We've been in Fort Cochin now for about 4 days and we love it! It's a little fishing village which is at a headland off the main part called Ernakulam. We've looked around both parts - by getting the ferry taxi across the sea to and from the different areas, and all in all I think we've chosen the best place. The mainland is obviously more like the other big cities, but here is it so laid back and easy going that it's like experiencing 'proper' india! It makes a lovely change to be able to walk down the road without being constantly hassled and having to dodge people, vans, tuk tuks, bikes, scooters, dogs, cows, elephants, camels and carts, although we have noticed an increase in the amount of cats and goats here! We've become more confident with the traffic now anyway. You simply step out and hope for the best! The trick is to only look about 5 steps ahead and see if you can manage that, then another 5 steps etc until you get to the other side. If you wait for a clear crossing, you'd never make it. Once you step out you wait (and hope) that the traffic works its way around you, hopefully leaving your limbs in tact to make your next move. It appears easier to actually walk up the middle of the road, into the traffic and then weave your way in and out - it sort of reminds me of playing a computer game and the goal is to get to the other side without being hit by anything and losing a life! Every time I cross the road I feel a sense of achievement! Although not as much as I did when I managed to go to the toilet without paying for it in Jaipur. After I had the great pleasure of squatting over a hole in the ground in a fly invested dark wooden shack with a distinctive smell, the 'attendant' was busy talking to someone and I managed to escape without having him stand in my way, look me up and down with an extended hand demanding I tip him for his great 'help' with the complicated procedure of going to the toilet. I felt like I wanted to click my heels, punch the air and let a little yelp of joy slip out - but I didn't, in the fear he'd come after me. The toilet is starting to annoy me....please bear with me while I have a rant!......It's now got to the stage where I'm avoiding eating or drinking so I don't have to go in public toilets. I couldn't be bothered to find enough change (which is like gold dust here, so involves buying something or asking around a lot), to then be stared at as the 'white giant', and stood next to and watched as I wash and dry my hands, waiting for them to pounce like a vulture and ask for money for the privelage. This 'act' has already started to creep into nightclubs in Newcastle and I'm not best pleased, although it's relatively simple not to pay so far so I sincerely hope it doesn't get to the stage were we have to tip people to empty our own bladders. Whatever next? 5p a breath? 2p a cough?...and god only knows what a sneeze might set us back! Ok rant over, sorry!

Back to the place....There is a real arty vibe to Fort Cochin, with art cafes, galleries and craft shops - very different to other parts of India that we've seen. It's mainly due to the diverse backgrounds and religions that are here - Hindu, Buddist, Christianity and Jewish. It's amazing, and so nice, that so many different religions can live together in peace with seemingly no conflict - only respect and acceptance of how others live. It works here - why can't it work in other places???? It's obvioulsy possible. Also, it's actually the only place we know of where you are not allowed to smoke in public places, which we didn't expect in India - although this means the street, as cafes etc are seen as private places - so it's the opposite to England! However the most strange thing so far is the beer!!! We asked in a cafe if they had beer as none of the menus have it on, and he said in hushed tones, 'yes but we can only serve it inside'. So we moved tables - to the next one, which had a little grass roof over it - thus classing it as 'inside'. Next thing we knew he came back with a teapot and two mugs (which said 'I love mom' on them). After a strange look and a wink, we realised the beer was in the teapot!!!! Since then we've discovered they're not supposed to sell beer and if so the taxes are high so to do it on the sly they serve it to you in teapots! So we've taking a liking to going to the cafe and asking for a 'special tea' - one pot each please!

The heat here is something else. We arrived at 6.30pm and it was 35 degrees. It is so hot and sticky - the humidity is hard to bear and it's impossible to sleep. That's maybe why all the men here wear skirts and no shoes!

Although the place is lovely it isn't much easier to get anything done. Booking a train was a slight task. We'd to line up to ask questions about it, then go somewhere else and get a booking form, had to try and fill this in correctly, bring it back and line up again and then get it processed, but we managed it. However the post office is another story. Well firstly I think they should be done under the trade descriptions act as 'Speedy Post Office' is a complete falsehood! Moreover, I'm not even sure you could call it a post office! The first battle is to explain what you want, which is to be expected in a foreign country, so fair enough. But when we got the stamps you can't lick and stick, you've to glue them down, with pva glue that you used to have in school. The envelopes don't stick down either as it's too hot so they've to be glued too. But of course there's only one little pot, with an old biro in it for a glue stick, and with very little glue in the bottom...so it takes a long time to stick everything! And you're not the only one needing to use it. And sending a parcel is a whole other ball game. It took us 45mins to send a small package. You got to get it wrapped, but they don't do it. We were sent to a shop next door to get it done, which was a medical store. They just gave us an envelope to put it in, which we did and went back. But this was no good, it has to be in a hard case and then wrapped. Sent to two other places but finally we managed to get an acceptable package for them to take (ie an old antibiotics carton!!!). But then they'd to log in it different places etc and when they finally took it off us and asked us for money, we left feeling we'd done a full days work! Now, I know India is overpopulated and perhaps they are actively job creating (although I doubt it), but I think this is a bit excessive - surely it would be better to have the guys all in the same room to do it together!?!? Or at least have 2 glue pots!?!?!?

Anyway, the enjoyable bits so far (apart from discovering the secret beer) was the tradition dance show that we went to last night. It was like nothing else I've ever seen before. It is called Kathakali and is from this state, Kerala. It takes an hour for them to put the make up on, which in itself is a skill. There is no talking in the play/dance as it is communicated via facial expressions, finger movements and body movements. It is like a highly sophisticated sign language of the face, hands and body! Every eye twitch and foot stamp translates as something so it 'spells' out the story. Extremely complicated. It takes 6 years to train to become and 'actor' but the art form is dying out so they put on shows for tourists and ask for donations to keep it going. The bad guy actually scared me too. Although it was a bit like panto, with all the make up and widow twanky outfits. However the make up is made with natural stones and coconut oil, which produces really vibrant colours. But they also use the seed of a flower which they put in the corners of their eyes for a few minutes which dyes them red - quite scary.

Today we did a cookery lesson with a woman called Leena. We invited along a guy called Tom who we met last night over a 'pot of tea' as his friend Tori is actually teaching at the local school and he was at a loose end. It was really good. You choose your own menu the day before and she gets the ingredients in and then she shows you how to make it all (in her house!) and you even take notes - it was like being at night classes in college! We made an Indian tea, Banana Lassi drink, mobala fish curry, veg salba curry, rice and chapattis. Soooooo good. And I managed to eat it all Indian style (with fingers - she showed me the special skill - it's all in the squash, scoop and flick of the thumb!) although Andi had to give in and ask for a fork near the end cause his was a bit too runny to scoop up. The weird thing to get over though was, she didn't put in bits of fish - she just got a few gutted fish and simply chopped them into four pieces - so one of those pieces was the head and one was the tail. Oh and with the skin on. Oh and all the bones still in it. It was interesting to try and eat anyway, tasty though!

We helped the fishermen pull up the big Chinese fishing nets this morning. That is hard work to be doing all day long - and in this heat. You can buy the fish fresh as they are caught and get it cooked, however we didn't as we had food to prepare with Leena today. We've had a walk through the Jew Town and looked at the sinagogue - it may be the only one in India but if not it's one of very few, this is the only area we've heard of that had a high Jewish population in the passed. Lots of craft shops and the buildings are very Dutch in comparison to the other areas which are portugese and british in nature. And then the most random thing happened, we had previously passed a little shop where there seemed to be people gathering and looking and we saw lighting going up, so we thought they were making an advert or something. On the way back again as we were walking home, we were approached and told they were shooting a movie and asked us if we'd be in it!! So we had to go into the shop and look at some things and pretend to be deciding on what to buy. It only lasted a couple of minutes, and we'll probably be cut out of it, but we got our picture taken with the leading roles and got an email contact and the name of the movie, which will be out in January and it should be available in England. It's only a local movie, but we're setting our sights high and aiming for Bollywood next!

Ok I think I've rambled and bored you enough - maybe Andi will bore you more later but for now, I'm going to try and sort out uploading photos (which hasn't worked so far) and then go for a nice pot of tea!!!