Dam dam dam!

Up at 8am for breakfast and preparing for an outing to Neyyar Dam which is also a wildlife park.

We look around the garden which is full of orchids, a pepper plant, mango tree, vanilla, curry plant and many other wonderful looking and smelling trees and plants.

We have a quick walking tour of a few nearby places including Connemara Market.

The Market is very interesting with spice stalls, vegetables - some stalls selling many different kinds, some selling just one particular thing, such as the stall that sells 21 types of banana.

The fish area is quite amazing, all fresh and of many different sizes and shapes. I recognise about 3!

We decide to come back for a longer visit before we leave for home.

The drive out of Trivandrum goes through a military regimental barracks - it's quite odd as it is a fully functioning barracks with a mainroad through it. It is extremely neat and well-tended with signs, a parade ground and a tank.

We go through a couple of larger towns and soon arrive at the entrance to the dam park area.

We drive through the park, past an ashram and a couple of small settlements. The road is particularly badly potholed, but the car manages to find a route through.

We see some spotted deer but most of the park is closed as it's a holiday. So we don't get to see the Asiatic lions or the crocodiles. But the view of the mountains is really good.

We do get to cross the dam though and stop for a drink in the hotel which looks as though it is being renovated. And it is just as well we weren't able to get a boat to the lions as it begins to rain and we get another soaking!

After it eases off the driver dashes to get the car and we come back to the hotel.

As we drive back it looks as though the rain was confined to out of the city as streets are dry as we come back.

The rest of the afternoon is passed at the house. Reading and escaping the rain that comes later.

Dinner is another lovely group of dishes - potato with peppers, dhal, carrot and green beans and a great coconutty fish curry. Pudding is ice cream, custard apple and a story with a riddle that we are trying to solve!

Col. Roy has booked us a trip for tomorrow and it leaves early so it's an early night.