Gokarna

Gokarna is in Karnataka, beyond Goa. It is quieter than Goa, with fewer tourists. It is, they say, how Goa used to be forty years ago. There are little places to stay on the edges of the beaches.

Namaste is a wide, spacious cafe surrounded by trees. Sun shines through the leaves illuminating them. Behind the cafe are rows of single story rooms, scattered about, with cobblestone pathways linking them and tropical vegetation in the spaces between. A room here costs 250 rupees a night, sharing the toilets and showers. At night the pathways are illuminated by low level lights so there's no problem finding your way to the toilet.

Customers sit in the cafe for hours on end, waiting for the heat to abate.
Yesterday we were invaded by hordes of Russians. They don't mix with the other foreigners.
And this weekend is some kind of religious festival, so it's an Indian holiday. They have come from the big city to have a look at the seaside. A few of them splash about in the sea in their vests and pants. The rest wander about dipping their toes in the water. Then they sit under the trees, together with the cows, chewing slowly in the shade.