My last day in India has been less than spectacular. I did wake up dry, as did most of my clothes thanks to the efficiency of my hanging system. Also, the morning was dry and the sky didn't look particularly loaded with dark clouds. Maybe the monsoon is giving me a break.
However, I was miserable because my stomach troubles persisted, which affected both my energy and happiness levels. Furthermore, although I had chosen the coastal route this turned out to be one of those urban tendrils where what used to be a simple coastal road has turned into a little maze of twists and turns. Thank God for Google Maps. The general direction was clear but the little wiggles to stay on route would have been impossible without the Google Maps arrow pointing the way. And then, quite suddenly, the screen on my cell phone went suddenly black. What!? My efforts to revive my phone were useless. It was dead as a door nail. All of a sudden I felt the sound grip that technology has on all of us, and how when that grip lets go we are completely screwed. In a previous life I would have a paper map to back me up, the details of the flight I will be taking later tonight, the number of the Thai visa I will be using, or the hotel reservation for the first day in Thailand. Now I had nothing!
Ronnie and I are now the only people on earth without a cell phone (:
OK, first things first. Switch to "by feel" mood to continue the last 100 km of the trip, deciding on whether to follow the left fork or right fork of the road just by gut instinct. Could not really rely on traffic signs because there are none. Then I started following the alignment of a new toll road, which I figured it would have to lead to Kochi, and avoid the worst of the weather by hunkering under the elevated overpasses. By some sort of miracle I made it into town, past a couple of landmarks that reminded me of places I had seen over the last few days, and with the last of my energy I made it to the scooter rental place. Success.
I spent some time dozing on a coffee house, and then my tuk-tuk rider brought me to the metro, which took me to the end of the line, from where I took a bus to the airport and faced the many issues associated with entering the airport without an online digital boarding pass. I did have my iPad, so I managed to mine an old email showing the confirmation code, which with some fast talking allowed me access to the inner sanctum and eventually I had a hard copy of my boarding pass in my hot little hand.
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