Day 9 continued.

Back in my room it is still warm but slightly cooler than the lakeside. I sit on the balcony briefly in the warm dusky light. A romantic smell of old fashioned zoo cages wafts up. Crickets brurr brurr, monkeys chatter and shops outside the hotel begin to light up for the evening. I hear the Muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. A lovely sound, it underlines two things: one, that here in Catholic Kerala people of different faiths live in harmony and two, remembering my Swedish friend's legs, it is sunset and time I withdrew, shut the doors and slathered myself in mozzy repel. I switch the plug in on. When I asked the tour guide if there were many mosquitoes he said, 

'No Mem but one or two like to sing in your ear.' 

How true, I heard the first whiny warning of my visit to Kerala but unusually for me it flew too close to my clapping hands.

Off for dinner I am greeted like long lost royalty. There is Chinese food as well here and I may be able to avoid the inevitable chillies tonight. Toasted cheese and olives for lunch had still included a sprinkling of cayenne. George accompanies me pointing out the least spicy dishes with freshly cooked naan. The puddings are to die for, little almond cakes, plum fruit cake with nuts and raisins and I break all my rules to eat freshly cut sweet pineapple. George brings me a small dish of vermicelli Kheer in case I like it and missed it. If I weren't trying to be so Mem-sahib I'd have licked out the bowl. The music is the theme from 'Slumdog Millionaire.' We've all seen it. I promise to send George a copy of the book so he can practice his English.

Back in my room I would have watched TV but I can't get it to work. I phone reception and they say - 'in a few minutes Mem. We are having our evening power cut and although the generator is working the satellite TV won't work until we go back on main power.' Sounds sensible to me. I read 'The Dali Llama's Cat' instead, practice right thinking and fall asleep.