One Lap Around India and Back to Where We Started: Kochi

Stanley here. As of yesterday morning, we're back in Kochi. After four lovely nights looking at the crashing surf of Mamalapuram from the balcony of our 12.00 per night hotel while eating fried fish (served whole) and washing them down with semi-cold Kingfishers (due to the intermittent nature of the electricity supply in Tamil Nadu "cold beer" was a relative term), we took a cab to Chennai and an overnight train to Ernakulum Junction. We are now resting, once again, in the comfort of Priya's house in the friendly neighborhood of Kasturba Negar.

Surprisingly, everyone was exited to see us and could not wait to hear about our travels in the limited vocabulary required for understanding. Our friend, Mr. P. D. Jose, (one of the nicest people in the world) took us down to the local Kwiki-mart last night where we reconnected with many of our acquaintances from the neighborhood and from our backwater excursion six weeks ago. Mr. Jose did not find it difficult to round these people up. Apparently they can be found most evenings in front of the Kwiki-mart where they congregate to shoot the shit and eat peanuts and drink tea. It may surprise many Americans, as it did me, that the fine people of this neighborhood (and I assume many Indian neighborhoods) routinely make their way around to five or six of their neighbors' homes most evenings or set aside time to congregate in the most arbitrary of places (really? the Kwiki-mart?), simply because they value and enjoy interaction and contact with those in their community. Who knew?

I'm not quite ready for it to be over. I feel right now that I could make another lap, hitting different places this time around, and then we could see if I felt ready to stop. I'm not tired of life on the road, not by a long shot, but work and obligation beckon from Dubai and tomorrow I'll be catching a plane back to a place that I'm just now beginning to think of as home. Ah well.