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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.