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Todays thoughts:
I really am missing proper coffee right now however. I have only managed to get instant coffee and tea so far. It is always served with sugar and powdered milk in the same way for everyone :-)
I have not seen many women eating at restaurants like the men - maybe they eat at home more? In fact it is mostly men talk to me. Apparently it is because men are still the ones to take a roll outside of the home.
How do I stop my nose running so much when eating hot food?
Diary
Woke up about 8.30 having woken up at 3.30 in the night. I felt much better having had a good old sleep..... Everything is so much easier to handle when you have had sleep.
I went out to a Restaurant (they seem to call "Restaurants" "Hotels" and visa versa - both have
food and most "Hotels" do not have rooms) for breakfast. My breakfast cost 70p - fresh juice, tea and a plate of stuff. A big plate of mixed vegetarian stuff for lunch known as a "Meal" is 30RS - about 40p. I have a feeling that I will be often having a "Meal" for lunch as I travel round.
I was unsure first thing in the morning whether to head on to find a beach where I could just relax and catch up on some more sleep or whether to stay where I was for the day. The hotel is situated right in the middle of a very busy area with literally thousands of people milling round and very very heavy traffic (all beeping their horns every 10 seconds). It was not the most relaxing place to be. However, I did not much fancy packing everything and getting on my bike today. I just wanted to stay where I felt comfortable. I decided that I am here to experience the whole of Indian culture and so I would take in the city atmosphere and not force myself to move on.
After breakfast I bought some Indian clothes. I was not sure whether I was getting ripped off in a clothes shop when I bought 1 Indian outfit. It was £7 for a pair of trousers, a tunic and a scarf but when I then looked in another shop and saw the fixed prices and the fact that the other women in the shop were paying the same. I bought 2 Indian outfits from 2 different shops. I then felt much more comfortable going out from the hotel when I was dressed in the same way as everyone else. I saw no westerners today. It felt like people were much more friendly when I was dressed as an Indian but it might have just been because I was more confident and happy.
I had a little wonder round and bought some fruit and sweety things and a general explore of the area. There do not seem to be the slums in Kochi that I have seen in other areas of India but maybe I am just not in that place. The people do not have a lot of money but there is a huge amount of commerce and a very large number of small businesses.
I was quite tired after my exploring and shopping so I had a little nap in the afternoon. Afterwards India seemed much more manageable. I decided to head out to write this blog in a little cafe shop on a main street and watch the world go by. It was nice to soak up the environment and watch a totally different culture. I feel much happier to take it all in today and enjoy the experience rather than feeling daunted by it as I did yesterday. I was glad that I did not push on today to get to a beach and out of the town.
Had a great Indian meal again for dinner at one of the local restaurants. This time I was in my Indian clothes and had to eat in the Indian way again as there was no cutlery..... when in Rome and all that! The people seemed more friendly than yesterday. The food was really hot but very tasty. They do a great job of providing lots of different dishes all at one meal. Off to bed early.
I really am missing proper coffee right now however. I have only managed to get instant coffee and tea so far. It is always served with sugar and powdered milk in the same way for everyone :-)
I have not seen many women eating at restaurants like the men - maybe they eat at home more? In fact it is mostly men talk to me. Apparently it is because men are still the ones to take a roll outside of the home.
How do I stop my nose running so much when eating hot food?
Diary
Woke up about 8.30 having woken up at 3.30 in the night. I felt much better having had a good old sleep..... Everything is so much easier to handle when you have had sleep.
I went out to a Restaurant (they seem to call "Restaurants" "Hotels" and visa versa - both have
food and most "Hotels" do not have rooms) for breakfast. My breakfast cost 70p - fresh juice, tea and a plate of stuff. A big plate of mixed vegetarian stuff for lunch known as a "Meal" is 30RS - about 40p. I have a feeling that I will be often having a "Meal" for lunch as I travel round.
I was unsure first thing in the morning whether to head on to find a beach where I could just relax and catch up on some more sleep or whether to stay where I was for the day. The hotel is situated right in the middle of a very busy area with literally thousands of people milling round and very very heavy traffic (all beeping their horns every 10 seconds). It was not the most relaxing place to be. However, I did not much fancy packing everything and getting on my bike today. I just wanted to stay where I felt comfortable. I decided that I am here to experience the whole of Indian culture and so I would take in the city atmosphere and not force myself to move on.
After breakfast I bought some Indian clothes. I was not sure whether I was getting ripped off in a clothes shop when I bought 1 Indian outfit. It was £7 for a pair of trousers, a tunic and a scarf but when I then looked in another shop and saw the fixed prices and the fact that the other women in the shop were paying the same. I bought 2 Indian outfits from 2 different shops. I then felt much more comfortable going out from the hotel when I was dressed in the same way as everyone else. I saw no westerners today. It felt like people were much more friendly when I was dressed as an Indian but it might have just been because I was more confident and happy.
I had a little wonder round and bought some fruit and sweety things and a general explore of the area. There do not seem to be the slums in Kochi that I have seen in other areas of India but maybe I am just not in that place. The people do not have a lot of money but there is a huge amount of commerce and a very large number of small businesses.
I was quite tired after my exploring and shopping so I had a little nap in the afternoon. Afterwards India seemed much more manageable. I decided to head out to write this blog in a little cafe shop on a main street and watch the world go by. It was nice to soak up the environment and watch a totally different culture. I feel much happier to take it all in today and enjoy the experience rather than feeling daunted by it as I did yesterday. I was glad that I did not push on today to get to a beach and out of the town.
Had a great Indian meal again for dinner at one of the local restaurants. This time I was in my Indian clothes and had to eat in the Indian way again as there was no cutlery..... when in Rome and all that! The people seemed more friendly than yesterday. The food was really hot but very tasty. They do a great job of providing lots of different dishes all at one meal. Off to bed early.
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