Leaving Kochi after 12 days to drive down to Marari beach I was suddenly aware how it was really the first time we were seeing Kerala’s lush greenery, so refreshing!
Our next home stay is so peaceful…right by the beach with our own little sandy garden! Our host cooked us a delicious dinner that we ate in the light of a full wolf moon!
Early next morning I walked down to the beach with a pink moon just setting, to watch the fishermen bring in their catch. The men in this small community all help with the fishing and each woman seems to have a patch of beach with sun beds or chairs! Didi, Bincy’s cousin knocked on the door to ask if I wanted a sun bed … she wanted to make sure I didn’t go with someone else!
We went for a long walk round the block to try to find Marari Nest where we stayed eight years ago!
We met Sebastian, another homestay host who is also an artist.
He’s created three dimensional murals on every wall of his house, but has now developed an allergy to concrete dust and can’t work. It turns out he is the cousin of Jiju where we stayed before.
I chatted to his wife who is desperate to go and work as a care assistant in UK to support the family. It made me realise how hard life is for this close knit community, outside the two or three months of tourism.
But at the same time having Malayali friends who have come to work in care homes near us in England I also know what a pittance they earn, and how difficult it is to find a room to live in. The whole situation makes me feel very sad!
We bumped into Denise, our Irish neighbour from Kochi and spent lazy afternoons alternating between Fisherman cafe and Ecstasy cafe aka Faulty Towers sharing travellers tales.
