Tuesday, December 25

 

 

We all got up late still feeling full from yesterday’s dinner. We decided that we had effectively skipped breakfast and opted to call our first meal brunch instead.

We sat sunbathing in scorching heat for forty minutes until the feeling of transforming into bright red lobsters drew us back into the house.

Tangaraj took us to the Temple, past crowds on road down and traffic jams. We agreed to meet him at the top of the hill by the hospital on the way home, to save him spending an hour trying to fight his way through the jam.

Michael passed us on foot as we made our way to the temple and we leant out and gave him his Christmas present. We left Anu’s gift at the Manthra ayurvedic centre where he sometimes works.

We sit and watch the fishermen from Leo, drinking lemon soda. They have brought their boats to the beach, as usual, for Christmas Day hijinx.

I walk onto the beach to photograph some of the boats. I notice some new ones, built and donated after they lost their old boats rescuing people from the catastrophic floods last autumn.

We will stop at Tippy’s to have a beer and chat with Michael, and then walk right up the hill to call Tangaraj. The phone will find no reception because of the sheer amount of people on the beach trying to access the network.

We will leap into a rickshaw that stops in front of us to let someone out. Kovalam Junction will have almost complete gridlock, but the rickshaw will push its way through with mindboggling ease.

At home we will eat a small dinner of leftovers and pappadam.