The Hill & Beach View, Kovalam

This is a lovely, funny hotel; so laid back it’s practically on the floor. On my first morning a family arrived for check in around 7.30. There was no-one on reception, and eventually, when the cleaning lady turned up, she woke one of the men, who stumbled bleary eyed to the desk, still buttoning his shirt. I found that breakfast didn’t start till 8 am, which seems late even for a holiday resort. This gives me two hungry hours, then a rush to get a taxi into Trivandrum to meet Biotech at the appointed time. Yesterday, the chap who does the breakfasts was late up too and I had to go hunting for him. In this vast and rapidly growing resort, there are not that many tourists. There are only six of us guests, rattling around in this big hotel; the family of four, and another bloke I hardly see. Although I traipse up to the rooftop restaurant, I’m the only one there, so I have the kitchen opened especially for me. The food is great here, very, very tasty. I sat in the near dark last night with a wonderful view of the resort lights, and saw a monster rat climb the wall and go onto the roof. Like many things in India, its best not to let the mind dwell too much, thinking is bad for you, don’t ever look down. Of course, it may have been a mongoose, but it looked suspiciously like the mongooses we get at home. The noise of the night drifts up to the restaurant and is incredible. I have since discovered a mongoose looks a little like a ferret, and did you know, frogs really do go ‘rivet’?

The thunder rumbles constantly, and warm rain falls hard and without warning; then stops. The dust which has plagued our lives recently is now mud, and it cakes up the grooves in my sandals, dropping out dry, in tiny dried wedges over the marble floor of my room. I left the cleaning lady a note of apology and Rs10, but she said everyone’s room was like it.