Alarm clock this morning as we plan to get on with things. Breakfast is rice noodles with pea and coconut kari. It is humbling to discover how many different delicious breakfasts there are in Kerala. Muesli will never seem the same again. Once fed we set out for the ferry. It is a bit cloudy and very humid this morning. No breej at all as we cross the harbour.
We take an auto up to the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, near the High Court. We become aware of a lot of noise from some of the tree tops. There are hundreds of bats hanging up there. There is a watch tower which might give a better view so we climb that, but when we get to the top it rocks precariously, as well as providing a home for some enormous black bees. We beat a retreat.
Ground level is basically swamp with a couple of paved paths for access. We get glimpses of sunbirds, an unidentified water bird and an orange headed thrush but R quickly attracts clouds of small biting insects and we decide to skip the bird watching.
We walk back past the High Court into the main shopping area. The list still has a few items required and we make a good effort, finding everything that we need except a tea infuser. On the way we walk down a street of various types of Christian church. The Church of Perpetual Adoration looks like it belongs in Disneyland.
This is not a tourist area so there is no hard sell or fake 'No Hassle' conversation. We finish up near the MG Road Metro station and take the one stop ride to the southern terminus and a short walk to the Grand Hotel. Today is not a dry day so we partake of a beer and complimentary nuts and popadums.
On the ferry ride back to the island we fall into conversation with two young men who claim to be in the film industry. It is not clear whether they actually make films or just like to show strangers pictures of famous people. They are on their way to see some of the Biennale exhibits and seem surprised that we have heard of it. As we part they ask to add us to their photo collection. They must be hicks. Nobody has asked to include us in a selfie since we got here.
The heat has really sapped our energy and today's siesta becomes a bit of a marathon. By the time we are fully awake the cocktail hour is upon us. We decide to try a restaurant quite close to our digs. We saw their menu earlier and were told that beer was available. One of the dishes on offer is tiger prawns which we considered having in Bangladesh but didn't get round to. Tonight we go for it. The beer is served in pot mugs, from bottles wrapped in bags. We are asked to keep them out of view, under the table.
To accompany the prawns we order squid rings and lemon rice. As we wait for the food it dawns on D that he never got to an ATM today. A quick check with the waiter confirms that it is a cash only speakeasy, but there is an ATM just along the street. This one does not want our business so D has to flag an auto and ask him to drive to the nearest Canara Bank machine, wait and return. This turns out to be almost opposite Saj Homestay but hidden from the street. Inevitably there is a queue but the machine pays out and R will not have to do the washing up for a month to pay for the prawns.
The food is good. So good that it attracts a cat, lower parts striped, upper parts spotted. It is clearly a close relative of some kind of jungle cat or fishing cat. It is very keen to get at the prawn remains on our table and has to be physically removed a couple of times. Meanwhile there are rolls of thunder and the lights go out. The thunder continues as we walk home, accompanied by flashes of lightning. A good storm might clear the air but please wait until we get home.
Love the cat !
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