Day 7 - Food. Actual, solid food.

15:10
I’m already declaring today a success. I sleep well, and don’t recall having to get up once during the night to use the toilet. When I do, things are improving. For those of you familiar with the Bristol scale (and if you’re not, why not?) I’ve moved from a 7 to a 6, and this is cause for great joy.

I spend what’s left of the morning mooching, checking out how my stomach feels. Around 13:00, I decide it’s time to brave the outside. I’m not planning to overstretch myself. My guesthouse has a rooftop café, to which I head. The sun is warm on my skin, the sky is hazy but clear, and there’s a stunning view of the Taj Mahal about 300m to the North of me. I sit for a while, and take it in. The view is by no means a replacement for the visit I have planned tomorrow morning at dawn, yet it excites me nonetheless.

The menu is a blend of Indian and global dishes. Tempting as a Dhal Makhani is, I’m not ready to test my stomach to that extent. Cheese omelette and some dry toast - that’s the one for me. I’ve honestly no idea how my belly’s going to react, but there’s only one way to find out. I’m staggeringly hungry. Even the dry toast tastes delicious. The tastiest omelette I’ve ever eaten was the Omelette Arnold Bennett, at the Hand and Flowers, Tom Kerridge’s 2 Michelin Star pub in Marlow. Soft, baveuse eggs, excellent parmesan cheese, topped with the very best of smoked haddock, and a glaze of Hollandaise, raw egg yolk and béchamel made from the poaching liquor from the smoked haddock. Divine.

I tell you what though - this one’s a close second, despite containing only egg and Paneer.

I decide not to press my luck. I could definitely eat more, but want to see how this modest feast settles. Passing by reception, I pick up my laundry, and head back to my room. HOLD TIGHT FOR FEEDBACK.

23:50
I know you’ve all been on tenterhooks. The short answer is could have been better, but could have been a lot worse. I don’t feel up to any excursions this afternoon, but neither am I writhing around on my bed in agony, interspersed with frequent toilet dashes. I’ll take it. I’m definitely on an upward trajectory, but it’s slower than I’d have liked.

My tour guide for the sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal tomorrow contacts me to let me know it’s likely going to be foggy first thing tomorrow, so we should reschedule for late morning when the sun will break through. The Taj at sunrise (when the sun’s actually shining) is a thing of staggering beauty - but there’s much less shock and awe if it’s shrouded in mist. I’m not entirely disappointed not to have to set an alarm for 05:30, if I’m honest.

The afternoon passes in a spate of dozes, some reading, and a movie. I downloaded a ton of stuff to my iPad before leaving the UK. The extended bed-rest I’ve had over the past few days means I’ve burnt my way through much of it. I’ve still got plenty to read though, so am well covered for my 18 hour, overnight train ride tomorrow night. Well, I say 18 hours - the average delay for this train is around 90 minutes, but can be more like 4-5, so anywhere between 18 and 24 I guess…

Around 23:00, I decide to get some sleep. Despite not needing to get up at 05:30, I still wanna be up in half decent time tomorrow. Perhaps 15 minutes later, a loud banging starts outside my door, for what I’m not initially sure. Could be some urgent maintenance I guess? It continues for the next 10 minutes, which is not at all cool. I’m sure I’m not the only one trying to sleep. I stick my head out my door, and find a group of Indian guys trying to break into one of the rooms next to mine. When I say ‘break in’ that reads like something nefarious is happening. It’s not - it’s a broken lock. A couple of the guys standing around and watching work for the guesthouse. They look at me as I peer round the corner, and I manage a very British ‘tut’ allied to a modest shake of the head, such is my distaste. The noise continues for another 15-20 minutes, and comes to a temporary close with the sound of smashing wood. Clearly, some sort of ingress has been achieved. I roll over, and try to sleep - only to be startled by the sound of hammering and drilling. Clearly, the repairs to the door are going to happen right now. I’m apparently not sleeping until this racket has subsided, so sit up for a while, waiting for abatement…Baca lagi