Arrive
Cochin airport. Transfer to a Heritage Hotel
in historic Fort Cochin. Rest of the day for
breathing in the fragrant spices along Spice
Street, window-shopping for sandalwood carvings,
wooden toys, aromatic spice-packs from Spice
Country for your friends back home. Live traditional
Kerala dance show in the evening, after which
it's time for dinner and the catch-of-the-day
hauled in by the Chinese fishing nets in the
harbour. There's even a restaurant on the water's
edge which will allow you to buy your own fish
and they will cook it for you, any style
Travel
by classic Ambassador taxi to Alleppey to board
the famous Kerala houseboat where you will be
looked after by your own personal cook. Sun-tan
on the deck as you meander through the magical
Kerala backwaters; watch the villagers at work
on the river bank as the ladies wash clothes
and the men punt along in simple fishing boats.
Sample traditional Kerala food for dinner by
lantern-light. Slumber to the sound of lapping
water.
Travel
by taxi to Cochin. Enjoy a Kerala thali meal
for lunch, a collection of up to ten small traditional
dishes. Afterwards experience the best of the famous
Indian railway system when you bag a window seat
in an air-conditioned carriage en route to the eye
clinic in Coimbatore. Check into a comfortable hotel
in city centre, close to the clinic.
Morning
at leisure. How about a private lesson in Meditation
at the Integral Yoga Institute? Afternoon, travel
with carer to clinic. Have laser treatment. Carer
to accompany you in recovery room afterwards (duration
1 hr). Return to hotel. Room service for light
dinner.
At
leisure in Cochin, a city which provides you
with a choice of landscape. Experience the
hustle and bustle of an Indian city in Ernakulum,
the business area; escape to the tranquillity
of Willingdon Island and lunch at a five-star
hotel overlooking the water; catch the ferry
back to the narrow streets of Fort Cochin
and have dinner at an exclusive boutique hotel.
Dock
at Kumarakom in Kottyam district (home to The
God of Small Things) and spend the rest of the
day at leisure in a back water resort where you
can rejuvenate with an oil bath, followed by Ayurvedic
massage. Have a one-to-one Yoga lesson and sleep
like a baby.
Your
carer will accompany you to the Eye Clinic for
a complete examination of your eyes. Expect to
spend about one hour. Afterwards have the rest
of the morning at leisure. Take a trip to a nearby
temple by taxi, if desired. After lunch stroll
around part of the 300ha Agricultural University
Botanical Garden…. Maybe a stroll around
the rose garden will do. The college Museum is
home to special collections of snakes, insects
and a few Oriental pests. Dinner on a rooftop
restaurant in the cooler air of Coimbatore.
Wake
up and see the golden rays of the morning sun
ascend in the sky without contact lenses. It is
a miraculous and memorable experience. After breakfast
in your room, it's back to the hospital for a
last check-up. Rest of the day sightseeing with
your new eyes...
