hot cha cha

It is so bloody hot here! It must be about 90 degrees and 90% humid. Here? We are in Cochin, India. We arrived late last night. When we checked into the flight gate the employee took a double take on us. "Cochin?" "yes" "Are you sure?" "yes" Hmmm. There were only a few pale white faces in the jet. Most were dark skinned men, all with full heads of thick hair. (I wonder if the oil they use would work for me.) When I walked back to the head, every pair of eyes took me in with an expression of... what I am not sure. Bewilderment? A Japanese man sitting next to me truly enjoyed the endless free drinks. On about his 6th one he dumped it into his lap. Shortly afterward he passed out. Susan had to climb over him to get to the toilet.

 

The ride into the city was interesting. It was raining. The street was sometimes 2 lanes, sometimes 4. The driver used whatever one he liked best, sometimes heading straight for an oncoming vehicle until the last moment. I dug around into the filthy crevice behind the seat to find the brand new, unused seat belt for each of us. The road surface changed frequently and was always rutty and rotten. Somehow in the dark rain the driver knew where every pot hole was and avoided them. Most of the way was through grizzly neighborhoods of open garage pool halls, and other late night entertainments. We eventually entered an urban area and soon stopped at our hotel.

 

The hotel is quite clean, but not like anything we are used to in the US. The room is clean and the beds firm. Very firm. They are literally 2 inch pads on wood frames. The shower has two temperatures - cool and 2 degrees above cool. The ambient air is so warm that it does not really matter.

 

Today we scouted about the neighborhood and met our guide. He is a nice Indian man, perhaps 35 years old. Pravin is his name, I think. He said we would enjoy walking around and that everywhere is perfectly safe. That is good to know. Susan bought an Indian outfit with long sleeves. As hot as it is that is needed for various temple visits. I just watched her, and had a coolish soda.

 

That is the report for now. I am really tired and have to go have a bit of a nap.

 

Namaste.

--
Michael & Susan Kuhn
Trip email: indiaadventure2007@gmail.com
Trip blog: www.indiaadventure2007.blogspot.com