Cochin and climate change

Hello! We've managed to find an internet cafe in Allepeye today. Here are a few more pictures.

We're doing well, although it is hotter than it should be for the season and we've had thunderstorms two days in a row with heavy rains. Everyone says it is not normal for the season (We are seeing the effect of climate change here!) and can damage fruit trees, which could mean no mangoes this year :-(

We stayed in a fab homestay in Cochin. The family were celebrating their 1st anniversary of the homestay and cooked us a feast that night.

Pic: Home-made Keralan food!!! Miam miam.

We went to see Katakali, the traditional art of Kerala:

We saw a Christian wedding too, by chance. Here is a little 5-month old baby dressed for the occasion:

Ok, that's it for today. Time for a thali. Tomorrow we are moving on to Chengannur to see a project which helps families and children.

We made it!!!!

We made it!!!
A bit late, but all the better rested, we made it to a surprisingly busy Cochin Airport on Wednesday morning and arrived at the lovely Abad hotel full of lovely lovely staff and thankfully clean rooms with fans..
Cochin is still as we remembered..


and we're taking a few days to get acclimatised (- whatever in Europe to +30 odd here...) and catch our breath.. and do a little house keeping. This included the purchase of some rather nice new scissors (just about room in the rucksacks) and a rather (I would say..) successful first attempt at sorting out the Sylv's hair... helps by low-flying crows, laughter from the girls on the next roof and some strong nerves from both of us - who said moving house was the best test of a relationship?!


Night falls as the finishing touches are made to 'la coupe'

Harriet and Sylv stop off for a night in the gulf.... unplanned..

Sylv's travel jinx struck agin at Istanbul airport... this time resulting in a 24 hour stop over in Bahrain
As you can see... beautiful scenery and just the place for the two train travellers already in shock from having to go to an airport that morning!

Anyway, welcome break in a dusty, half-glam hotel almost on its last legs (to the extent of rather out-dated canned classics playing in the corridors...)
Luckily we made the flight the following night, or we'd still be there going slowly mad worrying about the effects of desalination, the oil trade and reclaimed land on the planet...

Strasbourg to İstanbul

We are writing from İstanbul (on a Turkish keyboard, hence the recurring problem findıng the 'i'... ) anyway, all is very well so far. We are sad to leave İstanbul today, it is an amazing city and amazing to see what all the guide books describe as the real fusion between east and west... hard to describe in better words than that, but actually so much more when you're here. We'll be back one day...

The 4 day trip on the train from Strasbourg to İstanbul went well despite some short nights interupted by passport controls, bumps, bangs and swayiıng furniture. We saw Europe unfold through our cabin window: slept through most of Austria, saw Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and finally Turkey.

Pic: Sylvia starts nesting at last.... in our very cosy cabin for two...

Budapest was a welcome break and merıts so much more than a greay day in January, but we made it to the baths for a wash and a dip outdoors (-3 C!) with the Budapest-ois.

Pic: This is a picture from Romania...as seen from the train as we left Bucharest...

İn İstanbul we received the most warm and generous welcome from Filiz and her husband Giorgio, contacts of Harriet's dad's, who took us all over İstanbul and to the best restaurants in the capital. Wonderful people, wonderful food, expandıng waistlines and new fettish foods - Mmmm!

Off to İndia this afternoon - strange to leave our warm clothes in a pile here and to get on a plane for the next step - train travel has been a great way to start the trip.
We'll post pictures from İndia.... a bientot!

Skiing in Alsace

And yesterday we went skiing in the Vosges. -13 deg C at night, but lovely snow ;-)

First stop Lille

-4oC at Lille; Very lovely to spend the evening with Annick and Virginie.

The big day !

That's it we're off!!!!

Still nearly there....

I had hoped Sylv's travel jinx might not be valid for longer trips.... not so!

Sylv's luck with Eurostar continues and we arrived at St Pancras an hour after our (re-scheduled due to fire!) train had left - luckily the nice women in suits took pity on the weedy girls with BIG rucksacks and gave us 3 hours in the business lounge with some tea and cakes - joy :o)

Fingers crossed for our arrival in Instanbul BEFORE the plan leaves for India, please....

Leaving do party

Thanks to everyone who came last night to our leaving do. It was fantastic! So many people!!! A room full of lovely people, what a treat. I think we realised then that we were going and it was so sad to say goodbye :-( I am also frustrated that I forgot to take pictures, silly me, I wanted to have photos of all my friends to take with me... too busy chating away.

Thanks to everyone, it was super great and we are already looking foward to our coming back party :-)

Nearly there...

That's it, feels like we're getting there now. Today I finally managed to get my Cholera vaccine (there were out of stock everywhere!) and we got $ and travellers cheques. Final jabs were injected yesterday and we got our Indian visa!
It's all getting very real now.

It's been a lot to do and prepare in the last couple of months I have to say, much more than I expected: booking ALL the train tickets, giving up work, renting the flat, moving out, opening new bank accounts, applying for visas, getting all the jabs in order, getting anti-malaria tablets, gathering all the equipments and packing, etc, etc. But it's all there now, our life in a backpack ;-)

Thursday we're having a little bye-bye do in a pub in London, I think quite a lot of our friends will be there. Looking forward to it whilst at the same time not wanting it to happen as it will mean saying bye-bye to our friends for a long time :-(