We are not sure the source of the ills. But lucky for us, our sickness was staggered. Brandon first and then me. So instead of lying on the beach, soaking up the sun, we were lying in bed. I'll spare you the details but let me saw that it's a good thing Indian bathrooms come with a bucket. Despite getting knocked down we both recovered fairly quickly and didn't need to see a doctor.
Our time in Varkala flew by so we decided to extend our stay five days and cut out Gokarna. We took it easy for a couple more days and then finally spent our last few days exploring.