Back in my India

Finally, I am back in the real south. After leaving Goa, I took the train to Mangalore, got in very late at night and had to stay at a very nice hotel because the only hotel that had a free room didn't allow women. As Adis said "Goddamn Muslims..."

We got on a train the next morning, and hour late and at a different station than we thought it was leaving from, and then spent 13 hours getting to southern Kerala, to a lovely, reasonably sized town, right on the famous backwater, called Kollam. Deciding to splurge a little, we are staying at a nice guest house, a family home, with a huge bed room, private bathroom (with actual bath), a breath-taking view of the backwaters and a 20 something foot statue of a very busty lady. I am very happy to be in my own bed that isn't on the floor for two nights.

Today we went on a three hour boat tour of the village backwaters. They are the arteries of village commerce. We saw coconuts drying to make oil, traditional rope making (three old ladies and an old man making rope from coconut fiber), three Kingfishers, shrimp farming, and our guide climbed a tree. He was a very sweet guy, but potentially another person who would propose to me. He did let me steer the boat. It was driven with a long pole and oars. It was much better than the dolphin trip.

Funny Anecdote:

At the train station in Magalore, I was walking over to Kostas to help him with some tea, when an old aunty called me over to the waiting room window. She gave me a copy a medical dictionary and I think she explained someone left it and no one knew English so she gave it to me. I went to sit down and drink my tea, when she came up to me with this jar of Dabar (a food brand like Kraft) Ayurvedic (traditional south Indian medicine) powder. I had NO idea what to do with it, so I just nodded and looked at the boys. They were no help, so I looked back at her, thanked her, but didn't take it. So she said, I think, something like "Oh you don't want? Ok," and just walked off.

And that was all.