Today over Masala crab and Tandoori platter Uli fessed up: he is craving Wiener Schnitzel. Seldom before have I heard such a desire uttered by my Austrian husband, who likes spicy food and international cuisine but I guess almost four weeks of (good) vegetarian plus fish and a few pieces of chicken, mostly processed and unrecognizable, will do this to the most open-minded of eaters.
In his mind he is scheming a quick trip to a famous old Viennese restaurant during our 24 hour lay-over where they serve the best Wiener Schnitzel or the best whatever-is-typically-Austrian. He is – no doubt – already putting together a menu in his mind. I have to admit that the idea of sinking my teeth into a piece of red meat doesn’t sound half bad to me bad either right now, well maybe not right now as I am still full from the Masala crab and Tandoori platter.
We took a last farewell trip to Old Kochi today, giving Max the opportunity to have two more rickshaw and two more ferry rides. Kochi was uncharacteristically quite and we haven’t found out why yet – many stalls were closed and the traffic was light. Maybe another strike? Indians seem to be just as fond of a good strike as the French and Italians. On our last evening here I finally got the sunset I had been hoping for all along and so in the end I came away with the “Chinese fishernet at sunset” pictures that every good tourist is supposed to take. I even got a bit of a rainbow showing over the fishernets -what more can I ask for?
The bags are packed, sort off, lots of stuff still lying around and I fight the building hope that we can get it all in 4 pieces of luggage instead of five. It’s always the bulky stuff that remains unpacked until the very end, the toiletries, shoes, etc. while Max’s tiny little underpants are mostly stowed away but really not taking up all that much room. We’ll see how it goes, I am mentally preparing for a bit of a trek between the domestic terminal in Mumbai – where our plane from Kochi lands – and the international terminal, where our flight to Vienna departs.
We said our good-byes to Kerala. It was an exciting experience and both Uli and I are very glad we came. It wasn’t exactly a lot of R&R but for that I need only drive to Santa Cruz and not fly halfway around the globe. Having been here has made us aware of India in a very different dimension. Living in Silicon Valley having Indian friends, eating Indian food and celebrating Diwali are normal parts of life but it was fascinating to get a first glimpse at and hopefully better understanding for Indian culture in all its richness. Going forward we’ll be following news from India with a keener interest and hopefully a better understanding. With every day being even hotter than the last and the mosquitoes getting more plentiful and aggressive we are ready to leave and both feel that we are ready to come back some time in the future.
We will be on the road starting tomorrow afternoon until Monday evening European time and blogging opportunities will be scare. In Frigiliana we won’t have Internet access at home (oh horror) and I am hoping there will be a nice convenient non-smoking Internet cafe near by, ideally next door. It’s back to the Spanish-speaking world, plenty of alcohol and meals that scream “coronary heart disease” . It will be fun.