Ah...... sea days!

At first, sea days were kinda boring. But, now, when we’ve had 5 land days in a row, with hot and tiring excursions, sea days are a big relief. A few days ago we navigated the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal en route to Chennai. Last night we rounded Sri Lanka — another passenger just told me he’d gone out on his veranda last night and the aroma was not pleasant. Now we’re in the Laccadive Sea: ‘Large swaths of its waters are protected as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,’ and it’s known for its pearls. A number of my fella passengers are collecting pearl necklaces, earrings and bracelets on this trip. I went out on my veranda just now, and it smelled like salt air to me. We’re headed north to Cochin (under the Viking ship on the map, above). After tomorrow’s visit to Cochin, we will go to Goa (#7) and then Mumbai (#8). I think I will enjoy both Cochin and Goa... but l cannot anticipate my reaction to Mumbai, population 23 million. I went to a very interesting lecture tonight called ‘Who are the Indians?’ It was eye-opening, to say the least. Stay tuned for my summation. #