Cochin, how I have dreamt of thee

Alicia here, reporting from Dubai. It's official: we're going to Cochin. We bought our tickets yesterday (the day after a 17% fare hike, hurrah) and on June 23rd will be headed on a Qatar Airways flight to beautiful, soggy Cochin, right in the heart of monsoon season.

Some of you may not know where Cochin is. If you look at the picture, you can probably guess that it is somewhere with tropical plants and muddy rivers, like Africa, South America, Southeast Asia or sometimes, an authentic reproduction of one of these areas in the Middle East. In fact, Cochin is located in the Southern Indian state of Kerala, which seems to be a very nice place on which the Portuguese left more than a few characteristic evil-colonialist marks, such as splendid architecture and Christian holidays.

We considered flying to Mumbai and then taking a train to Cochin, but then realized it's a 40-hour train journey. Pass, thanks. The prerequisite adventure, of course, will be trucking it down to the Indian Consulate General to stand in line first thing in the morning and obtain an Indian Entry Visa. (Hereafter known as IEV). We have decided that I will go alone, so that I can take advantage of the females-only line, which is traditionally much shorter and more pleasant-smelling than the men's line.

I really do hope that we are granted entry visas, since proof of plane tickets is required in order to get them. It would be awfully snarky if they rejected your visa after you had gone to the trouble of buying tickets. Since I am not a Portuguese conquistador, I think my chances are good.