Cochin and home
30th November – 2nd December 2025
Our first task after checking in to the Malabar House Hotel was to go in search of an ATM as we had not expected to have to pay for extras on the Houseboat. We found another coffee shop and bakery twinned with an art gallery, where we indulged in a substitute for lunch and we sought out a great restaurant for dinner.
We had a cursory look at some shops which comprised a mixture of cheap and high-end merchandise.
On our last night in Cochin, we dined at a fine Dutch-South Asian fusion restaurant called East Indies, part of the Eighth Bastion hotel. A quality experience, the restaurant shared with a large group of Dutch!
All that remained was a visit to Jew Town in the morning to saunter around at our own pace. We took a tuk-tuk there and another one back for less than £1 each way.
We also visited another old property near the Paradesi synagogue which housed a coffee shop and art gallery.
We’d managed to get a late checkout at the hotel, so were able to go straight from the cool of the hotel to the air-conditioned car, necessary as we were now sporting travelling attire that would be appropriate for the cold weather we would encounter in London.
Door to door from our hotel to home was 24 hours. We enjoyed a great meal on our 3-hour flight to Delhi. With our baggage checked through to Heathrow, it was much less stressful changing planes this time. Going through security was a bit tiresome as it was a bit too busy. This time the swab from Lynne’s plaster flashed “explosives”, but that didn’t phase the security lady, who just redid the swab twice more with no reaction.
The lounge was great with a huge selection of food ( which we didn’t touch) but some pleasant chilled white wine, finally. Our flight departed at around 2am arriving in Heathrow at 7.20 am, nearly 11 hours later. Plenty of time to sleep before enjoying breakfast.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle on arrival, with Border Control escorting a poor woman off the plane!
A smooth journey from plane to our front door. The sun was shining but there was a chill in the air.
Reflections on our trip
What a pleasant unexpected interlude before winter.
Of course it would have been more enjoyable for both of us if Lynne had had the use of both her arms, but it was immeasurably better than staying in London. We were well looked after, ate too well and the weather was mostly hot.
The accommodation was excellent. Even with the limitations of Lynne’s plaster, we were able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Kerala.
The Bamboo Yoga Retreat didn’t disappoint.
Sounds exhausting! Glad you were able to enjoy the holiday despite the broken wrist.