girls. All those planning to visit the place, don’t miss out on Munroe Island and Jatayu Statue. There are other great cafes like Inda Cafe, Cafe Darjeeling, Sarwa, Cafe Trip is Life etc. Also make sure to try taking surfing classes if you have adequate time. We couldn’t manage to accommodate them to our plans because of time constraints. Also the restaurants are quite expensive. But however Varkala will blow your mind with her own charm. Explore! Tight hugs.