Bangalore - Fort Cochin

With each day that passed, since leaving the yoga house, my backpack on my back and my rucksack on my front, were with me 24 hours. It was all getting heavier and heavier, and the more days that passed, the more effort it took for me to be able to walk any distance longer than a few minutes, with my loaded-up back and front. How has it gotten so much heavier? It’s all I own, it’s my life, my world, my all, I know, so of course it’s only natural it’s more than 25 kilo’s. But it still makes me wonder… Just as well I was soon to reach somewhere offering some “back-relief”! A hard bed should do the trick. But before I have the pleasure of encountering such a bed, I still had one night on the bus to “happily” experience.

Saturday evening I took the overnight bus from Bangalore to Cochin. Another 14 hours. I had the worst seat on the bus, the backseat! The bumps were twice as bad, the swerves were more of an issue, but I was glad not to see the road and be forced to watch the manic style of driving. I also had to bring ALL OF MY LUGGAGE onto the bus, just like everyone else.. The things that were being transported was unreal: baskets of flowers and sacks of clothes filled up the aisle, as well as recycled paper and garbage even. I sat with a family of 3, who were also unlucky to get the worst seats in on the coach but they made the trip so much more of a pleasure. We chatted, they wanted English lessons throughout the journey and treated me to dinner when we had a pit-stop. I was wrecked though. It was a struggle to be sociable at that stage, which I actually hate to admit. I didn’t sleep that night either. I felt to be more in “danger of my life“, compared to the other bus journey. It was probably just my mind playing tricks on me.

Sunday morning the bus reached Cochin. Again, I dreaded the next step. The mission began of finding a place to stay for 2 nights. I had nothing booked but I had fair idea in which direction to head. After searching in different areas of the city, being showed the dirtiest places I’ve seen in my life where you wouldn’t even expect a dog to sleep and also being told at least 10 times that everything was fully booked, I started making my way out of the city towards the sea. I knew I”d be staying for 2 nights, so I felt I had to make the extra effort to find somewhere nice to stay. So I got a few taxis, haggled with the drivers, heaved myself onto buses and got weighed down by my luggage which I couldn’t put down at this stage, because I didn’t have the strength to pick it up again.

By 11am: I reached a place where I finally felt more at ease. I got myself to a place in Fort Cochi. This is a tourist destination just outside the city of Cochin, it’s by the sea and it’s gorgeous. I’m now in a homestay, relatively cheap with mildew on the walls, but I’ve got a shower and a bed. That’s all that matters for now, as well as 2 days and 2 nights of peace. I’ve been doing not a lot, since getting here, besides trying to avoid the young Indian men who see a Western girl alone, and would be inclined to take advantage. I’m keeping everyone at a distance. It’s hard though, especially when sometimes you just want a conversation with somebody or anybody who is willing to chat. The local girls, you don’t see. The local men have warped minds. And the tourists, I haven’t yet had the chance. It’s actually the first place in India I’ve been, where I’ve seen so many Western people. It was a little bit of shock, at first. Wouw: I’m not only seeing natives, but also travellers, just like me!! How nice!