florance_and_i

21 years have gone in my life. This scares me.

So, I have to be brief.

My birthday:

Went to fort cochin on a jetty.
Went around a million hotels which were all full.
Ended up at one where the old Bishop used to live. Very nice. Tv. HOT SHOWER.
Taxi driver told the owner that it was my birthday and one woman gave me a flower. Then they brought me some fresh papayer juice, then when i went downstairs they were giggling and trying to hide something. They had made me a bunch of beautiful flowers! that night one of the workers ran up t me and gave me a mlky bar! Such lovely people.
Went for a walk around fort cochin, its full of history and very beautiful. Went to ultra cool Kish Art Cafe for LIME SODA (for mom) and opened my cards. God I was happy. Thanks to family and especially Jaimie who put in so much feffort with the card. It had to be him who sent it, on the front page it said: "cylothymic rhythems of the new history". 
Went round some shops and brought some meditation beads, they are form a sacred tree in nroth india, it's too much to explain on here but they are very excitng in what they mean and what they're used for. Everybody thinks I'm a devotee of Amma though!
A rickshaw driver came up and asked if he could take t\me to a government shop, i wouldnt have to pay anything but if i went in he would get free petrol...why not? So i went in and actually founda perfect ring to buy for my birthday. I had been looking for something but theyre all the same everywhere.  So I haggled the price down from 5000 to 3500 (about 45 pounds) and he pretended i wasa special price for my birthday but its really because high season is over. Wnt away to thik abotu it. 
Went to "teapot" cafe fr tea. HOORAH. Lots of nice tea. A girl came in on her own so i invied her to my table she came over and said she was sosrry but she might just burst into tears. I asked if she wanted a hug and she did. We sat down and ordered some camoile tea (just water and a camomile bud!)  So we chatted about travelling and it turns out she is so similar to me and the experiences and troubles we've had. Its her last trip before she gets married. She's called gabriella. She's intense in a good way and really quite amusing. it turns out she didnt want to do the backwaters alone either so we're doing them together tomorrow for a night. Hopefully we'll pick some people up to join us. We'll spend the night on the water on a boat and people will cook meals etc, its suppoed to be amazing! She invited me to go and do yoga with her in mysore but i think i want to do that in an ashram. We'll go separate ways after the house boast i think but it'l be really nice.
After the cafe we went to the shop to buy the ring and she made it so much fun. She pretendd we were best friends and kpet saying "so how are you going to make my friend happ on her birthday?" we sat and drank more camomole tea there while we pretended to seem disinterested and dargged it out a bit. She went and trid on a sari there and danced around a bit then i got the ring. It's a little bit bigger than a ping pong ball i'd say. very heavy, from Afghanistan and green stone it's hard to explain but it's amazing! i hope i can still work my hand properly while wearing it!
After we went shopping and she showed me her place. its built like a ship and the owner...pervy henry is an ex sailor. I was going to stay in her room tonight but i think i'll stay in this one..i think mommy and daddy will pay for it! it's not actually that expensive but more than i would pay!
We parted and she said she would take me out to dinner the day after for my birthday because she was feeeling rubbish. henry wife makes wiine so we'll have it on the balcony!
so i lfet there and went to kishy art cafe to se if anyone was there to eat with although it was a bit early, i had a late lunch and some more tea and a guy came up and asked if i wanted to join his table...this is where the day gets great!
The guy was called paul, his girlfriend- irene and their friend munner. They wanted o ask me about m beads but i didnt really have anything to say. Paul, it turns out is the most interesting person i have ever met. he tols me all about the beads and such and said i looked like someone in search of spirituality and in search of myself. i said this ans't far from the truth. We got takling about philosophy and he gave me some titles of starter books for eastern philosophy.  he got very excited about all this and said he would show me the bookshops includin a piratted book stand by the fishin nets. it was pouring down with rain so his friend drov us arund so he could show me. Then they went to drop me off at my place. They seemed quite surprised at where I was staying (especially after they said theyw ere happy to come accross someone who wasn't a "lonely plant traveller- although i think i am!) so told them my parents paid for it for my birthday. Well...the shreiked with excitement and pulled out of the drive and said we must go for a beer to celebrate! We drove to this bar/cafe on the seafront and sat and had a beer. Paul and Irene (pal is indian and irene is danish...they met in india and they're going o get amrried in denmark). They told me about all the problems they have with their families because of cultural misunderstandings and conservatism. Irene gave me loads of tips on travelling around india alone and paul said he was relly happy that irene had me to talk to because she doesn't meet many travellers like me (i'm not too sure what it was they saw in me?) anyway, i ended up in a conversation with paul which lasted for about 3 hour untill gone 10pm. It was basially about the world, about philosophy about the foundations fron which we think etc. I loved it. I was so happy and so energised. We alsmost started shouting at each other. He brought out all these ideas i had kept inside for such a long time. Well- it was very flooded outside and they had to travel back on a bike so we left- they dropped me off at my pklace and gave me 2 numbers to call- they are going to be in ernakulam today and wanted to go for dinner, i aske what they were doing there and pual said "i want to contine our talk and i will prepare".  I'm meeting gabriella in a few hours to go to jew town (she's jewsi so it'llbe really good- there's the oldest synangogue in th world there- i think). Then we're going to early dinner- that was the plan but ill ask if she wants to go. I'm leaving here tomorrow but i think i'll come back after allep and the houseboat to relax here for a bit- i dont feel like ive had time to get to know here at all. 
so that was my birthday- there was no phone at the hotel so i couldnt call anyone whioch upset me a little. I went o the net and almsot cried at al the lovely messages ec and consoled myslef when i thought some people had forgotten because it was still early in england!
Went to my hotel room, watched a dodgy film and finally went to bed.

it was the best birthday i have ever had, for so mnay easons. I felt so glad to be alive and i spent loads of time thinking about how amazing my family is and my friends and how much effot they go to to make me happy I hope I do the same for you.

I can't thank you all enough and I don't tell you enough how much i love you all and how gratefull i am. 

I miss you.

Better go find the bookshop!

I'll try calling today! i promise!