I haven't written lately because there hasn't been a lot to say; I've spent most of the past week dealing with stomach problems. Sometimes I felt okay for a few hours but I never trusted myself to stray too far from the hotel bathroom. Toilets here are interesting; the one in the hotel is “European style,” which means a regular kind of flush toilet we're used to. “Indian toilets,” which I haven't actually seen or used yet, are much more primitive and require you to squat. There is also either toilet paper which you use and put in a separate place (not in the toilet) or a way to use your hand and water. I haven't been eager to experience using these bathrooms with the diarrhea I've had.
This past weekend, after spending nearly all of the week in the hotel, we had planned to go out and do something, but once again, we weren't able to. It seemed that we were rotating who was feeling sick and who was just fine. We did manage to have dinner on Sunday night with Fazal (Colin's coworker who had previously been working in Chicago and will come back in October when his visa is valid again). It was nice to see a somewhat familiar face, even though I'd only met him once while he was in Chicago.
I spend most of the time reading; my . It's great that the TV stations already has captions put on Western movies in English since the TV does not have a way to turn on the captions, but I don't watch much; it's usually the same movies repeatedly such as “Fantastic Four: The Silver Surfer.” We have watched “Bee Movie,” “
We've ordered room service a few times. It is actually much cheaper than eating in the restaurant downstairs. There is continental breakfast buffet in the morning and I always get a hardboiled egg as part of my meal. The coffee is interesting; it appears to be very strong coffee which is brewed and then when someone orders it, they put some in a cup with steamed milk. It is very different but definitely tasty.
Most food is traditional Indian food, but they do attempt to make American or European cuisine. “French toast” is bizarre – it is two slim pieces of slightly toasted bread with a thin layer of red jelly in between them. The pasta is okay, but just don't expect it to be great. On the room service menu there are choices for hamburgers but they never eat beef here so the choices are vegetarian and turkey. I've eaten these before the trip and am not a big fan of them, but might get one just to try it.
I've been slowly feeling better, so hopefully, at the very least I will be able to enjoy the weekend in Delhi and at the Taj Mahal. We plan to fly there Saturday morning with Prashant (Colin's boss) to see some of Delhi. On Sunday, after Prashant leaves to go back to Chicago, we'll make our way to the Taj Mahal before flying back that night to Hyderabad.
Yesterday it rained constantly. There has been very little rain during this monsoon season in the area, which they heavily depend upon for their crops, so the rain was definitely welcome. I tried to take pictures of the rain but if you've ever tried to do that, you'll know that it's hard to do. I noticed a small boy run out onto the balcony in one of the apartments across from us when it first started raining midday. He stuck his hand out between the bars, trying to feel the drops. Soon his mother followed him, holding a bowl and a spoonful of food, coaxing him back inside to continue eating lunch.
The rain did cause problems though; Colin wasn't able to get home until about 10 pm last night. The roads and traffic were disastrous. Colin usually doesn't get home until sometime after eight but the car leaves the hotel no earlier than 9:30 in the morning. It was expected that he would have long hours but it should be easier to get home when Prashant leaves because then Colin can come back without waiting for him. Even then, he'll most likely spend most of the evening working, but I've told him that's much better than him coming back so late.
Tonight we're going out with Prashant to a Chinese restaurant. I'm eager to have non-Indian food, see what Chinese food is like here, but most of all get the chance to leave the hotel.
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