...To Be a Bollywood Star...

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  Varkala, Kerala, India
Tuesday, May 3, 2011

So, I finished school... went down to Varkala after to meet up with my friend Patrick that I met while traveling in Hampi.  He had a free place for me to stay... as him and a friend lived in a guesthouse there for 6 months... and his friend was traveling while I would be there so one of the rooms was empty.  Anyway... I got there.. and stayed for 5 nights originally, and the night before I was supposed to take the 2 day train to Agra Patrick got a call from the film agency he works for saying they needed a foreign girl, preferably American, to do a small role in the film Nale that they were about to start recording.  He asked if I'd do it.  Originally, I said no, as I've had no acting experience whatsoever, even a school play, but decided to because they said it would be 3 days of filming for my few parts, and I'd make almost $1,000 for those 3 days.  So, I stayed, as I am almost completely out of money here, and even had to borrow a bunch from a friend to be able to continue surviving here.  So, I stayed, and they kept calling and postponing, saying they'd start in 2 days, 3 days, etc.  So, the longer it went, the less travel time I was going to have, but I still really wanted... no, needed the money.  But, now they finally called and said that they would for SURE start filming on the 10th, and I would finish by the 14th at the latest.  I finally had to say no, as that would only leave me with about 5 days here in India... and I still really need to go to the north.  So, I booked my train ticket, leave on Thursday on the 48 hour train straight from here to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!!!

Anyway... about Varkala... it was a beautiful place... set on the border of what is the Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep Sea.  It rests upon cliffs that overlook the sea, of which you can go to certain areas and walk down very steep steps to get to a beach.  The beach here was beautiful... although not for those who just want to come to relax.  The currents here are so strong, that there is a new wave about every 20 seconds maximum... usually about every 10 seconds.  The waves are also HUGE, so it's impossible to just float and relax in the sea here.  It's very fun if you rent a body board or whatever else they have to offer, but if any of you are ever coming here to relax in the sea... it is not the place.  I came in the off-season, so it was definitely quiet since there were not many tourists.  So in that respect, it was very peaceful and relaxing... without having the hustle and bustle of tourists, beggars, and salespeople everywhere.  Of course there were still the salespeople that had some shops open, so I still got hassled... but most shops were closed until the next high-season.  It was basically a great time for me to get to know what turned out to be a very good friend, Patrick, and also get to know some of the locals that live and work around the cliff area.  I had so much fun... although it was very hot, sometimes too hot to even go to the beach, I still had a great time.  I do wish however that this movie would have worked out... but whatever... Patrick is still in the film industry... so maybe next time I'm in India. :)

Honestly, there is not much more to say about Varkala... as it was just my home for a couple weeks.  If you'd like to know more, let me know and I'll see what I can do.  Will post soon about Agra and the places I've been since leaving Kerala!  Again, photos to come later this month.

~Namaste~

-Kristen

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