To state that I was tired when I arrived in Kochin was an understatement. The day had started 16 hours before as I hadn’t noticed that a mosque stood next to my hotel. It seemed almost especially for my birthday that I had arranged this bizarre assortment of transport:
1 jeep
2 car rickshaws 1 ferry
2 busses
1 train

I hadn’t eaten all day (except for some dry bread) in order to trim the rations for the germs inside my stomach. So a pleasant headache accompanied my exhaustion in kochin. My iPhone’s batteries ran down hours before, as I was thoughtfully reminded digitally that my old and new friends, family as well as my colleagues and even competitors hadn’t forgotten about me despite the untold distance between us.

In a last outburst of energy I negotiated the price of room down by abusing my birthday (special price!), something I instantly regretted as the kind grandfather and mother, who are the owners of the guesthouse, returned minutes afterwards with a plate with 3 ferrero rochers on it. My heart melted instantly, just like the chocolates.

Grateful for so much kindness, I turned the fan a notch higher to hopefully enjoy a long night sleep.

Goodnight