It's early when I make my way back to the hotel, and mine and Lena's room. It turns out the night isn't quite done with me, though, as I get in and encounter Lena and Daniel, having made a double bed out of what were supposed to be Lena's and my separate ones. Wouldn't you know.
I tease them a bit about their situation and they tease me about where I've spent most of the night, and after taking my usual time brushing my teeth I eventually end up sharing Martin's room, where he and Linda would have been sleeping, had her stomach not been a little upset. Things are happening fast now, and the couples are coming out of the woodwork.
You know, before we left, back during the course in Sweden, Hans Rosling, the professor ultimately in charge of this course, told us that once we were out there, things would be like goddamn Temptation Island. From here, I have to hand it to the man, I think as I drift into sleep. He sure knew what he was talking about.

I wake up slowly. Something's not quite right here. I know I've only slept two hours, but I'm feeling unusually slow, thicker than molasses.

It'll have to wait, though. It's time to move on. Today we're leaving Varkala and heading north to Quilon (or Kollam as the Keralans call it) to catch a boat. Starting from Kerala's ocean coast and stretching some ways inland there is a vast network of lakes, rivers, canals and lagoons, commonly known as the backwaters. Kollam is as good a place as any to tap into this pride of Kerala, and we have planned an eight-hour trip about 100 kilometers north to Alappuzha, going leisurely by boat through narrow rivers surrounded by jungle.

Kollam also seems to be a good meeting place. As good as everyone who was part of the course is hungry for the backwaters, no matter if they're staying in India a few more days or several weeks - so it should serve as a chance to see what people are planning. So Martin, Daniel, Barni, Lena, Linda, Julia, Nina and I have a quick, early breakfast and pack ourselves into two cars for the hour-long trip to Kollam. Still, I'm not feeling better, but tired and slightly nauseous.. it's as if a fever were lurking in the background. Well.. I could catch a few hours of extra sleep on the boat, I guess. One way or the other, I have to start heading north.