Travancore Court Hotel Kochi

... we were running low. Dan and I looked around and realised that we would have to eat with our hands but how do you eat blooming sambal with fingers? We surreptitiously looked around for inspiration and realised you made a little ball of rice mush and kind of flung it in your mouth (doubly difficult for Dan as he was trying to eat with his right hand - your left is for err.. other matters). Mess is allowed though, so we were soon eating like pro’s. (As ...

... performance tonight- the dance style is called Katakala and it’s unique to the state of Kerala (where Kochi is located). Before the show the dancers opened their make-up studio (a light bulb hanging from the ceiling in the middle of a bare room) to us and we got to watch them prepare for the show. During the actual performance there was no dialogue- only drums, symbols, and Indian classical singing.

11: In the first scene, one dancer acted out ...

... going bananas. However, one evening we were relieved to actually see dolphins cruising close to shore, near the fishing nets, probably being more successful in their pursuit of fish than the fishermen. This was a relief, as it obviously wasn't the Larium Malaria pills making us crazy, although we felt slightly concerned that we witnessed something that not even the Planet had mentioned. It felt slightly sacreligious. To add to the language ...

... ride back to the mainland we experienced the less pleasant side of India sometimes dog eat dog mentality. When the gates opened for the ferry all the men pushed and shouldered their way through to get the seats and the women while also trying to scrabble on the ferry also had to prevent their children from being squashed, the foreigners simply stepped on the ferry last. On the ferry the seats were mostly occurred by men and the women many with kids were left to stand.

... of different food, read my book, listened to music, and drank lots of Chai (tea). It was a great experience, and i can honestly say, i loved it. Everyone is so happy, and friendly, and you can really chat with anyone and everyone. It is, however, a bloody hard thing to explain when you accidently mention that you have two nephews from your unmarried brother. Children out of wedlock is frowned upon to the maximum out here. I wont even tell them about the norm in Essex!!! After ...

... is spent watching river life go by or rather going by and watching river life. There are fisherman on the river and women doing washing on the banks. All the children are amused and wave and ask for us to take their photos. There is good regular chai stops and the day ends when we moor up opposite a Hindu Temple. The captain assures us the temple music blasting out on PA will end around 7pm and he is right so after dinner we play cards and ...

... of hours before we started to long trip back to Bangladore (about 800 Km on their roads) 071230 - Sunday Were driving all night and arrived around 10 in the morning. Took a niiiiiiice shower and relaxed and packed up everything. Jeff came ...

... for medically and a bit more than I hoped for otherwise. Let's just say... two women massaging EVERY aspect of your body for a full hour with heavy oil while you lay on a dark mat in a dark room on the floor completely naked. Yep. Oh, and imagine those few yoga moves you feel funny doing with clothes on, yep, add that to the mix. Let's just say, any vanity or insecurity of the body tis gone. Funny, funny experience. I will only do another one with a certified "doctor" so I ...

... consist of roughly 30 very very very loud and enthusiastic children. Adults, less obvious about their curiosity, stick their heads out, peering from behind palm leaved fences, and wave. Our accomodation is a small light green concrete building behind the main house, adjacent to the cow shed, a few steps away from the central washing area and water pump. The house sits in a grove of palm trees, about 150 meters from the sandy but slightly dirty beach. The first night - the ...

... our estimated $90 a day budget although India can definitely be done for less. We met a couple from Canada who were doing it on 1000 rupees a day, which is about 20 dollars US. Not our style for sure, but incredibly it can be done. On the Topic of Food India can provide some of the greatest dining and some of the most tedious. We have had some delicious meals, especially in Delhi at places recommended by Avnish, and some thoroughly bland meals, especially in the South, which is ironic ...