I realized today that the time difference from here to the US is 9.5 hrs. Don't usually get the .5 hour, so decided to celebrate it... just not sure how yet... or why.... just feels like it deserves it. Maybe I should drink a mango lassi every 30 minutes? Or throw down some Bollywood style dance moves?
The only other time I encountered something like it was in Nepal, where Kathmandu is Xhrs and 45 mins ahead. Now that really throws off the time/space thingy, but anyway....
So one of the 'extras' that Fed negotiated for our upgraded room was a divine view of a show that was taking place next door. There's a mini outdoor amphitheatre (located in the middle of the surrounding slum), microphones, loud music and lots of kids. What a treat! Except it started at 8 and didn't finish until 2am. I really have no idea what it is or why people send their kids to it so late... it's kind of a British pantomime type thing, but on a school night. At one point there were four grown men pretending to paddle an oversized canoe though dry ice across the stage while singing in Hindi. I enjoyed the first 4 1/4 hours, but got bored around midnight and developed a migrane by dawn. I've only had about a half dozen migraine's in my life, but the show plus a hot day in a black t-shirt and jeans knocked me out. Lucky me just learned the 'show' is a regular nightly feature and we'll be treated to a sequel tonight. Maybe I'll record it for you.
I also got to play dress up today. The morning was a waste thanks to my head, but made it out to go sari shopping after lunch. We walked into a shop and it was like stepping into a rainbow. The colors are just unreal and all the glittery little beads... it's hard to say no... so I didn't. I tried on a million combinations - trying to find one stylish and modern enough to transition to the streets of NYC. The greatest thing is that you buy a giant dress and then the onsite tailor takes your measurements and custom fits it for you. The guy sits outside of the stall with an old-school hand operated sewing machine resting on a table with only three original legs. The Singer looks identical to the ones in a museum my aunt once took me to and is probably a leftover from the British Raj. Even so,I came back an hour later and my clothes were a perfect fit. Yes, clothes. I couldn't decide which outfit to get..... so I bought three (my trademark manuever when faced with indecision), complete with leggings and scarves to match. All for the price of a single pair of mid-range jeans back home. BARGAIN!
I also bought a new pair of shoes - and the FUGLIEST shoes I have ever put on my feet. I swear they will not make it home with me. Bought them out of necessity after my flipflops tore a hole in my foot yesterday. Nothing like walking through India with an open wound just inches from the filth and pestilence smelting below your feet. Potentially I'm doomed to one nasty infection, please pray the new kicks save me.
So yeah, this trip is taking on a absurd vibe. For one I'm not really a pantomime viewing shopper when I travel, but then I don't usually have company either. The first thing Fed said he wanted to do while we stood waiting for his bags at the airport was get a manicure. His hotel requirements demand WiFi and he was really excited about finding a store last night that sold Lindts, Doritos and Ben & Jerry's. In fact, he's so excited he's taking his camera back tomorrow to film it - no joke. Usually, I'm just excited to find a foreign bed that doesn't contain fleas - brand names optional.
Thing is, I appreciate the different outlook. It's amusing ( I tease him openly, so don't think I'm being mean) and plus it distracts both of us from the poverty and unsettling sites we've seen. I worked at a homeless shelter for a while, so I'm not completely unaccustomed to people who are down and out, but India is bad. There was a guy today sleeping beneath an underpass (actually there were about six or seven men) - his clothes, hair and skin were all stained the same grimy color of the dirty ground where he made his home. He slept with his mouth wide open while a parade of flies camped out on his cheek. Maybe he was too far into slumber to feel them or maybe there comes a point when you no longer bother to wipe them away. Either way it's an image that hit me, but also why I'm here. Tomorrow I'm meeting with a volunteer placement agency and will learn the true depth of the needs here.... based on what I've seen it'll be a sobering day. Maybe Fed will have some Ben & Jerry's waiting for me when I get home.
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