Kovalam day 4

Today is my last full day here at Kovalam, a car is coming from Tirunelveli tomorrow to take me the 140km/ 3.5 hour drive across. I'll arrive there around 5pm with luck.
I had my usual breakfast of cornflakes and a boiled egg with toast. They usually remember that I like cold milk with my cornflakes. Usually!
I watched the fisherman bring their catch into the shore in the purse net. They draw the net in with its line of floats with their pitifully small catch in it. I don't know how they make a living at it, there are 4-6 men per boat out all night. The beach shots are of them spreading out the net to dry. The other shot was one of those 'make you smile' beach scenes!
I went to the pool for the morning. It's interesting to see just how much quieter the place is after the weekend. Although things are picking up, the place is very much quieter than in previous years.
I went round to the Lonely Planet restaurant for lunch. I had pakora followed by pineapple fritters. Fried banana is a 'thing' here, this was a variation on that. Talking of which the scent of pineapples which have ripened in the sun is wonderful as you wander past shops or stalls selling them.
The Lonely Planet is one of those back lane places I mentioned. It has a pond next to it which although a bit murky is full of fish. It's also a great place to bird watch as it looks over the back lands where there are no buildings just trees and possibly swampy ground- I'm assuming that, as it is not cultivated at all.
Today I saw kingfishers, bee-eaters(small green birds) a cormorant, herons, Brahmin kites, eagles, crows and for the first time ever, a mongoose. I thought at first it was an otter. None of the pictures are great but they are there for the record. I can't believe I saw a mongoose, less than 20m away, sadly I only had my phone camera.
The collage has the cormorant on the top of the palm trunk, the bright flash of turquoise which is the kingfisher and the mongoose.
I went back to the hotel for a while this afternoon and generally footered around getting things organised for tomorrow. Somehow I am leaving with more than I arrived with as people have given me things to take to the school!, Pens, pencils and, believe it or not a brand new mattress cover from a tourist who thought they might want to put it on their bed while here! I'm sure they'll find a use for it at the school though!
I came out late afternoon and had a cool drink while watching the sun go down then went to change some money so I can pay my bill tomorrow.
Now it is 7.30 pm and I'm sitting upstairs in the German Bakery one of the oldest eateries here at Kovalam. It was here in 1998. In those days it was an isolated building half way along the bay. It was opened originally, by a German lady who still part owns it but is now back in Germany. It is in a much finer building now than it was when I first knew it.
Fewer steps today, 9200