Elephants, elephants, everywhere....

Greetings from Fort Kochi, Kerela!

I arrived in Fort Kochi early yesterday and am very happy to report that I am very pleased with my guest house--phew!!  It is very basic/simple, but fits two "musts", well maybe 3:-)

-CLEAN

-Hot Water

-in my budget

and as an extra bonus has free wi-fi, a/c and in a totally new building (which i typically don't like, but new in India isn't sometimes such a bad thing unless you have a big budget).  Not to mention, I finally don't even have to use my own sheets!!  All this for 1800 rps per night which is equivalent to appx $40.

Plus, the owner is super hospitable and friendly.  He was born here but has been living in London with his wife and children for over 30 yrs and just opened this a few months ago.  He even came to dinner with me last night (he has a daughter too and I guess was feeling fatherly to be being alone).

I really like Fort Kochi!  Its super quaint and charming...and very easy to navigate.  It was once a Portuguese run town, so the architecture is a mix of Portuguese and kerela style...very nice!  However, I am told now the Kashmir's and foreigner's have bought up most of the old buildings.  It is the cultural center of kerela, so lots of interesting activities, shops, etc.  If I did have a larger hotel budget there are some really stunning boutique heritage hotels!!  I might splurge and have dinner at one tonight.  Hmmmm....perhaps I shldn't of bought 2 tops, 2 pants and had a pair of my favorite pants copied from a tailor in this amazing fabric.  Ugh...but everything is such a bargain compared to the US!!  I have shown enormous amounts of willpower thus far (with the motivation being that I really don't want more to schleep around)!  BUT....when I was on Chennai I sent a parcel to the US as to "lighten my load" (aka...make room for shopping)!!

So this am I got picked up at 6:30am to spend my morning with elephants at a rescue camp about 1.5 hrs away.

Wow...I love elephants!!!  They have such an interesting physique about them, they are really playful,  smart/good memory (hence, I have the memory of an elephant--which I have happen to have been told  plenty of times...which is fine as long as no one says I have the figure of an elephant--tee,hee) and seem very loyal.

I had my own car and driver (for $20 which included elephant ride too).  There were about 7 other tourists there, but I was the only one brave enough to attempt to help wash them (well, more of a photo opp I must admit).  I was a bit squeamish after I saw them all pooping and pishing right where they were getting bathed--yuck!  They get a bath every day at 8am.  Their handlers use coconuts to was them.  

Afterwards the get their "ayurvedic food"...apparently their dosha's are in balance:-)

It was a really great experience for me..loved it!

Tonight I am going to see a typical Keralan dance performance called Karnakatil--which looks very interesting.

Until tomorrow...

Namaste,

Dayna