The next morning we were awoken by not
one but TWO brave guard dogs growling at the older dogs gathered at
the bottom of the stairs!
Ippy placed the last of our things into
the new bag and with a final look around we went for our final walk
along the beach.
We stopped by the fisher men sorting
through the morning pots of crabs to have a final chat.
We walked through the trees to the
mosque where the mongoose played.
We walked to the far point and back.
And then because we were still not
ready to leave we walked along the cliff top.
Final hugs were had with Baloo as we
looked down over the quiet beach.
Old haunts were revisited.
Old friends were waved at from a
distance.
It was sad to be leaving a place we had
come to know so well over the two months we had been there
but there were new adventures waiting
for us and for the first part of our journey we still had Dalia for
company.
Although many of India's trains tend to
run late, you can guarantee the one time you also arrive late, the
train will be on time.
Waiting at train stations is also part
of the fun of travelling.
You get to read signs you would other
wise rush past,
you get to meet people,
do a little last minute shopping
and generally get into the mood of
travelling again.
When the train arrived we were ready to be off.
We found seats and began the usual
conversations of where everyone was going and why.
About an hour into our journey Ippy
began to feel sleepy, it had been quite a late night plus we had been
up early to say all our goodbyes.
Ippy and I climbed onto the top
bunk and soon she was asleep as the train rumbled its way through the
country side.
When we awoke we discovered the train
had filled up a bit and Dalia was now squished into the window
corner.
We climbed down to squish her a bit
more but before we knew it we were at her stop and rapid goodbyes
were said as we unloaded her bags.
At Alvau Ippy decided to treat us to a
rickshaw all the way the Cherai Beach, which I must admit was
welcomed after our day of travelling and we arrived just as the sun set.
The children were delighted to see us
and eager to show us the newly completed rooms but even though the
rooms were amazing Ippy and myself decided it would be more fun to
stay in the our original rooms within the Homestay.
It was wonderful to be back in Cherai
Beach.
We walked the beach in the morning,
we ate at our usual places,
we relaxed beside the sea and generally
caught up with all the news and happenings since we had left.
It was amazing how similar they looked
at first glance!
Two days passed in total relaxation
with stories and songs in the evenings with our wonderful family and
again it was hard to leave.
Our time in India had been
unbelievable.
I had learnt so much, made so many friends and had such adventures that I
would have stories to tell my new friend Emelia for years to come.
As we boarded the plane to Singapore I
was sad to leave India but at the same time I was totally ready and so excited to be on the last leg of my journey to meet Emelia.
