SHANTI SHANTI

Our final night in Varkala "My boyfriend" took Fran and I and his business partner Shara for a food fest!!! What a treat, a whole tandoori fish...and lots of bits and pieces...He was declaring undying love, and saying he was fine about not having children...he was in love with me not what I can give him....VOT....where were we going to live Orissa...wit the whole family?? He wanted me to spend the night with him, he would come with me to Cochin....Fran was getting drunk on King Fisher and 'Sunny' was getting depressed about my departure and joining her in the drinking.... I woke up at the Oceana...I had slept the night on my own under the mosquito net....I went to the internet...was having huge money problems, my bank had blocked my card, my lodger had not paid the rent...and the waiter at breakfast was also now telling me that he had fallen in love with me.....what goes on in this bloody place? Then Sonny and Shara arrived, and I couldn't give them my attention cos I was freaking out about the money situation...the taxi arrived to take us to the Boat in Kollam so we could do our backwater tour. Sonny was now crying, telling me that he would phone me everyday...in the middle of this Hernan phoned from Puttaparthi, to ask me whether I was coming back....I am actualy about to have a breakdown....everyone is driving me MAD!!!!! We got to Kollam just in time to make our cruise...I thought I would never be able to calm down, and had sent Jayne an sms to call me to try and sort things out. The boat set off......OH MY GOD this is absolutely stunning ....house boats go by, the houses on the side of the backwaters, the scenes of life going on...boys playing cricket in the most orgasmic green lush setting....my worries melt away....we pick up people on the way and drop people off...even a stop at Amma's ashram.....Jayne phones...it all seems ridiculous me talking about money problems sunbathing on the side of the boat...but I explain the situation and she says she will look into it. The 6 hours on the boat are heaven...we arrive at Allepy at 6.30 just after the magical huge red sun sets....we decide it is too late to go to Cochin, and the driver suggests Ashtamudi not far away.....so we are here. It is mad..there are quite a lot of travellers, really funny Indians...and we are getting a lot advice where to stay in Cochin. One Indian guy sorts a place out for us....I am trying to phone the bank in London...but they have removed the wire from the phone to connect it to the heating, so that Fran can have a hot shower....In India anything is possible but Shanti Shanti......you have to have patience...damned hard!!!