Whirlwind isn't quite the right word; what do you call a day that is long because it goes at a glacial pace but ultimately goes much longer than expected? We accomplished quite a bit yesterday after having a day off here in Odpad. (Ulpar? The r's and d's here are confusing.)
The western shower takes a little getting used to, as it varies in both pressure and heat -- but you can get a decent hot shower out of it. It's one of those things you take for granted when you're home, but in India you learn to appreciate consistant sources of hot water...
The problem we didn't expect to have is that of being cold. It doesn't happen here as a rule, so when the clouds roll in and it rains -- a freak occurrance, it's supposed to be too warm here -- nobody is prepared for it. Add in some wind and you've got yourself a regular Bay Area winter day, right here in Surat.
Yesterday we did a few things; we attended a ceremony dedicating the new computer center and science center in a school we've donated to. I wasn't prepared to be on a dias in front of a hundred or so school kids and local dignitaries... well, at all, really. When was the last time YOU listened to an hour or so of school dedication speeches, in a language you didn't understand? <grin>
After that we had a little down time before heading into Surat for some shopping. Rina did the bulk of the shopping and picked up what I presume are some very nice outfits -- and I got a couple short kurtas (shirts) for myself as well. They feel really good in the heat, but with the weather the way it is I'm not sure that will be an issue.
Shopping took several hours; we visited a few mall stores at the new ISCON mall in Surat, followed by a trip to G3, a place that's relatively more expensive but had quite a variety.
Post-shopping we made a quick stop to upload our first batch of blog updates at Rina's cousin's place, where we ran into an unexpected difficulty, the flooding of his roof after his solar water tank sprung a leak. They'll have no hot water for a day, but the damage was contained as the patio on the roof has decent drainage.
To cap off the day we went to a revolving rooftop restaurant in Surat, a process that took much too long -- almost an hour to get in -- but they were busy and the view was almost worth it. The food was decent, so no complaints there, but it was difficult getting excited about the food at 11 PM when it was clearly bedtime for a number of people in our party.
After that we got a ride back to Rina's Grandmother's place and quickly headed to bed.
Today we're preparing for a trip to a nearby town to visit another of Rina's family members, where we'll be staying the night. Tomorrow we'll return here for an evening before embarking on our trip of the Golden Triangle... and beyond!
- Rina & Jim in the computer center
- Great speeches in a language you don't understand
- The science center in all its glory (that's not sarcasm)
