The great beyond

After eating a delicious breakfast provided by the clinic of something called "onion uthappam" I decided I would be a little adventurous. Nothing too crazy, as I have no idea really about where I am, but a little walk around the area. I'd just stepped out of the door when walking from the temple was a man with a cow; unexpected, but pretty interesting.

Now, one thing I just didn't think to expect was, and I do feel a little badly saying it, how dirty everything is. Not in the clinic itself, but the surrounding area, and just as everyone told me it became quite the eye opening culture shock. The cars spreading down the road made dust fly in the air, and there were literal piles of trash on the road, but there was still plenty to take it. While walking I came across a market where I was very lucky to encounter someone who spoke English, and I had her reccomend some sweets for me to try later. They bundled some up for me, paid my 32 rupees, and I was off walking again. I was going to see if I could find some street food, but I found out first hand that there's about a three hour lull in the day were everyone takes a break or a nap. What I did find in that time was a place that sold ice cream, and I just decided to go with the vendors favorite choice. Now, after having paid such a small amount for the other sweets, when they said 50 rupees, I thought that seemed a little expensive, but I went for it anyway; having done the math when I got back with my melting dessert I realized it was only 71 cents. I dug in to my layers of ice cream with pure abandon. It may not be terribly hot here, but it is humid like crazy and it was perfect for beating the heat. Having blown through my midday treat I then went for my bundle of snacks. Wrapped up in newspaper and tied together with a bit of string, it felt like opening a Christmas present early. I tried a bite of each one savoring the different flavors, many of which tasting like nothing I've tasted before. One was savory and crunchy, another melted on my tongue, one was coconut flavored but was so sweet I couldn't take another bite.

Having decided that I still wanted to explore, I headed in the opposite direction to see what I'd find. Once I had exited the clinic, I found myself right up against a busy roadway with shops lining the narrow footpath with motorbikes that I needed to weave through to get around. I found a small store that had some jewelry and figured since it was the first place I'd seen of this nature I had better go in; who knew when I'd see another like it. As soon as I stepped through the door the women working there were on me. They would tell me all the features of different pieces, and pull full racks off the wall to display, all while standing maybe six inches away from me. I skipped the stuff that looked super western, or had name brands on them, and went for the pieces that (in my mind) stood out most. Clearly I bought a lot by their standard, because there was a lot of giggling, but they were all very nice and definitely seemed happy with my purchase; I was too.

Walking back I realized I may have not totally beat jetlag, and although I was sleeping and waking up at the appropriate times, I was feeling extremely lethargic. Knowing my limits I headed back to the cottage and let myself relax reading my book. I made it through the rest of the day, having dinner, and a very nice conversation with Erin, and then quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, but also a much less interesting one, as I would be taking care of Erin's son with Shrinity (his temporary nanny while in India). I do want to make sure the trip back goes smoothly, and a day spent with him should make things more comfortable in the long run.

P.S. Thank you all for the comments, but if you don't have an account (which you don't need) I have no idea who left them. Maybe you could sign your name at the end. Love from India.

-KelleyRead more