Leaving Varkala

Departing Varkala brought mixed emotions tied in with some unexpected twists and turns. It started off on Sunday, the day before departure with Ann suffering from an upset stomach. We considered delaying our leaving but Ann rallied late in the pm for a final burst of packing and cleaning. The evening was hectic with neighbours coming in to say good-bye, a final meal at Kumari’s and the removal of Steven’s stitches by the sister-in-law of Kumari, who is a nurse. We turned the lights out at 11:30 pm and set our alarm for 6 am.
The next morning we packed our lunch and the last of our things into the suitcases and awaited the taxi we had booked for 6:45 am. Kumari, our angel yet again, arrived at 6:30 with a tray of steaming chai, just the way she knows we like it. Kitty, Prinjin and Pradeep accompanied her and asked if there was anything they could do. As we hauled our bags outside more neighbours appeared to wish us off. Jasmine, Jismane, their Mother, little Mahu, Patma and her husband and Subadge, their son. If we had not already been touched by the generosity of our neighbours, this was the icing on the cake to see them smiling and wishing us well on our journey. But their invaluable help was not completed yet. Soon it was 7 a.m. and with no taxi in sight the neighbours jumped into action by getting out their cell phones and phoning taxis. With no luck and time slipping away, Patma called Renni (the son of our landlord and her nephew) to see if he would drive us in their family’s Ambassador. It was getting tight to make our 7:45 am train, Remi said he would come but having been woken up it would be a few minutes. That’s when Kathleen rushed to the bathroom and was sick to her stomach. We had by now adopted the South Indian expression “What to do? What to do?” Kathleen said she felt better. “What to do? What to do?” We decided to go for it as Renni pulled up. Last minute hugs all around and many promises to write and send post cards as we threw the bags (all nine of them) into the car and raced for the train station, with one eye on Kathleen. As we pulled away from our home of the last three months, our last image was of the extended Predeep family and neighbours smiling and waving good-bye. They had shown us true generosity and an unforgettable welcoming spirit.
We made the train with 10 minutes to spare.