Saturday 19/11/05 - Varkala to Kumily
Leaving Varkala, another face of India reveals itself: the three legged dog with a death wish, its bone and fresh flesh still exposed from its recent wound. No-one to care: only pain and death to come.

And life, life, unstoppable, continues around the junction as we wait for the bus to Kottayam. Four bum-numbing hours on a bus that fills more completely than I thought possible: limbs in even conceivable space. We tumble out into the oasis of an air-conditioned international hotel and rethink our plans. A taxi inland to Kumily, perhaps, rather than another five hours on a bus…

Next: After the long, dark Sunday