Christmas at Kovalam Beach

Christmas Greetings from Kovalam Beach, which is situated in the state of Kerala, on the sunny south western tip of India. Today is the shortest day of the year, just a few days before Christmas, and an ideal time to pen a new Blog by way of information and Seasonal greetings for friends and family all over the world.

Christmas Greetings from Kovalam Beach

I hope you are all tucked up and warm: the news from the BBC World Service this morning as received on my crackly short-wave radio tells of monster storms across the American east-coast, and record freezing temperatures over most of Europe as well. No doubt people waking up in their warm beds, loath to leave them for a frosty house with the heating not yet turned on will have had some sympathy for the Euro tunnel trains which, apparently, were just as reluctant to leave a nice warm tunnel after their frosty journey across France. Here in Kovalam, most people have never ever seen snow and ice, or felt the need to purchase an overcoat. The temperature currently is a balmy 32 degrees Celsius with light breezes off the Arabian Sea. At night it drops to a chilly 25 degrees Celsius, and in the absence of pyjamas, I may have to cover myself with a thin sheet during the coldest part of the night, some time around 2 a.m.

View of Kovalam Beach from the lighthouse

Pyjamas have never been a great part of my lifestyle, and it occurs to me that I haven't owned any since the British government issued me with two pairs, (stripy, with draw-string) for my sojourn in the Antarctic, back in 1982. They were used briefly during that period, then kept in the back of a drawer in case I ever had to go to hospital. Of course, when I did have to go to hospital in Ireland, I couldn't find them, so ended up wearing Pakistani shalwar kameez, which astonished the resident Pakistani surgeons, but that's another story. I was thinking about my time spent in the Antarctic the other day, and remembering another relic from that period, one that has finally reached the end of its usefulness, and has been replaced. My trusty sleeping-bag liner, as supplied by the British Antarctic Survey, has put in sterling service over the years and seen more use than its designers could reasonably have expected. Rough camping on five continents has finally taken its toll, but still, after 27 years I feel I've had my money's worth! Over the last two years, the medium-weight cotton had finally begun to disintegrate, and despite my endeavours with needle and thread, it is now becoming more patch than original.

Kovalam lighthouse and coconut palm trees

Two young Indian daytrippers watch the sunset

A new one is needed, but replacing it is not so easy. You can't just walk into a shop and buy a new sleeping bag liner, or at least not one that would suit my requirements. Something that can stand another 27 years of service needs to be well made, durable, and designed for the task in hand. Normally I would have taken on the job of making a new one myself, but with my sewing machine stored at the back of a shed in deepest rural Ireland that was not an option. Kovalam, however, has a wealth of sewing machines that belong to the many tailors that inhabit the alleys and paths that run along the coconut groves, just behind the beach. They are here to produce garments for the tourists, who spend lots of time shopping for hippy-style garments that provide a cool alternative to the designer tee shirts they brought from home. The tailors make trousers, shirts, dresses, and a variety of other garments; all colourful and fun to wear in the strong tropical sun.

Christmas tree - Kovalam style

Christmas Crib at the Sumangali Guesthouse

My hotel room, actually the hotel's only room (it is a very small hotel!) is situated on the first floor of a recently constructed building, a little way back from Lighthouse Beach. I have the first floor to myself, and just outside the bedroom windows I have a balcony with chair and table, suitably shaded from the strong midday sun. Below me, on the ground floor, is a small barber's shop, and next door, a tee shirt emporium. Next to them is a tailor's shop, who's sewing machine provide an all-day accompaniment as I type away upstairs on my laptop. Indian tradition and manners dictates that one should patronise the shops in one's immediate vicinity, so I have already bought a thin white cotton short-sleeved shirt, and a red tee shirt from the tee shirt emporium (200Rs each), and had two shaves (30Rs) from the barbers: each a necessity when my designer stubble reaches the point of being too annoying to put up with any more. From the tailor I've purchased a pair of cream three-quarter length trousers (200Rs) that are ideal for wandering along the beach in the evening. The quality of his work is excellent, so the idea occurred to me that this might be the opportunity to replace my ageing sleeping bag-liner. With two major Overland journeys planned for next year: South America for 6 months, and Africa for 10 months, a replacement was desperately needed, and now was the ideal time.

Sunset at Kovalam beach

A journey to Thiruvananathapuram, Kerala's state capital, had been on the cards for some time, and last Wednesday I combined a visit to my dentist Dr K.O. Varghese M.D.S., with the chance to pick up some material for the sleeping bag liner project. The appointment at the dentist didn't take long - a check up with X-rays, and a de-scaling - all OK (700Rs), and suitable for another year of travelling. Wandering a little further, I found the 'Grand Handloom and Readymades Store', near the East Fort bus-stand, where a large range of materials stocked was sufficient for even the most pernickety and fastidious consumer. I soon found what I was looking for amongst his large range of 'sheetings', and bought ten metres of the best quality white cotton, which I estimated would be sufficient for two sleeping bag liners. The material is thin, without being too thin, and strong, without being too strong. At 48RS per metre, including Kerala Value-added Tax, it is also cheap, without being too cheap. An excellent product, and suitable for the rigours of the road, one hopes.

Dawn breaks over Kovalam beach

I had already worked out my design for the sleeping bag liner, having learnt from observations made on the road during past Overland journeys. A good sleeping bag liner needs to be strong throughout, with double seams on both sides. It needs an integrated pillow cover, that can be stuffed with clothes to provide something to lay ones head on at night, and a useful place to keep trousers and their pocket contents safe. It needs a flap to go over the lip of your sleeping bag to keep that bit clean too, with maybe some Velcro to hold it in place. It needs two additional gussets at the neck, where it has a tendency to rip. It might also have a small pocket near the top, where you can keep a torch, iPod, cigarettes, or condoms, depending what your normally nightly requirements are.

Lifeguard watches bathers at Kovalam beach

The tailor, though eager to be helpful, has a limited command of English, so in order to avoid misunderstanding, I made a paper mock-up of what I required. Quickly grasping the concept, the tailor made a small model of the project as he saw it, which was just as well as I was thus able to stop him turning the flap into a second pillow case. The job took two days, and at the end of that time, my two sleeping bag liners were just as ordered. Let's hope they last as long as the previous one: watch this space, and my future Blogs through South America, Africa, and who knows where else to see their, and my, continuing story.

Fishermen struggle to launch their boat

Kovalam lighthouse at sunset

Other news, and I'll keep it brief. Despite what it looks like in the photos, I have been slaving away over a hot computer for most of my time here, working on the photographs taken whilst travelling last year. Selection and processing take a long time, but all is going well, and I have sent a number of DVDs to my agency, 'Lonely Planet Images', in recent weeks. More DVDs are waiting to be sent in the New Year. I did plan to visit Bangalore whilst I am here, but may put that off to a future India visit if I haven't finished my photo backlog first. I am expecting my nephew Michael Monaghan to visit here mid-January, which will be great fun. I have a flight booked to England in February, then a week later will fly to Rio de Janeiro just in time for the end of the carnival. I'm planning to be in South America for 6 months on a Dragoman Overland truck, revisiting old haunts and collecting new photos for my portfolio. It will be my first visit back to South America since 1991, so I'm expecting some changes! For now, it only remains to bring this Blog to an end, and wish you, as another Tim, tinier than me, once said: a very Happy Christmas, Everyone !!

Christmas Party poster