Netravati 'Express'

After 4 glorious days in Mumbai we decided it was time to head south (but not before we starred in a Bollyw... only kidding Prathima). We were approached by a scout and quickly agreed to meet the studio bus the following morning to be extras. Unfortunately it turned out that we had agreed to be extras in a Lays potato chip advert starring the apparently famous Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Knowing nothing of cricket this failed to excite us. I was relegated to the 'crowd' scene and given a gorilla mask to wear. Go figure. Alex landed a juicier role, dressing up in a sweaty nylon suit and standing on a podium for five hours as one of the 'officials'. We were told it would be out by now but we still cant find it. Maybe we didnt cheer exuberantly enough.....
Unfortunately due to Alex's unshakeable conviction that this was some sort of scam, all valuables were left behind so we have no pictures to prove it ever took place but IT REALLY DID HAPPEN! We got 1000 rupees to prove it and we will post the ad link when/if we ever find it.


So the next day we boarded the Netravati Express (with more of our exo-skeletal friends) in high spirits and settled in for the 31 hour journey. Alex quickly blew our two month budget on Chai and i attempted to sample every food item that wafted past.



Thankfully the lax health and safety laws meant we could sit at the open door of train and watch the countryside slide by, the wind ruffling our hair while we contemplated the meaning of life.....Or actually, sat eyes streaming, unable to breathe, the wind rushing up our noses shitting it in case we got our heads chopped off by passing random train-related structures.

The Keralan countryside was beautiful with rice paddies, palm trees and quite bizarre Christian iconography to peruse along the way.

32 hours proved to be enought however and we diembarked in Varkala for some chilled out sand, sea and Kingfisher 'action'.