Leaving the North

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Today we travelled back to Dehli for our flight south to Kochi. Thankfully we were able to get money at the airport. The lasting images I have so far are of never ending rubbish, people living their lives on the street in small ramshackle abodes and animals everywhere- cows, pigs, dogs, horses, camels and monkeys. Motorbikes, tuktuks, bicycles and trucks clutter the roadways but the traffic keeps flowing. Today we were amazed to see a parade of camels ridden by green uniform clad army personnel who were on their way to prayers. They became part of the traffic flow and were an impressive sight. Though we saw poverty wherever we went we were told that no one is starving. Most people earn an average wage ( $10 a day), and the beggars earn more. A tourist from Dehli explained to us that the beggars work on a mafia type system where all money earned is given to the head of the household and a percentage to the boss- I assume that is correct. Even hearing that, it is very difficult to ignore the wee children. The people we have met have been really friendly and lovely, though there is expectation of a tip for most things. Experiencing the sights and sounds and culture has been fantastic so far. Flying into Kochi we could see lush tropical vegetation very unlike where we been. The long drive to our hotel was through a much more modern and cleaner city. Dinner in a small local restaurant was divine.

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