Delhi-Belly?

Delhi-Belly?

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006--Alleppey to Kochi

Well, I got up and caught a morning bus to Kochi. It's only about a 2-hour trip. The bus was packed later, but when I got on there was room for me to get a seat and to store my suitcase just behind me. I was lucky.

Last night, I went to a local restaurant and had tandoori chicken. I got two pieces--each a quarter of a chicken. It was spiced nicely with seasonings and with lemon juice. I ate it with roti, a flat bread, and the slices of onion and cucumber that came with it. It was good, but a little dry.

I slept well under the mosquito net last night. I was glad I had it, too. This morning when I got up, there were so many mosquitos flying around my windows trying to get out of the room. All of them would have been trying to bite me during the night.

Kochi is a very nice town. The old area has wonderful old buildings from hundreds of years ago. I am staying in Ernakulam, across the bay from Kochi. It's the main shopping district and the location for most of the hotels--especially the budget ones. I checked in at Biju's Tourist Home, the same place where I have stayed the two previous times I have been here. From the room, I just walk a couple of blocks to a jetty where there is a ferry that goes across to the old town.

Since arriving in India, I have had Indian food for every meal except one breakfast. Today, I felt like something different, so I went to Pizza Hut. I had a "meal deal" that included a bowl of tomato soup, an individual pizza, and a scoop of ice cream. I had it with a glass of limeade. Well, tonight my stomach is aching. I think I may have gotten Delhi-Belly from Pizza Hut!!

Abraham came to my room this afternoon. He's one of the guys I've written via e-mail for a while. He was the one who convinced me that I should return to Biju's. It's the best of the budget places in town, he said. Anyway, he has a master's degree in literature, and we have been writing about books we have read or are reading. I told him I would save some of my books to give him when I came here, so he came to the room this afternoon and picked up the 3 books I had for him. That will be a load out of my suitcase! While there, we had a good time visiting. He's a very professional man who speaks English well. We talked about all kinds of things, and both of us were saying at the end that it is too bad we don't live close to each other; we are sure we would become close friends if we did. He is 36, married, and operates a family business (two plant nurseries) in a suburb of the city. It was a pleasant way to pass the afternoon during the hours before my stomach started flaring up.

I guess I will look for something to eat before going back to my room now. It's already 7:30. I don't know what to have, however. I'll see what I can find close-by in the neighborhood.