REST DAY 3

Was up half the night initially working on the blog and posting photos (each one taking 5 minutes - that's why I posted small versions). Then when I finally turned in at 2 am I was still wired.

So I picked up my book "The Life of Pi".

This is a book that was made for me - it is about India, about Canada, about spirituality, and about survival. I cannot believe that in all the years I knew about this book, I never knew what it was about. I have even given it as a present and still I didn't know. Quelle ignorance!

It is a particularly GOOD book for me right now.

My situation is in no way comparable to Pi's truly heroic survival on the open seas with only his wits for company. The scale of his deprivation is almost beyond imagination. I read it and am inspired by his acceptance. This gives me a wonderful perspective from which to consider my own privations. "And what are these?" you might ask.

My suitcase is still untraceable through Emirates. We call the airport twice a day and meet with polite but bored sounding customer service reps. There are two flights a day from London to Trivandrum via Dubai and still this bag has not made its way onto this shore. The reps promise to update us and never call. Now I have asked for the manager - "He doesn’t work Saturday and Sunday' so Monday morning it is. Babu is insisting that I write an email. And so I have - a masterpiece of forceful memsahib writing!

The practical result of "NO SUITCASE" is that:

A - I have had to buy a few items of clothing to tie me over. I am not going overboard, but advancing one day at a time. Just what I need for tomorrow. With very few clothes I need to consider carefully what to wear every day and make sure the various elements are washed and dry, or buy something new. This is quite an issue in a city where sooty dust settles on everything and the high heat and humidity cause one to perspire heavily. One really cannot wear the same thing two days in a row.

B - I have run out of my supplies of daily vitamin supplements, which have been planned carefully to form the cornerstone of my health while I am here. Of course, I know very well that I can survive without them for a few days, but I don't want to weaken my system unnecessarily, at a time when there is so much change and unstability going on and I need to be in top shape.

C - I finally today had to buy a mobile phone charger…

Actually on the whole, I am welcoming this opportunity of letting go of my possessions - of getting used to the idea that they might be lost for good. I am in a new place and "camping" sort of.

Today was a slow start (thankfully) but Babu and I were once more in getting-jobs-done mode - so launched ourselves Northwards and completed the HSBC process. Next I bought some chappals (flip flops to wear indoors). Also fitted in some hand laundry (good idea Mad!) I'm slowly getting there.

Plan was to make my way South to Kovalam Beach and meet up with Aswathy, a teacher I met on Friday, who lives there. In the end, Babu drove me over (a mere 10 kms) at about 5 pm and we got to the beach in time to climb the rocks and watch the truly wondrous sunset.

Sadly for me, I couldn't swim as my swimmers are in the still-lost bag and anyway women don't seem to swim in India. My friend Aswathy and her son Ooni and I walked through the surf along the water's edge, getting our clothes a little wet and enjoyed that. The few Western women who did venture into the water looked decidedly uncomfortable revealing any flesh and mightily embarrassed by the crowds of men (resting fishermen and others) hanging around staring and ogling them up close.

Twenty five yards out, the sea was heaving with men in their none too clean undies, jumping up and down, screaming and splashing and generally behaving like 4 year olds. Not an appetising or restful sight at all! Now perhaps this was just because it was a Saturday.... who knows!

Kovalam Beach is actually a series of four beaches, very much on the Lonely Planet trail. There are plenty of Westerners gone native on Lighthouse B and Hawah B. Some well heeled Indian families as well. A 5 star resort the Leela Kempinski between Hawah and Kovalam B caters to better heeled types (who probably use the pool) and there are a plethora of ayurvedic treatment spas and hotels dotted about. The shops and restaurants along the strip are catastrophically over priced and provide no incentive to lingering.

So all in all, I think I may be looking elsewhere to bathe….

We concluded our visit to Kovalam with a visit to Aswathy's house to meet her parents and then back to TRV.

7.30 pm saw us attending yet another end-of-term Xmas entertainment, this time at St Roch's Convent. This was laid on by the trainee teachers this time, so more sophisticated in calibre. I was asked once again to address the assembled sisters and teachers and say something of meaning….. A little later I was also asked to sing a song! Luckily, Sr Mercy had her book of Christmas carols to hand so I sang "Angels we have heard on high!" They all joined in on the Gloo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria…. That felt good! It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Right now, bushed and going to bed - no photos tonight!

Namaste

Mad