A Fox in India

They say everything happens for a reason …... some things we understand straight away, others take longer to realise and still others we never understand.

When Ippy reached up her hand and took me from the shelf in Porthcawl, I had no idea what would become of me.

I trusted I would find a good home with her as she had a kind smile.

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine what an adventure awaited me ….....

Let me introduce myself. My name is Felurian Fox.

Some say I am just a fluffy toy, but others, those who know the way of the Fae know there is much to this world than meets the eye.

They say a soul has no beginning and no end, they say that time is just a concept of the mind.

What ever you personally believe eventually becomes your reality and so it is that I, Felurian, for whatever reason, exist.

But let us not dwell of the magic that fills our world, let me tell you a story about my adventure in INDIA!!

Many people have a fear of flying.

Stepping into a huge metal container puts them outside of their comfort zone. The lack of control, the unexplained or understood principle of engineering leaves them feeling vulnerable and afraid.

Luckily for me, I simply trust in the good of all things and so it was with excitement that I jumped into the top of Ippys travel bag and boarded a train that would take us to Birmingham airport to catch a flight to Deli.

Airports are huge places and can be a bit intimidating for the first time traveller.

 Ippy and I made it through all the scans and checks, directed from place to place by smiling faces.

Ippy pointed out that even if you don't know where to go or what to do, you can always just follow someone else or you can put a blank expression on your face and ask!

People always like to feel helpful and if someone looks lost they just love to help you out!

We went window shopping in the wonderfully lit stores that lined the edges of the terminal.



One amazing lady came over and offered to help us find a nice perfume for the trip after I had inadvertently sniffed loads of men's aftershave looking for a nice smell!

She sprayed us liberally when Ippy pointed out that this was the only time she ever wore perfume, I even got a little behind my ears!

The Lady was so nice that Ippy told her a poem.

We all had a lovely time chatting and laughing and when it was time to say goodbye we had a huge group hug.

I gave her a big wave from the back of the travel bag as Ippy went to look for our flight gate.

The flight was uneventful as such, Ippy slept most of the way only waking for a quick chat when our wonderful food arrived.

She soon went back to sleep as I gazed out of the window into the vast blackness of the sky. Clouds drifted by far below, stars shone high above and at some point I must have drifted off to sleep myself.

I awoke most confused. Through the window a huge full moon shone brightly!

Bright enough to illuminate the surface of the clouds far below with an eerie purple to blue tinge.

I woke Ippy to ask her if this was indeed the moon as when we had left the moon had been a small crescent in the sky.

She looked as confused as myself at this huge bluey ball hanging in the sky, she even took some pictures of it!

In the seats behind us someone else remarked on the strange phenomenon outside the window, until their travel companion pointed out that the windows didn't have shades and therefore automatically dimmed to a deep blue to protect us from the suns rays.

As the person behind us pressed the button to reduce the intensity of the blue, we did the same.

Daylight filled our eyes and I can tell you now, we both felt a little foolish.

In Deli we read and chatted for a while until our flight to Kochi was called.

Everyone got up and stood in a line that seemed to reach forever down the room and corridor but Ippy and myself just moved seats to sit right next to the gate and continued our reading.

When the last person reached the gate we put away the Kindle, stood up and walked straight through to the plane and our seat.

It is so easy when you know how!

Over a glass of refreshing orange juice on the plane, Ippy explained that although we had no idea where we would stay that night I wasn't to be concerned.

“Taxi drivers always know the best places,” she informed me, “We'll just ask one!”

Nearly all India Airports have prepaid Taxis available, you book them at a desk just inside the terminal before you leave.

If you don't know exactly where you are going they are very useful as they can save you from all the shouting and chaos outside.

Things were going really well until Ippy tried to pay with some rupees she had saved from her last trip.

“I am sorry,” said the nice lady,
“This is old money, we can not take old money. You must go change it with the Money Exchange or pay with your card.” 

We wandered back inside the main terminal, explaining to the customs man why we were going the wrong was as we went, but at the Money Exchange they also couldn't change the notes!!

In the confusion a travelling man with a suitcase offered to change all the small notes for a bigger one. Ippy looked confused as he handed her a 100 rupee note the same as the ones she held in her hand.

 “Those ones are OK,” he explained, “It is just the big notes that are out of date.”

 We added up all the notes that were still in use and realised we had plenty for the Taxi plus a nights stay somewhere.

Tomorrow we would go to the bank and change the old notes for new and everything would be fine.

True to Ippys word our Taxi driver knew of a few places we could stay, the first one was very nice but too expensive so he took us to another place.

This place had rooms and dormitories and the face of the manager when Ippy said she would sleep in the dorm was a picture!! He insisted we stayed in one of the twin rooms for a hugely reduced price!

We didn't need to unpack much as we would be leaving in the morning so we went for a walk to the corner and back.

Ippy smile was amazing as we walked the streets, the smells and sights were all new to me but to Ippy it was like being back in a familiar place, even though she had never been to North Kerela either!

We both slept well until 3am and then we both woke up and were wide awake!

It would take a while for our body clocks to change to India time, so we read for a while and then went back to sleep. 

Tomorrow we planned to head to the coast, this Ippy mumbled as she fell asleep, usually involved lots of asking and lots of busses!