Animals in Kerala

They have roads but no streetlights, cars but no seatbelts, shirts but no coathangers, flush toilets but no toilet paper. Everything here is missing some element of organisation or logic to make it a complete system.

Our hosts have a large, long-haired German shepherd that appears to live most of its life in a cage in the front yard, for the sole purpose of scaring away burglars and keeping us awake at night with its pitiful barking and whining. Even more pathetic noises can be heard from other dogs in the neighbourhood. As you may know, there is a very different attitude towards animals in Asia than the West. Our driver ran over a dog yesterday rather than bring the car to an abrupt halt and cause injury to us. Well, injury to everyone in the car except me, since I was the only one wearing a seatbelt. The seatbelt had probably never been used, since after getting out of the car, I discovered that it had left grotty stains all across my shirt. Strange priorities.

We passed an elephant that was being put to use as a forklift truck. This time in what seemed to be a very respectful way. I think elephants, goats and cows get a good run here. Anyway, the elephant would pick up massive logs with its trunk and carry them nearby, and really didn't seem to require much instruction or coercion.

Mongooses and chipmunks! Such an amusing style of perambulation! [more here later]