This be the ice man. I met him when I asked the hotel to call for a taxi to take me to the boat dock for a ride on the backwater. Because he was so sweet I asked if he would return me to the hotel after the cruise. Now wine and ice are notoriously hard to find in India but what I needed most at the end of the day so when he picked me up, I asked him to take me to a store that sold ice. Three major supermarkets later and still no ice to be found, I called off the hunt indicating it was not my fate to have chilled wine that day. His response indicated he saw “this as his duty” and took me to a friend’s business and commandeered this precious commodity from some back room. I’ll never forget the look of joy on his face as he came running out with two bags full! Needless to say, we became best friends. I subsequently asked him to drive me the 5 hours to Kovalam the next day. He brought his wife along to make the journey a festive one which indeed it was!
