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Trivandrum really is a delight! After our early and very informative meeting with Dr. Menon we took off to explore a bit of the city. Once again, Dr. Menon amazed us with his knowledge and passion for the education of future law professionals. He is involved in so many things and yet so composed and attentive. It was very inspirational to see his eyes light up when he talked about the changes and the future of the profession in India. It definitely was a fantastic idea to begin our trip by speaking with him. He provided us a million resources to move forward and great contacts back in the States.

Lunch was at a coffee shop. Gigimon was wonderful and accompanied us and guided us throughout the day. I had my first Dosa (i think that’s right) and it was great. I am definitely in love with all Indian bread products!! Then we went Law book shopping — unsuccessfully and clothes shopping — also, and amazingly, unsuccessfully.

All the morning excitement climaxed with an ayurveda massage. Holly described it as chickens on a carving board getting seasoned… hahaha! She even said we smelled like Stove Top stuffing…hahaha…I loved it, but that was pretty much on the money. They separated us into two rooms. Then each was greeted by two women who slathered us in hot oil! It was rough at times but ultimately very relaxing. It is my impression that this is very helpful with circulation issues which comes in very handy since I feel like I have so many sometimes. Then, we were rinsed in herbal tea water which left my skin feeling amazing.

It also left us ready for another shower. Back to the hotel and then onto Kovalam Beach on the outskirts of the city. It was fairly crowded considered it is low season and I definitely saw more western tourists that I had seen anywhere else. Curiously, none seemed to speak English, though. There were tons of seafood restaurants, little shops and vendors. The beach was framed by a beautiful lighthouse that looked ghostly and distant because of the fog. A tourist town, this is also a fishing village. We encountered tables full of huge and sometime scary looking fish that looked delicious. Unfortunately, they also looked like they would have bitten me had I tried to eat them. Yikes! I bought two great skirts and a beautiful wooden necklace. It was hard no to buy everything I saw!!

In the evening we went to the local pizza hang out- Gigimon’s choice. We finished the day just like we started it: driving him crazy with questions. He was incredibly patient and helpful. We finally had the courage to tell him that every time he moved his head side to side saying yes…we thought he meant no. It is an Indian custom that will take sometime getting used to. Fortunately, he thought it was hilarious and attempted to start nodding instead. That didn’t last long as habits die hard and once again we laughed the entire night trying to decipher whether each side to side shake meant yes or no.

Day 3

Our last morning in Trivandrum was spent as all last morning should- SHOPPING! We had a delicious complementary breakfast at the hotel and headed for the textile store recommended by our very friendly and helpful Winona. She was the Guest Relations Director at the hotel and the most charming and beautiful Indian woman I have met.

The store was a couple of blocks away and had four floors of colorful inventory. We finally found some traditional Indian wear to wear during the trip. I bought one pink and one orange sawa chamisses. I can’t wait to wear them!!

Gigimon was waiting for us back at the hotel. We shared a traditional mango lassi and took pictures with the hotel staff. They were all so great we wanted to remember them! On the way to the airport we stopped at a beautiful temple for pictures. It was grand and imposing. There were tons of people around going in or coming out of daily prayers. We couldn’t go inside because only Hindus are allowed. Nevertheless, what we could see from the door was very beautiful.

We caught the airplane just in time and headed to Bhopal via Mumbai with little delay.

Trivandrum was a great introduction to India. I am very glad we started there. It set the tone for what bodes to be an unforgettable trip.

Waking up bright and early at 5:45am was not very nice…although you probably had to have been asleep to qualify as waking up. Instead, I got up at 5:45am and jumped into the Sheraton shower… or should I say, HEAVEN! I wanted to stay under that water pressure forever. I left for the airport promptly after 6am and arrived before 7. I witnessed a fender bender and learned from the car driver that I had too much left to see before leaving again.

The airport was packed and smaller than I imagined. There were people going in all directions and only one terminal connecting you to tons of gates all sharing one waiting area…yea…very confusing! Thankfully, I didn’t miss my flight! First, we flew to Mumbai. There, to my surprise, we picked up Holly and went on to Trivandrum. It was great seeing her and knowing I now had a partner in crime as India could be very overwhelming at times.

At the airport, we had a very nice man named Gigimon waiting for us. It never gets old to see your name on a sign! hahaha… he took us to the hotel and later picked us up for our meeting with Dr. Menon.

Dr. Menon is an amazing person. He has been working in law for over 50 years in everything from practice to teaching. He was the catalyst for all the changes to legal education in India and it was a real treat to get to pick his brain a little. Holly and I definitely felt like we needed 5 more days with him to get to hear everything we need.

The city itself is much bigger than I expected. There are thousands of cars and people everywhere, all the time. Bananas are their thing, so there are banana stands as far as the eye can see on some roads. Amazingly, they have over 30 different species of bananas!!! The hotel itself is very nice. Our room is big and it even has a little sitting area and desk. There is a rooftop pool and restaurant and a business center for our internet needs. The weather is warm and muggy but not very hot. It feels great!

Leaving Atlanta for the third time this summer didn’t make it any easier. As much as I love to travel, I always have a hard time saying goodbye. Nevertheless, at least I now know what to expect. They took my shampoo, conditioner, wrinkle-out spray and facewash at security, even though they all met the requirements and just because they were trying to be difficult. But I can’t complain, I got all three seats to myself for the 14 and a half hour Newark-Delhi flight. I made myself a little nest with five pillows and three blankets and spent most of the flight sleeping and reading Harry Potter…which by the way, it’s really good!

Arriving in Delhi was an incredible experience. I went through immigration just fine, didn’t have to wait for any checked luggage because I didn’t have any, and passed through customs without delay. I was greeted by a very nice man in a sailor suit holding up a sign with my name on it. I’ve never had my name on a sign before!! I felt so important. He drove me, on the right side of the road, to the Sheraton New Delhi to meet my friend Jonathan and the hotel certainly didn’t disappoint.

The ride there was an adventure in and of itself. Even though it was after 10:30pm, the streets where packed with people. They were shopping, talking, gathering on sidewalks, cross-legged sharing tea, surrounding a new-old motorcycle, or simply sitting….waiting almost…for something miraculous to happen. I was jolted from my people watching by the sight of the most enormous dog I had ever seen. It was standing on a street corner…just chilling…people watching. However, imagine my surprise when the dog turned out to really be a cow. No matter what any one thinks, that was even more amazing that seeing the planet’s biggest dog. I had heard cows roamed the Indian street, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that they really did. And it wasn’t just one… there were dozens of them…every where. Bulls, too. Sitting on the sidewalk…chilling and contemplating who knows what…probably the same think everyone else seemed to be concentrating on.. I just couldn’t figure out what that was.

We arrived at the Sheraton New Delhi and were greeted by the most handsomely dressed Indian man I have ever seen- turban and all. The lobby was majestic and in absolute contrast with the poverty outside. The hotel was luxurious and opulent and all the synonyms of those words you can imagine. And the room was a dream. My favorite part was the massage chair in which I perched myself two minutes after walking through the door. As tired as I was, however, it was hard to sleep. I had an 8am flight and I kept waking up thinking I’d miss it. What I missed though, was a night of sleep I direly needed. Jonathan called me a car to the airport at 6:15am and I departed excited that I get to come back here again for at least one more night!