Trichūr

Bit of a sleep in till 7.30am. Similar breakfast but iddly instead of dosas. Lounged around then tuk tuk to restaurant early and found a bar next door so quiet beer till family arrived. Dark interior of bar attached to Hotel Garuda. Cheap in NZ terms but expensive for India. One 750ml bottle of Heineken 350 rupees. Tuk tuk ride about 1km cost 30 rupees. Authentic vegetarian restaurant that Lalitha had organised. Fantastic experience. Thalli .Individual piles of food placed on banana leaves and we ate with our fingers. Included dried banana chips, dried salty chillies, jaggery, yam curry, pineapple curry, vegetable dishes, a cabbage dish, gourd curry, coconut dish, tamarind molasses, vegetable pickle, dhal. Plus poppadoms. Wow. Also served two small containers of liquid dessert that poured on crushed poppadoms to eat. Very sweet. One condensed milk and rice. Other sugar, flour and coconut milk. Messy but ensure wash hands before and after. Also a small bucket containing an appetiser-salty broth. Other one had buttermilk. Jim struggled with only half an index finger so used both hands! Tuk tuk back to Baby and Madhu's place for cold drinks and tea and we gave out some gifts we had brought. Then ladies over to Lalitha and Shankaran place next door for Chai tea and more nibbles. Was great just to sit around table with Baby, Lalitha, Indira and Vaishu (Baby's daughter) and "chat". Baby good English and Lalitha getting so much better. Such a lovely warm woman. They are all quite tactile and like touching. Men stayed at Baby's for whisky with Deepak and Midhun. Older men don't drink and Midhun won't drink in front of father. Lalitha gave us three women shoulder handbags which I am delighted about and will use. Deepak, Reshmi and daughter Avisha back to Bengaluru tomorrow so said goodbye to Reshmi. Great bossy woman, very bright and helped a lot with engagement organisation. Also good to chat about India with.Read more