Fort Kochi

My mom, Linda arrived at the Delhi airport at about 2:00 am. I went with the driver to pick her up because I did not have a whole lot of faith in him! It was great to  see her! It was also exciting receiving all the supplies I requested she bring from home (and some extra gifts!).Things I wanted from home included: Trader Joes melatonin, Trader Joes Think Thin protein bars (I had really been missing protein bars!), Malarone (malaria pills), Neutrogena sunscreen and USD cash. She also brought me a new microfiber towel! (I left my old one in Vietnam), Trader Joes chocolate and delicious Trader Joes green tea mints. It was all very exciting!

My mom is here!

We both got a couple hours of sleep and then headed back to the airport to fly to Kochi (Kerala), which is south India. Linda will be in India for about 2 weeks and we will spend most of that time in the south. Our flight from Delhi to Kochi took about three hours and when we arrived it was so warm! We both got on a bus to head to Fort Kochi, which was about a two-hour bus ride from the airport. As we drove to Fort Kochi, I was once again shocked at how modern everything was. Other than the occasional cow and goat, it felt like we could be driving on a highway back home.

Boarding the plane for Kerala

🙂

We arrived at our destination in the dark. I hardly ever book rooms in advance so we needed to set off to find one. Linda was a good sport as I walked her in and out of each guesthouse to look at rooms and negotiate prices. During this time, she learned very quickly that she would be shedding some of the many heavy items that she brought to India! Some of which included: A very heavy mug, three towels, a magnifying mirror, regular sized containers of shampoo and conditioner, tea, sugar and several books.  We finally settled on the Le Linda guesthouse, it seemed appropriate.

Linda at Le Linda’a

Minda, Linda and Brownie

As much as we loved our hosts and (host kitten) we decided that we only wanted to stay at Le Linda’s one night. In the morning, we found a room that was cleaner, had better wifi and was cheaper.I also introduced my mother to Tuk-Tuks which she loved. I told her if she paid, I would ride in them as much as she wanted. She thought that this was a much better idea than lugging her three bags across town to the new guesthouse.

Tuk-Tuk Time

Fort Kochi is this cute town that has lots of little shops, homestays and small restaurants with outside seating. The entire city felt really safe and the first thing I said was that it felt like we were somewhere in Europe. Fort Kochi was actually colonized by the Portuguese in 1503 and there is still a lot of European influence. The entire state of Kerala also has about a 91% literacy rate!

Chinese Fishing Nets

My mom has a fiber farm back in Pennsylvania. One of the things she wanted to do while in India was to visit a silk factory and see a weaving demonstration. Although, where we ended up going was somewhat touristic, it was still fun to see.

Weaving Demonstration

My mom in her element!

After the weaving demonstration, we went to the Fort Kochi beach and I stepped foot in the Arabian Sea for the first time ever.

Us at the Arabian Sea

These guys were so excited to have their picture taken!