Becoming Indian

After visiting Madurai and Kanyakumari (the southest point of India!), and after hour of painful bus rides, we finally arrived in Kottayam, whereone of Ninas friends parents-in-law live. Jacob and Jaya have a very nice house a bit away from the centre, and they welcomed us as if we were their own grand children.

And so we got our first Indian culture lessons: how to wear a saree, how to eat properly, how to pronounce Malayalam (the language in Kerala), how to open a coconut the right way (there are so many coconut trees here!)... after some days and clothes shopping they told us: Now you are Indians!

Unfortunately Nina became sick after the first day, and so I had to entertain myself a bit. I made an apple duck, and Jaya showed me some traditional Keralan dishes. On the picture you see Achappam (yes, I remembered the word!), some deep fried cookies/crunchy things.

After nearly a week Nina felt better, and so we left for Alleppey, which we reached by ferry. But then she felt sick again, and so we decided to change our plans and go directly to Kochi, where we are now. Nina is in hospital for a day or two (dhe has an infection), and I wander along the streets here. It is a beautiful city. A bit too many tourists maybe, but really beautiful. In the morning I took the ferry to come to another island (Kochi is spread over some islands), and I really enjoyed the view over the sea. So now I just hope that Nina gets out of hospital soon, so that she can enjoy it too.