I departed from Vallikkapatta the day after the Chirakkal family gathering. I had a wonderful time with Hari’s family and it was sad to say goodbye to them all. I caught the bus from the Vallikkapatta to Tirur where I had a reservation for the train to take me to the beach resort of Varkala. Hari dropped me off at the bus stop where I caught the local bus. At Tirur I had a short wait before the train arrived. The train was very busy and I was glad that I had a reserved seat for the 8 hour journey. I relaxed on the train reading a book whilst the…