From Kodaikanal, I wound and rattled back out of the hills to Madurai. Got (briefly) stuck in the rain (the bus dropped us at the highway instead of turning off two blocks and stopping at the station... with the shelter and the rickshaws). Two minutes of walking and I was soaked. Fortunately, 1) everything in the bag remained dry, 2) my first choice hotel had rooms and 3) someone was willing to point to the right bus to get there. It was so comfy I stayed an extra day. And you could see the Sri Meenakshi temple complex from the roof.

My next hop took me six hours south to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin). The highway is quite new making the bus trip surprisingly comfortable. About an hour before the city you pass through a field with easily a hundred-plus mismatched windmills. These might be the highlight of the city for me - that or finally getting some postcards.

Trivandrum's zoo made a great day out. Unlike every other animal in India, these seemed cared for and relatively comfortable. It's a little confusing to get around with no maps and only the occasional "This way -->" sign but it's not like you could really get lost. And the baby hippo was terribly cute. On the same grounds I visited the Napier museum and an art gallery. Both collections were nice but the most interesting bit is the interior of the Keralan mansion that houses the Napier holdings. No pictures allowed though. They didn't even sell postcards showing the inside. I guess if you are curious you just have to make the trip.

Getting to Varkala (1.5 hours from Trivandrum) took four buses and an autorickshaw. That's what happens when you can't read the signs on the buses for yourself. After the third bus, I was sorely tempted to take a proper taxi the rest of the way there, whatever the cost. But the fourth bus actually said "Varkala" on it and I saw that before I found a taxi. Besides sit at the beach and sit at the cliff-side cafes there is nothing to keep you in Varkala. I stayed a week. The police do a good job of keeping the hawkers and gawkers away and to the best of my knowledge no one was swept out to sea during my staying making this my best beach experience in India so far despite the crowds.

From Varkala, I caught my first-ever train in India north to Kochi. I even managed to grab a seat after the first station and hold said territory the remaining four hours of my journey. Getting off a train in India is like getting off a train that's on fire in the US. Except with an equal number of people trying to force their way on. But the ride itself was more comfortable than that on a bus and if you have an aisle seat you don't get sooty. It's even quiet enough to talk to the other passengers.

I fell ill the day after my train trip - thus the week-long stay in Kochi. The worst of it only lasted a day but if was three before my headache abated. Now I'm actually well enough to do my tourist things (shopping) before heading to Calicut and then Mysore. Pictures soon! (I'm sure Bangalore will have functional USB ports...)