A bit of a quiet one

I pretend to shun the company of other westerners and wont let myself go to Goa or Gokarna for new years. Instead I think, well somewhere coastal is bound to have one or two other tourists I will just choose somewhere further south. I was wrong twice, and settle on the second coastal town I try without a single westerner to be seen. It probably wasn't a good sign that the last tourists the hotel so excitedly talk about sound a lot like the friends I know who stayed here some days before. It turns out Murudeshwara is a popular stop for Indians at new year which has really forced up prices anyway. The beach party is moderately lively by local standards, with music here and there and a beach full of cars and small groups of people drinking. The police take a gentle stroll down the beach twirling their beating canes just to make sure nothing gets out of control. It's not a bad place really, the tallest Shiva statue and temple are both illuminated at night on a rocky outcrop of land.