Delhi and South India

We flew out of Varanasi and into Delhi once more, this time just for one night. we picked a pretty posh hotel and went out for a nice dinner, had a nice rest on the bed in the hotel as we've only been sleeping in budget accommodation for the past couple of weeks. so it was a wonder full change and a well needed to recharge. the next day we flew out of Delhi and into Kochi, the hub of Kerala. there we stayed with aunt jean and her family in their apartment.over the next couple of days we did a variety of things including a serene boat ride down the backwaters of kerala, and checking out the ancient and very fragrant spice markets of old Jewish/Portuguese kerala(which were very similar, in terms of architecture, to the buildings of old Melacca,back home in Malaysia). The boat ride was amazing, it was like we were going down the canals of Venice,except our canals had buffalo's and people bathing in it.and our gondola had plastic chairs and it was more like an old sampan held together by string that was made out of coconut husk(which we were also shown the method of production for by the way) and our gondolier was an oooollld man who wore a dhoti that kept falling down.but along the way we saw a variety of plants and animals and it was pretty relaxing and calming.it was nice to dip our feet in the cooling waters but i don't think the fish liked it very much.
we spent the next day at Fort Kochin just wandering thru the streets and admiring the gigantic Chinese fishing nets along the shoreline. there we were seduced into buying a freshly caught fish and some tiger prawns from the beachside and one of the shops cooked it for us.turned out to be one of the top meals we've had, and i think i can say the same for the kitty who joined us for the leftovers too.we also visited a church where vasco da gama used to be buried(until he went back to Italy), and we saw the spice markets where they sell spice and all sorts of rice in bulk.the smell there was really amazing.
that night we took a train,our last for our journeys, to Goa,paradise and home to the biggest and best parties this side of the world. the train journey was a long one ,15 hours to be exact but luckily we were well stocked up for the journey by aunt jean,she had made sure we had chicken briyani, chapatis and mutton as well as sprite and mazza and some fruits for dessert.the train was delayed a bit but we managed to get our seats and begin eating by about 9.30 pm. we slept for most of the journey,this train ride wasn't as interesting as any of the previous ones but the scenery was amazing outside,mostly field and people working in them,but the way of life ,the little things that the people do along the way,that was nice.for example we saw little kids playing cricket with makeshift bats and balls,as well as bottles for stumps and an area that was so small.but it was still as intense as a game between Pakistan and India on a big scale level.we saw them ploughing their fields with their Buffalo's and cooking food on a small wood fire outside their house.bathing by the canal side and making cow dung patties for fuel.collecting coconuts and other fruits,chasing chickens and bathing cows,occasionally there was a whiff of fresh seawater in the air as we were traveling parallel to the west coast of India towards our next destination by the beach,Goa.