Not so long ago in a place quite a long way away...
Sept 9 -
Flight Abu Dhabi good, slept some- Abu Dhabi airport v.nice and modern – Piano bar for beers.
Flight Muscat short 45 mins wait on plane as millions of people came onboard to clean then on to Trivandrum – only 3 hours but seemed like an age.
Sept 10
First impression shanty like with rain and puddles and plenty of wet people and no law on the roads basically just don’t hit anything but exciting and new and not unlike Samui (which is a GOOD thing).
Then the house which is a mansion down a crappy road that doesn’t look much but the security guard whose name I forget (Raajeesh?) is really nice and the house is like huge with 4 bedrooms all big with a/c and fans and en suite so you have your own space (to share with the mozzies) no bites as yet but I am wearing a coat of Jungle repellant (and smell v.nice).
First meal out and sand piper beer is the rox – beats kingfisher – and veggie curries with names like daal and aloo gobi (which I know you’d all love) and some other dips and fish on sticks that was really good then home to mozzies and foottie on tv (result!!) and bed.
Sept 11 -
Woken up (feeling shite) by our new cook who introduces himself (Arun) by shouting through the window MADAM!, MADAM! (knew I should have got that haircut) – pepto bismal is the dogs and sorts out tummy pronto! – just as well I think. Then we are well fed by our chef – veggie rice and fresh pineapple juice. Quick look round the garden (coconuts!) and nice flowers that I photo’ed for Ali and will try to send a different one each day if I can.
Then we went for a walk and ended up at an aquarium and flower show which cost us about 10p each to get into and was similar to walking around Millets (garden centre) which was kinda funny as everybody there was really making a big deal of it. Bought a Mango ice cream for about 2p which was nice. The festival of Onam is this week, I think it’s a bit like xmas as there are lots of lights and decorations everywhere.
Meal out in evening to Kovalum where the waves came crashing onto the beach through mist and I really liked the atmosphere. Saw first brit tourists at ‘FUSION’ where the food was lovely – wait till you try the cheese balls & fish fingers (oo-er x 2). Couple of Kingfishers as sand piper wasn’t available (boo!) Then home to mozzies and power cut that sent me to bed as power out was more like it – seems like it rains and the power just gives up which is also kind of funny (glad I packed the torch!)
Sept 12
Woke up after sleeping well (melatonin is the new bomb!) – felt totally wired! – donned camera and chased butterflies and lizards around the garden (took picture of 1 lizard that freaks me out – will send...maybe) complete communication breakdown with the cook led to me being served 3 times as much food for brekkie as I thought I ordered – he looked well peeved poor chap, and it was really nice omelette and some Indian veggie thing that I cant remember. So after upsetting the only person I had come into contact with, I decided to slink off back to my room. Then came out for work, and I’m just walking out the door when my mate the cook calls me into the kitchen – he had prepared lunch for us!!!! – didn’t have time to eat and I thought I was about to wear the lovely curry he had made! – I feel really guilty (even though I’m smilin’) so might have to brush up on some basic Malayalam, or hire a translator.
Onto the office and introductions to so many people whose names all kind of sound alike, think it would take me the duration of the trip to remember the who's who but they are all really friendly. Nothing much happened during the day - S.S.D.D but it was cool to be able to e-mail people from home. POWER OUT call forced us home where chef had left us some really nice spring rolls....Bless 'im.
Flight Abu Dhabi good, slept some- Abu Dhabi airport v.nice and modern – Piano bar for beers.
Flight Muscat short 45 mins wait on plane as millions of people came onboard to clean then on to Trivandrum – only 3 hours but seemed like an age.
Sept 10
First impression shanty like with rain and puddles and plenty of wet people and no law on the roads basically just don’t hit anything but exciting and new and not unlike Samui (which is a GOOD thing).
Then the house which is a mansion down a crappy road that doesn’t look much but the security guard whose name I forget (Raajeesh?) is really nice and the house is like huge with 4 bedrooms all big with a/c and fans and en suite so you have your own space (to share with the mozzies) no bites as yet but I am wearing a coat of Jungle repellant (and smell v.nice).
First meal out and sand piper beer is the rox – beats kingfisher – and veggie curries with names like daal and aloo gobi (which I know you’d all love) and some other dips and fish on sticks that was really good then home to mozzies and foottie on tv (result!!) and bed.
Sept 11 -
Woken up (feeling shite) by our new cook who introduces himself (Arun) by shouting through the window MADAM!, MADAM! (knew I should have got that haircut) – pepto bismal is the dogs and sorts out tummy pronto! – just as well I think. Then we are well fed by our chef – veggie rice and fresh pineapple juice. Quick look round the garden (coconuts!) and nice flowers that I photo’ed for Ali and will try to send a different one each day if I can.
Then we went for a walk and ended up at an aquarium and flower show which cost us about 10p each to get into and was similar to walking around Millets (garden centre) which was kinda funny as everybody there was really making a big deal of it. Bought a Mango ice cream for about 2p which was nice. The festival of Onam is this week, I think it’s a bit like xmas as there are lots of lights and decorations everywhere.
Meal out in evening to Kovalum where the waves came crashing onto the beach through mist and I really liked the atmosphere. Saw first brit tourists at ‘FUSION’ where the food was lovely – wait till you try the cheese balls & fish fingers (oo-er x 2). Couple of Kingfishers as sand piper wasn’t available (boo!) Then home to mozzies and power cut that sent me to bed as power out was more like it – seems like it rains and the power just gives up which is also kind of funny (glad I packed the torch!)
Sept 12
Woke up after sleeping well (melatonin is the new bomb!) – felt totally wired! – donned camera and chased butterflies and lizards around the garden (took picture of 1 lizard that freaks me out – will send...maybe) complete communication breakdown with the cook led to me being served 3 times as much food for brekkie as I thought I ordered – he looked well peeved poor chap, and it was really nice omelette and some Indian veggie thing that I cant remember. So after upsetting the only person I had come into contact with, I decided to slink off back to my room. Then came out for work, and I’m just walking out the door when my mate the cook calls me into the kitchen – he had prepared lunch for us!!!! – didn’t have time to eat and I thought I was about to wear the lovely curry he had made! – I feel really guilty (even though I’m smilin’) so might have to brush up on some basic Malayalam, or hire a translator.
Onto the office and introductions to so many people whose names all kind of sound alike, think it would take me the duration of the trip to remember the who's who but they are all really friendly. Nothing much happened during the day - S.S.D.D but it was cool to be able to e-mail people from home. POWER OUT call forced us home where chef had left us some really nice spring rolls....Bless 'im.
posted by nidpor at 4:05 AM
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