another walk in the park

It's just after 12.00 midday on Sunday and I've just returned from mass, breakfast, shopping and a brief family vignette with Ajith and his brood. Each of these is worthy of comment in turn (see the next post), but I want to go back to yesterday afternoon and my "other" walk in the park.

As I indicated in my last blog, I was miffed at the continuing rainfall, because I had planned to take another walk in the park yesterday morning as part of building up a 7am routine that would ground me for the day (and help me in my continuing battle of the bulge). It did stop later in the day and so I ventured out to take advantage of the clearing weather. The photographs here represent three parts of the walk.

The first photo shows that even the park isn't immune from roadworks of a sort, even during the rains - looks a bit like the street out the front of my place in Iyyattil Junction at the moment. The second photo is not what the rest of the park looks like! This is the Kochi harbour, which the park abutts and the pair of young lovers is a scene that is played out along the length of this wall, as they seek a space that is romantic and at least semi-private for their hour of togetherness.

It was along this wall that I ran into a family of four, with dad taking a photo of the rest of the family on his Sony Walkman phone. I offered my services as portrait taker for the whole family and, after a few false starts as I very quickly learned how to (and how not to) take a photo on dad's phone, left them with a family portrait of sorts. As they posed and checked the results, we chatted about my time in Kochi, as they were surprised to find I was not another tourist but, indeed, a bona fide resident. We talked about the problem with the mosquitoes and how big and pugnacious they are - dad said that the last time there was a real big problem the town fathers called in the army. He joked that, when asked why the army was brought in, the corporation head said it was so they could shoot down the mosquitos!

I continued on my walk round the park, out the top entrance and over to the ferry wharf for a sticky beak (those interested in the ferry photos will have to proceed to my facebook gallery for these) before returning along the outside of the park towards my original entry point. Along the way, I met up with my photo family, who were wonderfully warm in their recognition and smiles (well I guess I'm not that hard to pick out, heh heh) and offered ice cream like the ones they were each savouring. With a grateful no thanks and best wishes, it was time to stride out again and it was at the end of the park, outside the Cochin Electricity Board, that I happened upon the statue in the third photo.

This statue of Gandhiji was erected in 1997, in honour of the 50th anniversary of India's independence. I wondered at first if it was indeed him, as we are used to seeing representations of him with glasses in the west. The plaque alongside, though, reassured me it was Gandhiji. Please note that I use the term "Gandhiji" as an honorific term for Mohanas Gandhi, given his own preference for this title rather than "Mahatma" (or Great Soul). It also marked my halfway point on today's walk as I decided to continue exploring and headed up Durbar Hall Road instead of Hospital Road, which I had walked down (and returned along the previous day).

I stopped at the Mithra Mega Mart, to see what I could see and picked up a kilo of bananas for for 28 rupees or 80 cents (remember when bananas got up to $AUD12.00 a kilo in Australia last year?). The bananas, I might note in passing, were yesterday green and hard as a rock (I know, I was silly enough to try one in my impatience), but today already yellow and about half a day short of perfect (by tomorrow, I'll probably have to gobble or throw them out).

When I got back to MG Road (Mahatma Gandhi Road but, like everything here it is shortened) and passed the fine china store, I determined to go inside and purchase a nice mug for me and a guest (should one happen along) to take the place of the adequate but entirely too small mugs already in the kitchen at home (ah, I have moved from "the apartment" to "home"; I think I'm settling in!). Two final stops on the way home, at the Imperial to pick up some water and the Ernakulam Dairy and Ice Cream Parlour (I knew the ice-creams - one chocolate coated and one mango iced would get me!).

The evening was an uneventful one, albeit also an unhealthy one, as I eschewed the proper dinner of chappathi and tomato fry from the previous night (very yum!) for chips and water. I spent the time partly in front of the computer and partly in front of the television, before dropping into bed for a few pages of book and blissful sleep.