… or: our next leg after a beautiful day in Goa
On Saturday night, we were back in Bombay. All the world is partying. It is called Diwali, which is the festival of lights. This is like Christmas at home. There are many presents. Diwali is celebrated festively. Lots of lights are illuminated. You take some time out and meet family or friends. You dress for the occasion and eat something special. And you have parties, both in private and publicly. And you dance. In an English-speaking Indian newspaper, I read interviews done with celebrities where they tell people how they celebrate Diwali.
Everything is like we know from Christmas. Perhaps the significance is also similar. Except that, at home, there are no public parties. But who knows: maybe we will get that in Germany, as well – a huge Christmas Party for all Christmas singles near the Brandenburger Tor.
This night is even more noisy and shorter than the last one I spent in Mumbai. Maresa has to be taken back to the International Airport, her flight to Munich will depart at midnight. After all, she has to go to school on Monday and should have all Sunday in Munich to recuperate. And we go to the national airport on Sunday morning at 4:15 hours, from where we head for Kochi (Kerala).
Due to Diwali, all employees at Bombay check-in are dressed in their local costumes, instead of their usual uniforms. For a change, we are on time and everything goes smoothly.
The flight from Mumbai to Kochi (Kerala) is twice as long as the one to Goa. Maresa went back home. Now there are six of us left. Maximilian’s Chinese parents-in-law have arrived.
In Kochi, the taxi to the “backwaters” is already waiting for us. For the first time in India, we have a driver who hesitrantly asks if we would mind if he did not turn on the „AC“ (air condition). Also, he sticks by the traffic rules, does not take over at the most dangerous places and actually drives slowly. When he calls someone on the telephone, he even stops at the curb. This is absolutely sensational.
On arrival, a huge ship awaits us. It is as big as the steamers on the lake Ammersee. It has three big bedrooms and a canopied salon in the front part with huge armchairs and benches. We will spend the time between Sunday and Tuesday morning on this ship.
This is how we drive through the “backwaters”. It is an endlessly shallow area with many canals, both broad and narrow. In between the canals, there are large areas of cultivated and watered land. In the daytime, a scenery that looks totally new to us passes by. It looks exceptional and yet always full of diversified harmony: palm trees, rice fields in all phases of cultivation, a few houses, nice colours, great images, everything literally glides past.
We spent two wonderfully quiet and long nights on our ship. Those were truly “meditative” days. Like in Goa, we left the hectic of Bombay behind.
This morning marks the end of our boat trip. We went to Thekkady, Kerala by taxi. It is very close to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Now we will spend two days here in a „Safari-Hotel“, before heading back to a short afternoon in Bombay and from there back to Munich at night. Arrival at Munich airport is scheduled for Friday morning at 6:00 (am).
We will go from the sun into the grey November …
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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