In Kochi

We have dodgy Internet service for the next few days. We will post as we are able, perhaps sans photos.

We landed at 3:20 A.M. local time first awareness was of heat, the second was of humidity.  Clearly, we are not in Vermont anymore.  This morning, bright sunshine filtered into the room. I managed to sleep for four hours. Jennie slept later but later told me she was up for an hour while I slept,

We are in the Flora Airport Hotel, and true to name, there are flowering bushes outside our windows, which face east. I tried a photo but the low angle of the sun washed everything out. Still, we are far south and the light is exquisite.

So is the food. We had breakfast at the hotel, in their restaurant, surrounded by windows looking out through immense flowering tropical plants. I had  my heart and mind set on having dosa, but when confronted by rows of delectable local goodies, became distracted and never managed the dosa. Fortunately this is South India and dosa is ubiquitous, so maybe this morning I will have dosa.

I am writing this at 4:30 Monday morning local time, having fallen asleep around nine last night; we are clearly doing jet lag. Sometime in the middle of the night a bird began calling, and woke us both up. It is still calling, leading to a discussion of night birds and the challenges they pose to sleep. I rather enjoy them as they remind me of the jungle, and of the visits we took to visit relatives in the deep south during my childhood.

Today we meet up with friends, do a couple of errands, and begin to explore Kochi and surrounds. We may also set aside a few minutes to plan a ceremony scheduled for Chennai. The emphasis though, as it is for the next four days,  is relaxation and discovery.