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After feeling a bit underwhelmed after Goa’s overhyped beaches, Varkala in Kerala was a pleasant surprise.

The crescent shaped beach is overlooked by a cliff that surrounds it. The guest houses and restaurants are all situated on the cliff, leaving the beach free from the hustle. Unlike Goa, there are almost no touts or hassles on the beach, there are far fewer tourists making it much more relaxing.

Unfortunately, a bunch of new resorts are being built up and a new crowd of older tourists and tour groups are showing up, so I don’t think it’ll be much longer before things change.

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Some pics from Arambol, one of many beaches in Goa. Huts on the beach range from about $5-10 a day, depending on if you want an attached washroom. I can see how people can spend months here doing absolutely nothing. It was nice, but I much preferred the beaches in Thailand.

Although I never gained any mystic wisdom, I did get some interesting insight from some of the locals. They think the hippies are bizarre at best and offensive at worst (especially their dress, or lack thereof), Russians and Israelis are buying up property and monopolizing the resort/restaurant business, there is now a huge mafia in Goa to meet the foreigner demand for illicit substances, and the locals are simultaneously annoyed with foreigners partying all night and disturbing and disregarding their way of life, yet welcoming of their tourist dollars.

And while there are about a million yoga classes being taught, I did not see one yoga fire or yoga flame.

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Pics from last year’s trip to Thailand.