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A New Sense in Kerala

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Namaste! My adventure began after setting down at Delhi airport and with a Swine flu screening. Passengers had to fill out a health declaration form and then monitored with a thermal imaging camera. Anyone with a temperature above normal was immediately escorted away for tests! Welcome to India! I grabbed what looked like the oldest bus in the world and we traveled 5 kilometers across the air field, stopping occasionally to give the right away to jumbo jets. I saw exotic birds and monkeys playing in the trees. Definitely not at home anymore.  We arrived at the domestic terminal and were greeted by armed guards and had to show our passport and tickets in order be let inside.

Once in the terminal, I exchanged 20 pounds for some rupees. I caught the Kingfisher flight to Bangalore and then to Trivandrum, the capital in Kerala, my first destination. Upon arriving in Trivandrum is when I noticed India has a distinct smell, which I was unable to place, it was sort of like hot machine oil. I took a taxi to one of the best hotels Kerala can offer. The taxi ride was manic, with all the beeping of horns, swerving to avoid pedestrians and overtaking in the path of oncoming traffic. This is how they drive in India, far different than England, this is when it finally dawned on me what I was getting myself into.

When I got to my room, I attempted to sleep, but the combination of jet-lag and traffic noise made this impossible. I laid awake for most of the night, I occasionally got up to get a drink of water. I only got a few hours of sleep. When I woke up, I was tired and I had a headache. So, I set out in search of food. I found a restaurant not far from my hotel and ordered thali along with lime juice and a bottle of water. A thali is about 9 small pots of curry along with a japate, rice and a popodom. Eating in India is a new experience, using no cutlery and only my right hand only, because one should use the left hand for other business.

After this wonderful meal, I walked a couple of miles to a park. It was so fascinating to see a the city, with lots of small shops and people everywhere. The traffic is chaos and the heat is intense. When I got to the park, I was thirsty enough to buy a glass of apple juice, which contains local water, and thankfully I got no ill effects. I took a tuk-tuk back to my hotel. Back in my room, to try to sleep this time, I couldn’t help wonder just how amazing India is.

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Tags: best hotels Kerala, Swine Flu screening, thali

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