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It has been an easy day today, just chillin’, watching people and observing all the things you would like to do if the world around you could just stop. But let’s start from the top.

Last night the mosquitoes created havoc with a counter attack which as a strategy man I have to admit was pretty stealthy.

The odds of a Mosquito being able to defeat me weight for weight are 36.2 million to one.  The odds of winning the jackpot of the UK national lottery are 14 million to one.  I was bitten 10 times last night.  My 4 poster netting turned into a UFC cage and I was duly bloodied.  I will have the last laugh.  At least I now have more faith in winning the lottery.  Mike Farrell note, some day your syndicate will win.  (Everyone note; Mike and his colleagues have stayed faithful for almost 20 years without a win).  So I now have faith that you will win someday… or, I will guarantee that you will be bitten by a mosquito.

Lizard… lizard… lizard…yes there was a Gekko in the room, but it kept its head down.  At only 24,000 to one in his favour against a mosquito he bottled it, it seems.

After an easy breakfast I had a stroll on the beach to watch the local fisherman.  They fish for Shrimp and small Catfish in the shallows with large circular nets that they toss like a rotating shot-putter over the shoulder and out about 20 feet in front of them.  A jerk technique for dragging them in pulls the weights together.  The prize stored in a plastic bag hanging over the rickety fence.  Not sure how effective it is, but they do come back day after day.  There are a couple of kayak-type boats dropping larger drag nets which they paddle frantically and then draw together.  It is a pace of life you could get used to watching.

The ferrel dogs trot back and forth into the surf and surprisingly come back with fish.  I am not sure how they do it.  The eagles also circle around and drop into the sea for the same catch.

Cows are wandering across the beach and into the surf.

Looking at the beach after the sunday gathering I couldn’t help noticing the debris that gets left behind, which got me into ‘business’ mode.  Why does this happen and how could you fix this?  You need to explore all the angles and I guess that I had time and an intrigue to have a go.  If anyone knows anybody at the Indian Tourist Office, send them my blog address.

Let me position this.  A small idyllic beach of beautiful sand, that is left with piles of litter and stuff after the weekend socialising.  In the UK there would be letters to the Council, headlines in The Sun and a Greenpeace ship anchored 250 yards off shore.

A bit of an odd make up of the litter.  This is where I become a gifted amateur quantity surveyor or a would be Bin man.  For my lovely colleagues in the USA…Trash Man.

I would say 30% Flip Flops, 30% Water Bottles, 30% Tropical eco waste (coconuts etc) and the rest in general litter.

Flip Flops ? Yes there were hundreds of shoes.  Now if I had forgotten my loved one had gone swimming and met Davy Jones,  I would have at least have taken their shoes home as a memory of them.

Coconuts and stuff, that’s life, so we need to work on the 40%.  We do litter in the UK but have the council police to mope up after the crowds have gone, so I am not suggesting we have a standard to copy.  Is it up to the bottlers and drink manufacturers to do their bit?  The interesting thing is that cultures, values and morality is a strong part of India, but not this bit.   So is it just about educating but is it a priority?  Maybe you get litter on the moral agenda? Or you just have the litter swept up Mayor Guiliano style and then a zero tolerance until you get it right?  Does this sound like a rant?  I promised dunmoanin and will try my best…

Here’s my solution.  When you buy a bottle of water, you have to give your Flip Flops as a deposit on the bottle.  You then offer a full refund on the drink purchased if you find a Coconut.  The Local Authority buys the Cocunuts back and grinds them down in to make eco-chic waste bins that can be placed on the beach.  Oh and for the remaining homeless Flip Flops, teach people to swim.

Well time for lunch.  Fried Tiger Prawns, Chapatis and an Onion sauce, washed down with an Indian Tonic Water.  I was topping up on the fabled quinnine.

Off for a swim and bumped in a couple and their young daughter Leela in the swimming pool and exchanged stories of Devon, as they came from Bideford, and Cornwall.   I have started talking to strangers!  Nice people with similar values.

I had been chatting over the last couple of days with the Hotel Manager, Ray Abernathy, on how Twitter and Blogging works.  I was also telling him of my night time bites.  Shortly after a big bowl of smoking Frankincense was being led through my room to ward off all of the evils of the mosquitoes.

Now, think back two days on my blog when I talked of my ‘Mary and Joseph’ moment in Oslo and recently at Heathrow.  It’s starting to all come together around me.  Sunday I was offered Gold at a shop in Kochi, next Ray introduced me to the Hotel Chef Murgh (bit like Myrrh ??) last night who prepared me a special Keralian dish and now Frankincense.  Together with the 3 cows wandering on the beach and my stomach, despite spicy food, is very Stable!!!  And top this, they call Kerala ‘God’s Country’.  Summary, No room at the Inn, Stable, Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh and 3 Cows ?…

Sorry mind wandered, back to the close of the chillin’ day.  Chef Murgh produced a lovely big platter of Seafood, prepare was  a medium hot Kerala marinade.  Squid, Tiger Prawns, two types of fish and Crab.  The dish was really awesome.

As I turned in the rain started pouring, and as I started to dose there was the most almighty (see there we go again) crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.   They do do tropical storms really well.