A Brighter Day

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We woke up feeling better and headed to breakfast. The previous morning Lois, Sue and I had had dry toast which was very sweet. We have noticed their European bread is very sweet. When we commented on this the waiter told us that the next morning we should order the vege toast which was savoury. So ........ we all did. What arrived was toast layed with fresh vegetables - carrots, cucumber and tomato- it looked divine but we were all too scared to eat it!!! After gales of laughter at the looks on each other's faces Peter dashed up to the room for a bag. We carefully and hopefully discreetly put most of it in the bag because we did not want to offend and set off on our trip - starving. However no- one was going either end so it was all good. Now in the south there are reasonable ( by our standards) toilets and restaurants but this is not the case on our journeys. Us girls are getting pretty well developed calf and buttock muscles as we use squat toilets. Actually if they are clean they are not too bad because you don't have to touch anything - you have to ensure all clothing, handbags etc are clear and aim well- oh and always have your own tissues and hand sanitiser ( our best friend). By the way they are not usually all that clean - actually nothing much is... Whoops - I shouldn't really say that. I forgot to say the journey back down the hills/ mountains through dozens of hairpin corners was quite spectacular. We also saw a gathering of pilgrims, all in very bright orange. Some had shaven heads, smeared with a yellow paint or paste of some kind. These were the minority. They all gathered to wash and bathe in the river which was an amazing sight. We arrived at Palakkad which appears to be a a bit more modern than other cities we have visited. After lunch we visited Victoria College ( a university) where we met some lovely students keen to talk. Our photos were taken and immediately uploaded onto Facebook! The college is 125 years old and the old buildings would have been beautiful then but they are quite rundown now. The students were bubbly, enthusiastic and friendly young people and were keen to tell us that this was the 'best!' University! They were delightful. We also visited Palakkad Fort. We got distracted on the bridge over the moat watching the turtles, fish, a nasty looking water snake and and a (flock?) of dragonflies hovering overhead. The fort was well maintained, seven layers of stone and quite formidable. We wandered around, then entered the snake park, and yes we were expecting to see snakes but it turned out to be a gorgeous and immaculate sculpture garden. There were several professional video cameramen filming young couples - we assumed for wedding or honeymoon photos. We have changed our plans very slightly because we all want to see Maddy safely onto the train. Arrangements down in the south have not been smooth and Maddy not only has very protective parents but two sets of protective uncles and aunts- she has mentioned that she has been travelling around the world by herself for sometime but I think we will all feel better if we know she is in a safe carriage to Kochi.

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