After a pause caused by roadworks, fairly reliable power supplies had been restored. We even had the luxury of TV last night. (Fatal temptation of fate: just as I typed this, the power went down and I'm started draining the cybercafé's UPS.)
Today, Ajeesh drove us back to Moovatupuzha (about 3 hours from Nedumkandam, even driving on good roads and crazy-Ajeesh speed*) so that his car could be valeted and serviced. With us was his younger journalist friend, Anish, who needed to attend a meeting somewhere on the way.
I don't recall curling into a fetal ball in fear in a car before, although I have been very scared at times. I don't think it was the speed alone that got to me this time. You may have read my opinions of Indian drivers: this journey reiterated them.
We also called in at a court-room in Ernakulam district so Ajeesh could witness in court that a certain debtor had (albeit belatedly) repaid his creditor. I wasn't too keen on having a visit to officialdom and law sprung on me without warning - I'd have dressed a bit differently for a start!
However, with that out of the way and the car in the garage, I found a local cybercafé and bought my tickets to Sumatra. I think part of the prevarication so far was been my fear of going to somewhere completely unknown. India was colonised by Britain but Indonesia was colonised by the Dutch and Japanese (and had a very complex history before that) so my knowledge is all gleaned from a guidebook, a few snippets of other books, a cynical Essexian marxist and his Indonesian wife.
On the way back, Anish opened his bottle of 'Doctor's Choice' brandy. 50ml was enough to start him puking - he didn't open the window in time and so covered his lap and Ajeesh's shoulder and spattered my jacket-cuff.
It was too dark to clean up, so Ajeesh drove us on past Idukki. Around 11pm, he'd had enough so he stopped on a side-road in the middle of nowhere, then he and I relaxed the front seats and slept on them while Anish curled up on the back seat.
© (except the blatantly ripped-off bits) Random Bozo 2006