so i think it will be a lazy day today in colaba. i wasn't feeling all that great this morning on account of eating three large meals yesterday (something i rarely do in the states). we also go through litres of water like nothing. more water than i usually drink in a week in one day or less. (amanda tell thiara i wipe my bum with my hand. they have english style toilets but no toilet paper unless you buy your own which i have, but if you don't need to use it you just use the indian style toilet and shower all at once. showers btw are from a bucket which also is not bad; i got used to it easily)
so yesterday greg and i took out the whole family of lolita (the one he is friends with) for 300 rupees - less than ten dollars for father mother two sons one wife one daughter and four little boys. amazing. almost every time we eat we bring with us the family b/c they are not allowed in under normal circumstances (low caste). on account of the caste thing they all convert to catholicism.
on the street everyone tries to sell you everything, everywhere you go it's "excuse me sir" and they persist up to a point. i keep walking though mostly.
so i bought a book today - 1984 by orwell (couldn't find brave new world this time.. maybe next time) anticipating a lazy day and just in case i'm sick. took the cipro prophylactically. hopefully it helps.
greg has a meeting hopefully this week he says he is getting bored ofbombay.. nothing to do except sit around all day unless ou want to do cheesy tourist stuff. saw some of that but ou see it and that's it you know.. snap a photo to show everyone back home and then back. anyways he's going to his meeting then he's going to take sonyi to goa with him and i go off to dharamsala. that way we leave at the same time from the same station and it's easier. i checked yesterday to make sure my atm card works in india and it does. yay! no atms in dharamsala so i need to bring rupees as i don't intend to go all the way back to delhi just for atm and i plan to stay up there for a while. hopefully i can book a ticket to pathankot (a transfer station in the north of delhi on the way to dharamsala) at the same time i book my ticket to delhi so i don't have to wait in delhi for days. paperwork in india greg says takes forever . lonely planet calls this IST indian stretch time - which i experienced with the airport fiasco. then from pathankot there's the kanga narrow gauge train which i might take just for the scenery. much longer than the bus but the trains greg says are more comfortable here than in europe so i assume that extends to america too as amtrak not so much.. so yeah i get to take pictures nad watch the scenery on the way up to kangra, then one hour bus to dharamsala and quick taxi to mcleod ganj where i can stay comfortably for less than $20 per day according to lonely planet.
greg's staying in goa he says til january so hopefully i can meet up with him there on my way back/ we shall see. getting ahead of myself.
there's quite a few tourists here in colaba. from all over. some staying for a long time. others just passing through. apparently tourist season doesnteven start for another month.
dont know if i mentioned earlier but greg + i are sharing not only a room but also a bed. no comments pls. the bed is probably the most uncomfortable thing i've ever slept on though. worse than the floor. and i slept on the floor for a long time at summit apt 3. but bombay is expensive and we're on the shoestring budget .. esp after hyatt ;op.
anyways i'm gonna check my email now but good to hear from my family :) love y'all.
