Hey
Looking is Free
Varkala's restaurants, shops, hotels, yoga and ayurvedic centers sprawl along a dirt footpath that winds along the top of a cliff, and so far, it appears to be the main throughfare for visitors. Seems there is no need to venture off into the streets. When we arrived, I was surprised at how empty the streets were: void of people, places, things... the usual hub-bub of an Indian city. But the streets here are the back door to the action. Ocean-side is where everyone wants to be, especially for the breeze. It's damn hot. When the breeze (or electricity) stops suddenly, the heat makes itself known through an onslaught of sweat and heat rash.
Our thermometer claims it's in the mid/upper 90s -- and that's not including the humidity. The heat is why things here are slow. The high season is from December - February. In March, things heat up and the town shuts down. We're at the waning, tail end of the end of the high season.
Despite the heat, visiting in the 'off' season has its advantages: few people and good prices. Every time I've purchased anything from anyone, they tell me I'm their first customer of the day -- and my shopping tends to happen in the late afternoon, when the heat and humidity have beaten me senseless and the vendors can easily have their way with me.
Even so, I've scored some good deals... it's easy to bargain when you're the only customer of the day. Some merchants don't even bother and offer you their wares at rock bottom prices, to the degree that coming back with a counter offer would embarass your family name.
The problem is that EVERYONE wants you to at least LOOK at their store, which can be anything from an open stall under a tree to a full fledged shop with four walls and a door (these are more like traps, as once you're in, you're in...). "Looking is free," they all say. We usually tell them, "We'll stop by on our way back." Of course, this is just a lame, passive agressive method of dealing with the merchants. We should just tell them the truth, "We will, at all costs, avoid your store from this point on."
But nevertheless, we tell them we'll come back, and they tell us, "I'll wait for you." And they do! If you walk by the store, no matter how many hours have passed, they will call out, "Hey, you! You said you'd come back. Please, looking is free," You don't have much choice in passing the store, as all foot traffic happens along the cliff, where all the shops are located. It's only a matter of time until you look, and you buy... just for peace of mind.
Neither Benjamin nor I like to shop. For bees not interested in pollen, there is no reason to visit the flower. Likewise, there's no reason for us to go 'shopping'. So in a way, perhaps it's good for us, this lack of tourists and their dollars. The merchants can grab us, give us good deals, and send us home with a few souvenirs.
Our thermometer claims it's in the mid/upper 90s -- and that's not including the humidity. The heat is why things here are slow. The high season is from December - February. In March, things heat up and the town shuts down. We're at the waning, tail end of the end of the high season.
Despite the heat, visiting in the 'off' season has its advantages: few people and good prices. Every time I've purchased anything from anyone, they tell me I'm their first customer of the day -- and my shopping tends to happen in the late afternoon, when the heat and humidity have beaten me senseless and the vendors can easily have their way with me.
Even so, I've scored some good deals... it's easy to bargain when you're the only customer of the day. Some merchants don't even bother and offer you their wares at rock bottom prices, to the degree that coming back with a counter offer would embarass your family name.
The problem is that EVERYONE wants you to at least LOOK at their store, which can be anything from an open stall under a tree to a full fledged shop with four walls and a door (these are more like traps, as once you're in, you're in...). "Looking is free," they all say. We usually tell them, "We'll stop by on our way back." Of course, this is just a lame, passive agressive method of dealing with the merchants. We should just tell them the truth, "We will, at all costs, avoid your store from this point on."
But nevertheless, we tell them we'll come back, and they tell us, "I'll wait for you." And they do! If you walk by the store, no matter how many hours have passed, they will call out, "Hey, you! You said you'd come back. Please, looking is free," You don't have much choice in passing the store, as all foot traffic happens along the cliff, where all the shops are located. It's only a matter of time until you look, and you buy... just for peace of mind.
Neither Benjamin nor I like to shop. For bees not interested in pollen, there is no reason to visit the flower. Likewise, there's no reason for us to go 'shopping'. So in a way, perhaps it's good for us, this lack of tourists and their dollars. The merchants can grab us, give us good deals, and send us home with a few souvenirs.
posted by Cheryn at 9:14 PM
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