Adams Old Inn

What stays with me most is how the staff made a strange place feel like home. It was my first time in India, or anywhere that far east, and I had pretty severe culture shock. They went out of their way for me, and I felt safe traveling alone. My hours filming in Cochin were all over the place, but they always worked around them. Each morning they left a bucket of heated water by my door for a bath, even though it was so hot out. I was the crazy American asking for hot water! The hotel is basic, but it has charm, and the staff gave me the kind of help you’d expect from a five-star concierge. They found me a driver for a weekend in Munar, and later even decorated the lobby for Christmas. I stayed on for a few weeks after filming so I could enjoy the town where I’d been working. It’s a good home base for affordable trips elsewhere, and the rates make a longer stay possible. I still wonder if Dennis the Menace lives next door. He was my reliable interpreter and always had a big smile. At night we played with the local dogs who adopted me and walked me to work every day. I can still hear the fish peddler calling out his goods in the dirt streets. The jasmine scent from my friend Latka and her twin sister is still in my mind, too. Thank you again for decorating for me at Christmas. I still think about it years later. I’ll find the picture of my room and post it soon.