I am back in Cochin after 1.5 years. I left Cochin in 2002 to work but would end up visiting cochin for some major holidays atleast twice a year. Even then I’d notice changes, but now after 1.5 years it interesting to see how things are changing. More places to eat, not sure more is right, I do not see some of the old places I’d go to. Now you’ll see signs of the popular brands like café coffee day, barista, nilgiris etc. Bigger malls and a better selection of clothes, but the same old stares by men & women. Yeah! For those of you from Kerala, you know exactly what I mean. Others, well, forget subtlety & glancing, this is a straight outright stare. And you look back and it has no effect on them. It’s annoying sometimes & sometimes funny.

The traffic is just amazing. The whole scenario seems so chaotic with a 2 laner being used as a 1-5 laner and I’d feel really scared in a car when a bus was next to us ignoring the squeamish little car and headed straight on its way as though we ceased to exist. And I’d be terrified when we were sandwiched between two buses. But then once I saw a guy on a bicycle in the middle of the heavy traffic riding happily and the whole traffic appeared to adjust to his meandering around. It was just great! And then I noticed this amazing pattern in what had seemed like chaotic traffic. People didn’t really yield, they raced but just when they needed to they’d move away and get through or brake just in time to avoid  a clash. You have to be really skilled to maneuver you way through, and probably ie what the biker was up to. It’s what I call aggressive (yet safe) driving & survival of the fittest. Imagine buses, auto rickshaws, cars, motor cycle, scooters, bicycles & pedestrians – all with their urgenicies, communicating with each other using the horns in different frequencies & pitches. It’s like the whole traffic is dynamically adjusting to you and you to them. My sister isn’t aggressive enough as a driver and so gets easily left behind until somebody notices that it’s a lady driving and shows his chivalry by staying behind and honking continuously so she takes off. It works. With my dad, drives are fun. Not for him perhaps, but I am not talking about the driver’s sentiments. I wouldn’t know.

So the latest addition to my Things-to-do list is drive in cochin without fear. Some day I will.

Another thing I realized is how advantageous it is sometimes to be a woman. The lines are so much smaller when buying movie tickets for example. It’s almost unfair to the guys. But I ain’t complaining. I had forgotten how it used to be, until the help I got with my luggage on the flight to Cochin. Aw, I didn’t have to ask for help, men just helped out. My backpack was so heavy I could never lift it up by myself and would usually end up asking the gentleman/lady in the vicinity to lend a hand. And I got help. But here help came before I asked. Same at the airport. Same with my mother when she’s bought groceries at the supermarket. Same with my sisters when they are driving or parking. Oh, in the last case it’s probably more like “oh it’s a lady driving, no wonder” attitude. That’s there in US as well. So it must be one of those gender things I don’t understand.

People are very friendly & generally helpful, again something I had forgotten I guess. I’d not be worried about my car getting stuck here while driving, in US on the other hand it’s a major fear. No wonder things like AAA are such a hit there and so unpopular here. I am also amused by the curiosity of people here, I absolutely love it.

The best feature though is not any of this. It’s how practical it is here to eat great food outside. You don’t have to be a vulgarly rich person to eat every meal outside (Unless you are in Bangalore downtown, which is like mini-US anyways). And not a taco-bell, burger-king, mc-donalds, pizza, burger kinda food. I just feel better having said that.