August 22, 2010, Chennai
8:26 p.m. India time.
Well, the M.C. is obviously feeling better, because he came into my room this morning and said so. He had an I.V. and some blood tests at the hospital, and they made him drink this nasty salty stuff: two whole glasses. The blood tests came back and said everything was normal, but he had very low potassium. That makes sense because when you don't have enough potassium you will have bad cramps. He took it easy today and is subsisting mostly on liquids, as everything just went through him yesterday, and he needs to be nice to his insides.
Anyway, we have postponed our trip to Bangalore. I was half asleep when Raja and I spoke this morning, mostly because I was "helping" Monkey play a game on his DSi and then he fell asleep so I kept playing it almost all night long. It was really addictive. At first I couldn't remember what game it was, but Monkey told me it's called "The Amazing Adventures of the Forgotten Ruins." I've helped Monkey get up to over 4,000,000,000 points, so he's happy to let me play. Raja still has to go to Bangalore overnight for business (he'll leave tomorrow) but he and I will go back by train for the weekend. We'll go alone, as the kids are flying to Pune to see their mom's family. It will be kind of romantic, and a nice way to celebrate our 1-year anniversary of dating, which is today.
After Raja took a nap (he was tired from staying up all night at the hospital) and I had some breakfast (my favorite: do you remember what that is?) we went out shopping. First we went to the oldest bookstore in Chennai (and the oldest existing bookstore in India) Higginbothams. It was opened in 1844! It's a really big bookstore with all kinds of books. I bought books on Hinduism, Tamil language, and Indian cooking, plus an Indian joke book. I don't get all of the jokes, but a lot of them had me LOL.
After Higginbothams, we went to Spencer Plaza, which is a huge mall. We had heard a rumor that the electricity had gone out, but the lights were on when we got there. As we rode in the auto, I saw a guy on a motorcycle give me the once-over twice. There really aren't very many women here who are light-skinned, much less as pale as I am.
It has been unseasonably rainy here. Raja says he has never seen this much rain in August. This is more like what monsoon season is like. Everything is absolutely sopping wet. The roofs in the mall leak, and the marble floors of the shops are muddy and wet. I've been accused of bringing the rain with me. I just shrug my shoulders and say, "Maaaaaaayyyybe."
We went to a few shops, including a restaurant for chaat (snacks) and FabIndia, a very expensive shop that sells Indian/western hybrid clothes. I bought a skirt and a kurti (top) there, and some gifts for friends. I also went to a couple of jewelry stores because oooooooh....shiny. I bought some stuff, and Raja was looking for a few things, a Star of David an an Om ring. Raja is really interested in religions, and like most Hindus, doesn't have a problem with mix and match. He wears a Ganesha/Lakshmi necklace and a cross at the same time, for example. The guy tried to sell him a pentacle, but I pointed put that he was looking for a six-pointed, not a five-pointed star. That is, unless he wanted to be Wiccan, too! We looked at suitcases (I still need to buy two or so to bring back all of my stuff) and I went into a handicrafts store. I saw the most beautiful Durga statue ever. I wanted her, and the guy was even going to sell it to me for 1200 rupees less than it was marked, but he told me to wait and see (I need to comparison shop.) However, I got the guy's card because I am in love with her, and will be coming back unless I find something much better, and I don't know if I will.
After the mall, we took an auto to Pothys, the last fabric/clothing shop on my list, but it was such a terrible crush that we could barely get in. We decided to leave and come back tomorrow. No one should be there, as it's a work day, and I'll be able to get some service and take my time looking at all the fabrics (and I hope I can take some photos for my friend Ruth, too. She loves fabric!)
We left Pothys and walked on foot for what felt like forever. Not only did we have to dodge autos, bikes, and cars, but we had to avoid muddy puddles that went way over our ankles. The air was a little cooler due to the rain, but it was still hot enough that the moisture on my drink (I had bought a "Virginia Mojito" from KFC at the mall) was coming off my cup as steam. We walked and walked and walked, past beggars and little children and fruit stands where the cut fruit smelled soooo tempting (though I know better than to eat anything from the roadside) and guys hawking umbrellas (I bet they did well today), walking and walking until we reached our destination: a housewares store. Five floors of kitchen stuff, appliances, and, of course, religious paraphernalia. I know people who would go crazy, absolutely crazy, in there. I bought some gifts, including some for myself: an idli steamer (non-stick) and an insulated tiffin. A tiffin is a lunchbox, with two to four stainless steel partitions inside so that you can put hot food inside and take it to work for your lunch. I can't wait to use it, although Raja made fun of me because kids take them to school. I told him that I go to school every day, and I have a Simpson's lunchbox, and if I can carry that around without embarrassment, I can certainly handle a tiffin.
By now I was so tired and wet and hot, that I was d-o-n-e: done. Time to go home. My shoulder was aching from the 50 or so pounds of books in my messenger bag. My FabIndia paper bag had fallen apart and I'd had to beg an extra bag at the housewares store. I was moist from head to toe. I had spent almost 10,000 rupees. Yeah, you heard me right. (It doesn't seem like quite so much once you translate it into dollars. Try it and see.) By the time I got home I had to change clothes, turn on the AC and lie down. This meant I changed, turned on the AC, and lay down and played "The Amazing Adventures of the Forgotten Ruins" until dinner time.
For the second night in a row we had pizza. I thought it was just a fluke from yesterday, but it seems that in India, pizza comes with corn on it. Weird. It's good, but of course, I had never heard of corn on pizza before.
Before I sign off, I'll respond to a question my friend asked me:
1. Does it unnerve you to be on the left side of the road?
No, not as long as I'm not driving. What unnerves me is that half the time, I'm on the right side of the road, and usually, I'm in the middle, driving right on the line.
She also made some observations about Uncle and Aunty's house:
- there is a decided lack of wall art.
True, They make up for it on the inside of their puja cabinet. I'll ask Aunty if I can take a picture of it. They also have photos and things inside cabinets. I don't know if it's because they haven't lived here long, if they prefer a simpler look, or because they don't have central air, and the art might be suceptible to damage from the moisture in the air.
- the cabinets look like they're from an IKEA store.
I think most furniture here is linear and practical, unless you have family legacy pieces or are wealthy.
- the refrigerator appears to be similar to the European, high-efficiency kind.
I'm not sure, but it sure would be a good idea!
- it's very spare and brightly clean, which seems to be a remarkable contrast to what's outside.
I know I'd find that soothing. I think the spare nature of the flat makes it easier to keep clean. Also, Uncle has limited vision, which might make it dangerous to live in too cluttered a space.
- the gash on your nose is almost healed. :-)
Why yes, it is. I'm wondering if it might turn into a rakish scar.
It is hot and, although I really should pay bills tonight, I think I am going to take a bath and go to bed instead. (NOT playing DSi this time.) Tomorrow, another try at Pothys, and perhaps a photo post. Have a nice Sunday, and I'll talk to you soon.
Until then, be good!
8:26 p.m. India time.
Well, the M.C. is obviously feeling better, because he came into my room this morning and said so. He had an I.V. and some blood tests at the hospital, and they made him drink this nasty salty stuff: two whole glasses. The blood tests came back and said everything was normal, but he had very low potassium. That makes sense because when you don't have enough potassium you will have bad cramps. He took it easy today and is subsisting mostly on liquids, as everything just went through him yesterday, and he needs to be nice to his insides.
Anyway, we have postponed our trip to Bangalore. I was half asleep when Raja and I spoke this morning, mostly because I was "helping" Monkey play a game on his DSi and then he fell asleep so I kept playing it almost all night long. It was really addictive. At first I couldn't remember what game it was, but Monkey told me it's called "The Amazing Adventures of the Forgotten Ruins." I've helped Monkey get up to over 4,000,000,000 points, so he's happy to let me play. Raja still has to go to Bangalore overnight for business (he'll leave tomorrow) but he and I will go back by train for the weekend. We'll go alone, as the kids are flying to Pune to see their mom's family. It will be kind of romantic, and a nice way to celebrate our 1-year anniversary of dating, which is today.
After Raja took a nap (he was tired from staying up all night at the hospital) and I had some breakfast (my favorite: do you remember what that is?) we went out shopping. First we went to the oldest bookstore in Chennai (and the oldest existing bookstore in India) Higginbothams. It was opened in 1844! It's a really big bookstore with all kinds of books. I bought books on Hinduism, Tamil language, and Indian cooking, plus an Indian joke book. I don't get all of the jokes, but a lot of them had me LOL.
After Higginbothams, we went to Spencer Plaza, which is a huge mall. We had heard a rumor that the electricity had gone out, but the lights were on when we got there. As we rode in the auto, I saw a guy on a motorcycle give me the once-over twice. There really aren't very many women here who are light-skinned, much less as pale as I am.
It has been unseasonably rainy here. Raja says he has never seen this much rain in August. This is more like what monsoon season is like. Everything is absolutely sopping wet. The roofs in the mall leak, and the marble floors of the shops are muddy and wet. I've been accused of bringing the rain with me. I just shrug my shoulders and say, "Maaaaaaayyyybe."
We went to a few shops, including a restaurant for chaat (snacks) and FabIndia, a very expensive shop that sells Indian/western hybrid clothes. I bought a skirt and a kurti (top) there, and some gifts for friends. I also went to a couple of jewelry stores because oooooooh....shiny. I bought some stuff, and Raja was looking for a few things, a Star of David an an Om ring. Raja is really interested in religions, and like most Hindus, doesn't have a problem with mix and match. He wears a Ganesha/Lakshmi necklace and a cross at the same time, for example. The guy tried to sell him a pentacle, but I pointed put that he was looking for a six-pointed, not a five-pointed star. That is, unless he wanted to be Wiccan, too! We looked at suitcases (I still need to buy two or so to bring back all of my stuff) and I went into a handicrafts store. I saw the most beautiful Durga statue ever. I wanted her, and the guy was even going to sell it to me for 1200 rupees less than it was marked, but he told me to wait and see (I need to comparison shop.) However, I got the guy's card because I am in love with her, and will be coming back unless I find something much better, and I don't know if I will.
After the mall, we took an auto to Pothys, the last fabric/clothing shop on my list, but it was such a terrible crush that we could barely get in. We decided to leave and come back tomorrow. No one should be there, as it's a work day, and I'll be able to get some service and take my time looking at all the fabrics (and I hope I can take some photos for my friend Ruth, too. She loves fabric!)
We left Pothys and walked on foot for what felt like forever. Not only did we have to dodge autos, bikes, and cars, but we had to avoid muddy puddles that went way over our ankles. The air was a little cooler due to the rain, but it was still hot enough that the moisture on my drink (I had bought a "Virginia Mojito" from KFC at the mall) was coming off my cup as steam. We walked and walked and walked, past beggars and little children and fruit stands where the cut fruit smelled soooo tempting (though I know better than to eat anything from the roadside) and guys hawking umbrellas (I bet they did well today), walking and walking until we reached our destination: a housewares store. Five floors of kitchen stuff, appliances, and, of course, religious paraphernalia. I know people who would go crazy, absolutely crazy, in there. I bought some gifts, including some for myself: an idli steamer (non-stick) and an insulated tiffin. A tiffin is a lunchbox, with two to four stainless steel partitions inside so that you can put hot food inside and take it to work for your lunch. I can't wait to use it, although Raja made fun of me because kids take them to school. I told him that I go to school every day, and I have a Simpson's lunchbox, and if I can carry that around without embarrassment, I can certainly handle a tiffin.
By now I was so tired and wet and hot, that I was d-o-n-e: done. Time to go home. My shoulder was aching from the 50 or so pounds of books in my messenger bag. My FabIndia paper bag had fallen apart and I'd had to beg an extra bag at the housewares store. I was moist from head to toe. I had spent almost 10,000 rupees. Yeah, you heard me right. (It doesn't seem like quite so much once you translate it into dollars. Try it and see.) By the time I got home I had to change clothes, turn on the AC and lie down. This meant I changed, turned on the AC, and lay down and played "The Amazing Adventures of the Forgotten Ruins" until dinner time.
For the second night in a row we had pizza. I thought it was just a fluke from yesterday, but it seems that in India, pizza comes with corn on it. Weird. It's good, but of course, I had never heard of corn on pizza before.
Before I sign off, I'll respond to a question my friend asked me:
1. Does it unnerve you to be on the left side of the road?
No, not as long as I'm not driving. What unnerves me is that half the time, I'm on the right side of the road, and usually, I'm in the middle, driving right on the line.
She also made some observations about Uncle and Aunty's house:
- there is a decided lack of wall art.
True, They make up for it on the inside of their puja cabinet. I'll ask Aunty if I can take a picture of it. They also have photos and things inside cabinets. I don't know if it's because they haven't lived here long, if they prefer a simpler look, or because they don't have central air, and the art might be suceptible to damage from the moisture in the air.
- the cabinets look like they're from an IKEA store.
I think most furniture here is linear and practical, unless you have family legacy pieces or are wealthy.
- the refrigerator appears to be similar to the European, high-efficiency kind.
I'm not sure, but it sure would be a good idea!
- it's very spare and brightly clean, which seems to be a remarkable contrast to what's outside.
I know I'd find that soothing. I think the spare nature of the flat makes it easier to keep clean. Also, Uncle has limited vision, which might make it dangerous to live in too cluttered a space.
- the gash on your nose is almost healed. :-)
Why yes, it is. I'm wondering if it might turn into a rakish scar.
It is hot and, although I really should pay bills tonight, I think I am going to take a bath and go to bed instead. (NOT playing DSi this time.) Tomorrow, another try at Pothys, and perhaps a photo post. Have a nice Sunday, and I'll talk to you soon.
Until then, be good!
What an exhausting day. I'm glad the MC is better.
ReplyDeleteLOL I had to look up a recipe for egg dosas. Mmmm. And how cool that you bought an idli steamer! I have one, but Jay doesn't really care for idlis and it's a lot of work to make for one person.
Thanks for answering all those questions. *hugs*