Local trips

Breakfast was Indian style with a variety of meat and vegetable dishes. A lot more food than we are used to but very tasty and not too spicy. I think Xavier had toned it down a little as he likes his food very hot and spicy. All the food was prepared by their cook Sri Devi who kept us well supplied.

We spent a good part of the day driving around the area visiting Xavier’s childhood locations. We stopped by one of the many paddy fields where the rice was growing. As we were taking photos a cousin of Xavier appeared on his Royal Enfield motor bike.

The area is full of waterways and canals, many of which are choked with weed such as water hyacinth. Canals used to be the main mode of transportation but not anymore. Transport is dominated by buses, motorbikes, scooters and bicycles. There are thousands of the three wheel putt-putts! We saw many examples of whole family riding on the one scooter. Signs of human activity are everywhere with roadsides littered with small shops. All the towns and villages we passed through were teaming with people shopping or doing business in the miriad of both small and large shops. India is the nation of shopkeepers not Britain.

We spent a little time at St George’s Pilgrimage Centre in Alappuzha where we lit candles for various friends and relations.

Our final stop before returning home was the Aiswaryqa Silks shop in Changanacherry. Yvonne bought two shalawar kamees which she was to find more suitable for the heat.

Soon after arriving home guests started arriving for a family party for Sonia and Matthew. Eventually we moved off to a very smart restaurant called Memories where over a hundred of Xavier’s cousins along with some of his sisters and some of their children many of whom were around Sonia’s age. We met some people who had been at the wedding in May. It was a great occasion. Yvonne tried very hard to get the names and work out the family tree.

We arrived back home at about 10pm after a very long day filled with the diversity of India – religious, cultural and economic.

 

For the first leg of our trip we drove to Belfast International and caught a Ryan Air flight to Gatwick. Temperature in Ballycastle was 9C  but freezing (0C) when we finally arrived at Matthew and Sonia’s place in Croydon. For tea we took advantage of some 2 for 1’s at Pizza Express.

Next day, the 19th, we walked to South Croydon and took the train to Victoria and then tube to Heathrow Terminal 4. We managed to hit London when there were no tube or rail strikes!

The first stage of our flight was by Etihad Airbus 380 to Abu Dhabi. This was a very comfortable aircraft and certainly very big. Service was excellent.

We arrived in Abu Dhabi about 1am local time. The airport was heaving as if everyone only travels at night.

The second stage of our flight was by Etihad Airbus 321 Kochi in Kerala. This flight was full and not as comfortable as the first. We arrived at about 9:30 local time.

Xavier, Aigel and his mum were there to meet us. We went for breakfast at a local hotel before a 3 hour drive to Changanacherry. This was the most entertaining and invigorating part of the trip so far. The roads were teaming with traffic but it somehow kept moving. Everybody drives by the rules but not the rules of the road! Anyway it seems to work as cars have remarkably few bumps showing on them. However it is most dangerous to be a pedestrian on these roads. It looks virtually impossible to cross a road.

Xavier’s home is a very comfortable modern house which he has built himself over the years. We are already into the Indian food and I think that the main problem will be eating too much. We have had a great welcome with relations appearing as soon as we arrived at the house.

For the rest of the day we tried to keep awake. Yvonne explored the plants and trees and did some work on her journal.

(Photos to follow when I can get them uploaded)

09/01/2017

Matthew and Sonia were married at Heslington Church, York on 9th May 2016 just a week after we returned form our Fulbright term in Texas. This was the first time that we had met any of Sonia’s family. So we are now going, with Matthew and Sonia, to visit Sonia’s parents and wider family in Kerala and Bangalore.

We leave on Wednesday 18th january, meet up with Matthew and Sonia and fly to Cochin via Abu Dhabi the next day.

We have our tickets, jabs and visas (e-visa – very easy to get on-line). Yvonne is packed. I have yet to start!