see you at the bitter end

I'm sad to say that my Indian experience is done, and it is with great pain that I have to bring this blog to a close. I'm not even being sarcastic when I say that; I found that tears unexpectedly sprang to my eyes as I wrote that, although I am much too pseudo-stoic to let them fall. My six months in Hyderabad were a life-shaping experience, and the consequences of my journey are not yet fully realized, least of all by me. I made what I hope will be lifelong friendships, I furthered my career growth (which sounds like a horridly adult thing to say), and I experienced a culture that is magical precisely because it is so inexplicably chaotic.

But, all things come to an end, and this blog is one of those things that must fall into the dust. I mentioned earlier that I would start a new blog; and, as some of you know, I already had a blog from my pre-India life, although I rarely wrote in it while I was in India. To maximize confusion, I decided to start a new blog site, but also to transfer all of my previous blog entries to the new site. Thus, it is both my old blog and a new blog; or, as the hypnotic tailor would say, different and totally different.

All you care about, I suppose, is the URL: swampfest.blogspot.com

It will undoubtedly be less interesting, since I'm not in India, and there will be fewer pictures (sorry to all of you illiterates who don't like wading through my thousand-word posts), but I will probably keep it up with alarming frequency.

Thanks for the memories, India. I'll miss you more than I ever thought possible, even though you failed to give me the bubonic plague.

sri lanka recap: irishing up my vacation

It already seems like Sri Lanka was a daydream, and India is becoming a distant memory--before that happens, I want to record at least some of my trip so that I won't forget everything as I am slowly reabsorbed into California life. Here are some highlights:

1) Sudan. Not the country, the Sri Lankan travel agent. I was sure that we were going to get ripped off by him; the only complaint I have is that he sent us to the Eden Resort in Bentota (which I disliked and which Matt thoroughly hated). Everything else was fantastic--we had a great driver for four days, we stayed in an entertaining place in Kandy and a very nice hotel in Nuwara Eliya, he stored my embarrassingly large suitcases the entire week that we were traveling, and to top it all off he called me 'my little girl'. Not bad for some dude that we picked randomly at the airport, a choice that went against all wisdom imparted by guidebooks.

2) Kandy. Home to the only cultural stuff that we did on the entire trip. I was thoroughly sick of World Heritage Sites by the time I left India, and so we only saw the Temple of the Tooth, as well as an elephant orphanage and a cultural show. It was in Kandy that my laptop was rendered unusable for the remainder of the trip, which made me feel much less guilt about not doing work for ten days. The most amusing thing we did in Kandy: dinner at the Hotel Suisse. We got there so early that we were the only people there for most of the meal. The dining room was cavernous, and there were birds living inside. Their chirps added to the strange, tinny music-box music playing from hidden speakers; the song never changed, although it occasionally skipped as though someone was shaking the music box. So surreal, and v. reminiscent of the music in Bangkok Spoon in Mountain View. The restaurant seemed like the British had left with the intention of returning; everything was shabby but clean, as though they didn't leave money for repairs but paid just enough to keep the place going until the good ol' days of colonialism can return. I loved it.

3) The spice garden outside Kandy. Truly strange. They spent ten minutes showing us spices--and half an hour trying to sell us various medical potions and unguents. Their selling tactics included giving me and Matt fabulous head massages; they also gave Matt a back massage, which they were more than happy to include me in, but I declined since I didn't want to remove my shirt. The proprietor had crazy eyes and selling tactics to rival the hypnotic tailor at Mebaz; I walked away with coconut hair oil which I will never use, and absolutely no new knowledge about spices.

4) Nuwara Eliya. Just like Ireland, only with autorickshaws. We drove up there so that we could get up at six a.m. to see World's End, a stunning drop-off that is apparently well-worth the three-hour walk. We got there around three p.m., after stopping at a tea plantation, and Matt freaked out a little when he saw how similar it was to Ireland. We walked around a bit, it started to rain, and we used this as an excuse to retreat to the bar, where we indulged in lots of Bailey's and ice, as well as Irish coffees, before heading to dinner. Dinner was amazing--it felt like something out of an Agatha Christie novel (before the murder, of course), with lots of different groups of suspicious and intriguing travelers eating fancy meals in a very proper, British-feeling dining room. The food was terrific, as was the wine, and $15/person was an absolutely ridiculous price. We retired to the bar for nightcaps, which turned into much more when we met some Swiss travel agents, who proceeded to keep us up until three a.m. We woke up a mere two and a half hours later for the one-hour drive to World's End; when we got there, the guide told us the hike was pointless because it was too rainy to see anything at World's End, so we drove back to the hotel. The drive was gorgeous, however, and Nuwara Eliya was well worth seeing, so there were no regrets, and we left immediately for the beach.

5) Eden Resort, Beruwela. More like a lowlight; I got a significant number of my potentially-deadly mosquito bites there, and there were flies everywhere. It wasn't a bad place, it was just rather soulless. They did serve fantastic steak there, which was the only saving grace, and which probably prevented Matt from killing a hapless waiter. We were supposed to spend four days there, but left after only two. The only positive was that I finished Haruki Murakami's 'Kafka on the Shore', and I highly recommend the book, especially if you can read it in the comfort of your own home and if you don't get bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitos in the process.

6) Club Villa, Bentota. So much nicer than Eden that it doesn't even warrant comparison. Regina and Rohit stayed there when we went to Sri Lanka in August, and Matt and I had thoroughly enjoyed dinner with them then; when we called for rooms this time, they only had the suite available for the first night, and we took it despite the extra cost due to our desperation to escape Eden. When they later offered it to us for the second night as well, we happily accepted--it was raining at the beach the entire time, but Club Villa made up for it. Those two days were utterly relaxing; I read Zadie Smith's 'On Beauty' (another highly-recommended book), we played an absurdly long game of checkers (aka 'draughts' in Ireland) because the board was 12x12 instead of 8x8, which made the game trickier, more strategic, and much longer, and we drank enough arrack sours that the staff started giggling when they brought more of them to our room. The food was absolutely heavenly, and I can't think of anyplace I would rather be stuck in the rain than at Club Villa. For one thing, it's the only place in the entire world where I have had arrack (coconut liquor) and actually enjoyed the taste; all attempts to export it to Hyderabad were disastrous. If nothing else, that alone makes it a great place to go. If I ever have a honeymoon, and if I am rich by that point, I'm taking the honeymoon in Sri Lanka--it's not popular with Americans because it's as far away from America as you can get (I didn't meet another American the entire time I was there), but it's a wonderful country with friendly people, cheap prices, fantastic food, and a variety of climates, terrains, and activities. If you ever get the chance to go, leap on it, and you won't regret it.

7) Dinner overlooking the Colombo harbor. The last night that we were in Colombo, Matt and I had dinner at the hotel where Sudan's city office is (he stored our luggage for free by telling the hotel that we were planning to stay there; as a courtesy to the hotel, we ate dinner there instead, and since dinner was tasty this wasn't a problem for us). The restaurant was on the sixth floor, with a lovely view of the harbor--but I felt sorry for the staff, who had to wear silly sailor costumes, and who had to deal with a very surly Frenchman who was the only other patron. I spent most of the dinner trying not to cry over the fact that my vacation was over, but despite that, the view was great and the restaurant was an adequate way to say goodbye to Sri Lanka.

8) The drive to the airport. It was completely ridiculous because of my large suitcases; we were in a passenger van, but the suitcases wouldn't fit in the back, so the easiest solution was to put me in one of the back rows, and put the suitcases in the middle row between me and the driver. Since Matt sat up front as well, I couldn't see either of them, nor could I see anything else in front of me except for the suitcases, which made for a strange and solitary trip to the airport. The driver laughed about this the entire way there, which I'm sure was amusing for him.

So, that was Sri Lanka. The only other thing of note happened on the way to Bentota: while the van was moving, I knelt on the floor to pull the seat forward so that Matt could climb into the back and sleep--and the seatback slammed into my face, nearly breaking my nose. Matt had the temerity to laugh, and I forgave him because I could objectively see the humor in it. I recovered quickly and my nose wasn't broken, which was nice.

This was definitely the most relaxing vacation I've ever had, and I am sad that I am no longer only two hours away from Sri Lanka. I miss vacation, I miss Matt (who was an ideal vacation companion because he was just as enthusiastic about relaxing and just as unenthusiastic about monuments as I was), and by extension I miss Hyderabad, the Hyderabadis, and all the other expats. As a way to wrap up my Indian experience, this trip was perfect. See below for pictures!

claudia and tammy looking oh-so-thrilled to have me back; my welcome-back dinner was a disaster in all the ways expected of my friends, and i thoroughly enjoyed myself 

tea plantations 

the living room in the suite at club villa; the french doors open onto a private patio. when we arrived, it wasn't raining, but that changed almost immediately. 

the mosquito netting in the suite in club villa was far too little and far too late to prevent the 30+ mosquito bites on my legs, but it was certainly picturesque 

the filming location for 'the bridge on the river kwai' 

matt claimed that nuwara eliya (the highest town in sri lanka) was uncannily similar to ireland; given this shot, the frigid temperatures, and the amount of baileys that i drank that night, i have to agree with him 

strangely totalitarian sign in the middle of a tea factory in sri lanka 

elephants walking towards the river and their morning baths 

another buddha overlooking the chaos of kandy 

buddha in the temple of the tooth, kandy 

tastes like burning--the cultural show in kandy, sri lanka 

matt, ismail, and me at our going-away party; ismail runs all transportation for the expats. i like this photo for the intense height disparities. 

me and ranjit, whose cooking i do/don't miss (but i do miss the fresh-squeezed lemonade) 

me and jogi at lunch on my last day in hyderabad 

katzman, looking utterly insane due to an unfortunate trick of the light. 

john and holly--they've lived in ukraine, and they helped introduce me to 'lost'. there should be no question as to why they're among my favorite banjara hillbillies. 

me and arod at golconda--i miss her! 

overlooking the ruins beneath golconda fort, hyderabad 

so happy together

I did nothing today but eat--I awoke at nine to the sound of my cellphone, and Vidya's voice telling me that she was still up for brunch. I met her at ten, we had a leisurely breakfast, and I arrived at the office around noon--and hour before the lunch that I had schedule with Gyre and Lizzie. Having two meals in four hours was completely unnecessary, and it made me sleepy, so I came home at four. I intended to spend the evening napping and doing nothing, but a call from Tammy led to an impromptu dinner at Tamarine with her and Claudia. I was home by nine, we sat around watching TV for awhile, and then Claude and I watched 'Kill Bill 2'. It's funny that the scene where the Bride kills Bill always makes me cry, and tonight was no exception. Now it's one a.m., and hopefully I can sleep since I didn't take a nap all day.

I can't believe that I've only been home for three days--it feels like it's been so much longer, almost like I never left. I need to unpack so that it becomes more solid; my belongings are strewn everywhere, and it's only going to get worse when my three huge boxes of stuff arrive. I also need to start throwing away/donating stuff, since I was embarrassed by the sheer amount of stuff I had in my suitcases in Sri Lanka, and those suitcases were the merest fraction of the amount of possessions I've acquired (and kept) in California. I had to repack my bags in the Colombo airport and switch six kilos into my backpack, and at that point I definitely wished that I had less stuff. I don't think a minimalist lifestyle is for me, but at the same time I very much admire minimalist design, so I may have to make some concessions if I'm going to achieve the look that I want in future homes. Now, though, it's time for bed.

your love is gonna drown

I seem to have brought the rains with me ever since Sri Lanka; it rained on the beach, it rained in Singapore, and it rained in California during my first full day back. Today was lovely, but since I spent most of it in the office, I didn't see much of it. It was so strange to go back to work today--not that I did much work. Instead, it took the tech guys two hours to fix my computer after the issues that it became afflicted with in Sri Lanka, and then I had lunch with my manager, and then I tried to leave early but spent an hour and a half getting to the door because I happened to take a route past a lot of people whom I wanted to say hi to. I still made it out by four (a glorious achievement compared to Hyderabad), came home, and took a three-hour nap. This is not helping my campaign against jet lag, but I couldn't help myself. Since I couldn't sleep tonight, I went to latenight on campus with Can, Shedletsky, and Joanna, where I ate some absolutely hideous nachos and had a generally amusing time.

Last night was extremely entertaining, although I can't really believe that it was last night--time is flowing backwards and forwards in that strange, surreal way that stems from unnatural sleep patterns and the general sense of loss caused by moving halfway around the world. Tammy, Shedletsky, and Claudia had planned the first of a couple of surprises that required me to be blindfolded for a somewhat significant amount of time--the blindfold wasn't really necessary, but most of what I do with my friends isn't necessary, and so I accepted it as a matter of course. I was hoping and praying for Mexican food, but instead they took me out for Indian food. Bastards! Adit, Vidya, and John crashed the party, and there was some drama involved with that--Adit asked us to switch to Sunnyvale rather than Palo Alto because he was down there, and the place he chose was a fast-food-style dive in a strip mall, when Tammy/Shedletsky had planned to take me to a more upscale establishment. This led to a drama-filled showdown between Tammy and Adit; this actually amused me a lot, and was almost preferable to a regular ol' dinner at a nice restaurant.

Back to the office--it was so strange. Nothing has really changed, and simultaneously everything has changed. It feels like I never left, and at the same time it feels like I'll never find my place again. It's funny--when I was in Hyderabad, I would stay up way too late because I was talking to friends online, but now that I'm home, I can still stay up way too late talking to friends online. That's the beauty of a 12.5-hour time difference, I suppose. I know that I will recover from the wrenching sense of dislocation someday, but today is hard--it's like I was taken out of a puzzle into which I fit quite nicely, and I'm being shoved into a new puzzle where the pieces aren't quite aligned. I'm lucky that my relationships with my friends haven't shown any signs of decline, but I do miss the friends that I made in Hyderabad.

I could go on and on about this strange dichotomy between being happy and miserable, between being home and being homesick, but talking about it doesn't really help. Instead, let's talk about something more exciting: my new blog! 'Saradoesindia' can't continue if I'm not in India. So, what shall my next blog be? Please vote:

1) saradoestheworld
2) swampfest
3) sarawampler [prosaic but professional]
4) other suggestions from you, the reader

I intend to start it sometime this weekend, whenever I get around to creating it. I'd also like to clean my room, unpack (my bags arrived this morning), see some friends, and make some cookies--we'll see whether my ambitions are fulfilled.

california: messed up but beautiful

I'm home! And I still have twenty-four minutes left of Tuesday, which is insane--today started with me tripping and almost losing my foot on a Sri Lankan escalator, and is ending with me watching 'The Daily Show' and the new, exciting 'Colbert Report' with Terry and Claudia. Weirdest day ever--but it's good to be home. I'll write more tomorrow!

prolonging the magic

I'm sitting in the Singapore airport, in the same lounge where I wrote my first post from Asia so many months ago. Tuesday so far is not such a happy day, but since I'm flying backwards over the international date line, there are still eighteen hours in which it can redeem itself. Tuesday will end with me seeing my friends, my apartment, and the glorious California freeway system (never thought I would praise such a messed-up piece of civil engineering, but times change), so it should all work out. Right now, though, I'm something of a disaster. A thunderstorm is raging outside the airport, which is appropriate; it rained on our last two days at the beach in Sri Lanka, which was also somehow appropriate. I woke up in Sri Lanka yesterday morning, went to Colombo, and caught the midnight flight from Sri Lanka to Singapore. We got here at 6:30am, dropped Matt's luggage off at his hotel, and then had an extended breakfast. We had intended to go and find the funicular that my father has waxed so eloquent about, but we were both absolutely exhausted, and I at least no longer had the mental energy left to pretend to enjoy myself when the last remnants of my Indian experience were crumbling around my ears. So I left for the airport three hours earlier than I had to; Matt was perilously close to being inducted into the small, elite cadre of people who have seen me cry, but I managed to hold off tears with a litany of 'don't cry don't cry don't cry', at the expense of completely missing out on the goodbye because I couldn't concentrate on it. A taxi driver named Chua got inducted into the cadre instead, although I don't think he realized that it was a rare honor and so probably thought that I was insane instead. Considering that I had been on the verge of crying since dinner in Colombo the night before, I actually held it together remarkably well--no embarrasing sobs, just silent tears as I said goodbye to Asia through the car window.

This should not be taken as an indication that the whole vacation was an unholy amalgam of rain and tears--I had an absolutely fantastic time, which probably didn't help my current mood. The week in Sri Lanka was a week during which I avoided most thoughts about Hyderabad and the friends I've left behind; I also didn't think much about my return to California and the exciting but chaotic social swirl that awaits. So today I'm not only mourning the end of vacation and the return to work (which is also depressing), but also the end of six life-shaping months in India, the end of a fantastic little pseudo-collegiate expat group, and the end of my travels with Matt (who is returning to Dublin and who will not be in the California office within the next few months like everyone else). This post is all about the end, but soon there will be posts about beginnings: the beginning of a new blog (since saradoesindia doesn't make sense anymore), the beginning of a new season of the 'Shrimp or Feet' game, the beginning of new projects at work, the beginning of a whole bunch of dinners and parties and barbecues and movie screenings to make up for all the fun that I missed this summer. So, I'm going to use this absurdly-long plane ride to mourn the past, and hopefully I can land in California with a clear and happy heart.

plagues and sand

I'm still in Sri Lanka, currently at some resort, but Matt and I are switching hotels tomorrow because of a strange plague of flies. Long story, but suffice it to say that the last two nights of my vacation will be spent at the same place where we met Regina and Rohit for dinner on our last trip to Sri Lanka--it's beautiful, with awesome food and a great beach, so we're both happy about this change. Then, on Monday we leave Sri Lanka at midnight for Singapore, and the longest Tuesday of my life will commence. I'll have four hours on the plane (but six on paper due to timezones), then eleven hours in Singapore, then another twelve or fourteen hours on planes, and I'll still get into San Francisco at 7:30pm on the same Tuesday, leaving me with four and a half hours with my friends in California. Crazy!

I'll update on the whole experience later, but now I'm headed for the beach. For those of you in California, I'll see you soon!

days 1-3: steak, steak, and more steak

I'm safe in Sri Lanka, and the driver is wondering what's taking me and Matt so long in a stupid internet cafe, but we both had last-minute work things to do. And the internet cafe guy broke my laptop, which will effectively stop me from doing any work on vacation. Yay!

Okay, all my loyal fans, I will update you more when I am someplace that isn't 100 degrees and full of dirty computers. Take care! I'll be home in a week.

last post from hyderabad

It's truly the end of an era. However, for those of you who were wondering whether I've changed dramatically during my time in India--the fact that I had to pack after my going-away party ended, and just finished after three a.m., should indicate that I haven't mended my ridiculous ways. I had some fantastic help and moral support from Arod and Alaska Matt (to differentiate him from Irish Matt), otherwise I would probably still be packing. Here's to hoping that all of my stuff will make it home!

Today was ridiculously busy, and also rather bittersweet. I ran errands, and Matt and I had lunch with Jogi--I worked more closely with her than with anyone else in the office, and so saying goodbye was hard. We had a 'quiet' evening in tonight, rather than going out; we ordered food from Angeethi, the staff did a great job of decorating the apartment, and almost everyone was able to attend. The apartment is a *disaster* now, mostly because a couple of the staff gave me and Matt flower garlands to wear; I left mine on most of the night and so shed a lot of pink flower petals all over the floor. We also watched two episodes of 'Lost' before I finished packing, and now I should sleep. I have many things to say about this experience, but I'm going to let it sink in for a few days before saying anything. It's just impossible to believe that I will be flying out of Hyderabad in six and a half hours. So, I won't think of it, and instead will spend one last night in abbreviated (but blissful) slumber. I will try to post occasionally from Sri Lanka--and then I'll be home on the 25th!

my heart goes mmmmmmm

Today was hard. It wasn't made easier by the fact that I went to bed at four and still made it into the office by ten. I had some remaining meetings, and I somehow got suckered into doing a training that I used to give but had passed off two months ago--it was funny that I spent one of my last half-hours in the office doing a training that I hadn't prepped for, so I hope that I didn't blight the skillset of a generation of young workers. I said goodbye to a lot of people, but didn't feel like I really had time to do anything or talk to anyone, and suddenly my last day in the office was over. I came home and took a nap in order to stem the rising tide of nostalgia, but it didn't work; however, Ranjit's big plate of mixed-noodle 'spaghetti' did help to excite me about the States just a little bit. Around nine, some of us went over to Maya's and hung out, but I'm exhausted and so took the first car back at midnight.

I think that the Sri Lanka trip will be perfect because it will allow me to mourn this place a little bit before I go home--and then, when I get home, I'll be so excited to see everyone that I hope that intense high of seeing my friends again will help to alleviate the pain of parting. And if it doesn't--well, I can always drag some of my friends to Sue's Indian Kitchen, which makes me laugh because the name Sue seems like such an anomaly, and it's even more of an anomaly that the walls are covered in paintings that are signed by 'Sue'. Good times. Now that I have dreams of Sue's Indian Kitchen in my head, it's time to sleep!

i walked into a club and i found paradise

Unfortunately, I didn't *really* walk into a club and find paradise tonight, but I did walk into a fancy restaurant, and I did find something akin to paradise (in a v. sad way) while saying goodbye to my team tonight. We all had dinner at this new place called Waterfront, which overlooks Hussain Sagar (the lake in the middle of the city, near the IMAX). It was actually really moving and more than a little sad; one guy brought his guitar and several of them sang songs to me in Hindi and English. They also gave me a ridiculous number of gifts. I am going to be so sad to leave all of them--but it still hasn't really hit me. When I'm at the office, I'm pretending that I'm not leaving, when in reality I only have two more days in India.

After dinner, I came home and watched two episodes of 'Lost' with some of the expats. Then I started packing, and managed to pack up two boxes of stuff to ship home. Problem 1: they're super heavy; problem 2: everything has to be itemized and valued. Soooo annoying. And given my bedding fixation, they're probably going to think I'm a shady importer because I'm bringing back about six bedspreads. It's rather unfortunate, but I shall perservere.

Okay, I'll try to post pics tomorrow, but I desperately need sleep--my last day in the office starts in five and a half hours!

every plan is a tiny prayer to father time

Okay. I had today off for an Indian festival, but I got up at 9:30, which I was rather proud of myself for since I stayed up past four last night. A group of us went to Golconda Fort and climbed all the stairs for a fantastic view of Hyderabad; I took a lot of pics that I hope have turned out well, but I'm too tired to upload them now. Then, we went to Ohri's and had Indian food (murgh makhni and garlic naan, of course), before coming home and relaxing. I meant to pack this afternoon, but instead I did a little work, watched the end of 'Crimson Tide', watched three episodes of 'Lost' with about twelve other people (the 'Lost' crew is getting a bit unwieldy at this point), and then hung out with Lauren and Josh. Now, it's past midnight, a storm is brewing outside, I only have three days left in Hyderabad, and I'm getting rather sad.

It felt like everything I saw today was something that I am never going to see again, and the melancholy and disorientation was only compounded by the fact that so many of us were essentially grounded this afternoon because of a mixup with transportation. I think I'm like one of those colonials who secretly loved the heat, the chaos, the incomprehensible Eastern mentality, and so always put off a request for a transfer back to 'civilization' because the lure of India is too strong. I am getting transferred back to 'civilization' and I'm very excited about seeing my friends and recovering my life, but it's going to take a very long time to get over this transition.

Okay, no more introspection--I must sleep. But first I must report that I got my hair chopped in Mumbai on Saturday, and it looks like a girl mullet. That's not the point, however. The point is that with some quick research, I confirmed that one of the women who was having her hair done at the ultra-exclusive salon that someone got us into with none other than a former Miss Universe, Lara Dutta. She was gorgeous in person, and also seemed quite friendly, and so I'm glad that I went to the exclusive hairdresser for that reason even if I wish she would have given me something other than a mullet. But, judging by what I saw in Italy, the mullets are coming back, and so perhaps I'm just ahead of the times.

all you see is where else you can be when you're at home

It's too bad there isn't someone here who can convince me not to be stupid. After spending the usual amount of time at work, Arod and I ran errands (Qmart, Himalaya Bookstore, and Mebaz). I failed to find a Sri Lanka guidebook, but I did buy another formal Indian outfit; it's getting stitched now, and perhaps I'll take pictures when I pick it up on Friday. Then, we met some people at Fusion 9...they were intending to watch 'Lost' on the plasma-screen tv in the bakery below the restaurant (weird, eh?), but because we showed up late, they ended up hanging out with us while we ate, and they didn't watch 'Lost' until they got home later. However, Arod, Matt and I stayed at Fusion 9 and had drinks until 11:30, when Matt went to the airport to pick up a new expat. I came home with the intention of going to bed (since I had had five cocktails, including the bartender's own special drink), but instead hung out in the apartment downstairs. We watched the amazing fight scene between Brad Pitt and Hector Bana in 'Troy', talked about work, and generally had an amusing time. Then I got to meet the new expat, and I stayed up until a few minutes ago talking to him and Matt. Now it's four in the morning. Sigh.

Granted, I have tomorrow off, which rocks, but I'm also going to Golconda Fort tomorrow morning at 10am. True to form, the moment I know that I can sleep in, I ruin the benefits of it by staying up later. Silly, silly Sara. But, I am two weeks and four hours away from landing in California! I can't feel too bad about my current sleepnessness; Sri Lanka will be very relaxing, and I'm unbelievably close to seeing my friends again. Perhaps I shall tell you stories tomorrow, but now I desperately need to close my eyes and dream of forts, formal outfits, cosmopolitans, and perhaps the end of the world (apocalypse dreams are my fave). Goodnight!

i'm not listening when you say goodbye

I stayed home from work today, thus missing 25% of my remaining time in the office. Lame. I'm no longer throwing up, which is a huge plus, but my stomach does cramp up unexpectedly, and I didn't think that I could make it through my endless meetings with such symptoms. I spent a couple of hours at Regina's tonight--it was the last thing that I needed in terms of physical wellbeing, but she and Rohit are leaving for Rajasthan tomorrow and so this was my last great chance to say goodbye to them. I'm just pretending that it isn't happening--avoidance tends to work pretty well for me, and this experience is no exception. I think I will be devastated to leave, but hopefully some Sri Lankan sun and some crazy fun with my friends whill help to alleviate the pain.

I would write more, but I desperately need sleep. I'll post pictures of Mumbai when I have them...until then, goodnight!

your body is a wonderland

If all possible human bodies were collected into an amusement park like Disneyland, and each body were assigned to a different area of the park, and there were themes such as Tomorrowland (for cyborgs), Adventureland (for Steve Irwin), and Somaliland (for people who are underfed), I would be firmly entrenched in Typhoidland. Not that I have typhoid, but I do have the worst case of food poisoning or something that I've ever had. Since no one else who went to Bombay with me is sick, I narrowed the culprit down to one ill-considered decision on my part to have an iced tea at Barista, since that's the only thing I had all weekend which no one else in the group partook of. I really blame myself; while I was waiting for them to make my stuff, I noticed one shady-looking dude pouring water out of a dirty-looking five-gallon jug into a much cleaner and more presentable pitcher--but then I lost track of the pitcher, and I'm now guessing that it made it into my iced tea. The only way that I could have been more at fault was if I had actually filled the pitcher from the sewer myself. No one I know has ever gotten sick at Barista, but there's a first for everything. So I spent last night rather sleepless, threw up about eight times, and still have rather intense stomach cramps. Aren't you glad that I shared? It's awkward to have food poisoning when you're sharing a room with two of your coworkers, but one of them didn't wake up at all (even though I left the bed every half an hour all night) and the other one didn't realize that I was sick until about six a.m.

Anyway, that's not the point of my Mumbai trip. The weekend as a whole was great, and I really wish that I had gone to Mumbai earlier and more often--the city is so cosmopolitan compared to every city in India that it's almost like going to a different country. It's built on islands, and there are gorgeous views of the water from the five-star hotels where we stayed and ate. The British influence is pronounced (i.e. British architecture and double-decker buses), but you can find virtually anything you want in Mumbai.

I don't have time to write since my stomach really hurts and I want to go to bed (I skipped the party I was supposed to go to tonight, very sadly, because I couldn't handle being in a car for so long and then dancing like crazy as well). But here are some highlights:

1) Seeing Vishal!!! We got into Bombay late on Friday night, and he came over to our hotel. We hung out with him there, then went to this amusing club (Insomnia, in the Taj Mahal hotel), before I bid him adieu. It was fantastic to see him, and while he is a bit more sedate than he was in school, he was still crazy enough to be reassuringly-similar to his past persona. He and I had a good laugh over how my group of expat friends is identical to my groups of friends back home, even if the individuals aren't comparable. Yay for Vishal.

2) The taxi drive to the hotel on Friday night. The taxi driver was trying to rip us off, and I would have just paid him because it was only $3, which he could use more than we could, but Matt put his foot down and the driver spent most of the ride alternating between screaming at Matt in Hindi, and then singing him a song about how he'd been driving for 25 years and that he 'loved big man' (meaning Matt, who is rather tall). He also fell asleep at one point. He liked to stare at Matt while snapping his fingers and abandoning both the wheel and the view of the road; he also liked to scratch his entire body and then grab Matt's arm. Best taxi ride *ever*.

3) Staying up until 6 a.m. Stupid, but v. fun. Since we didn't get to Mumbai until almost midnight, we hung out with Vishal first, and then ordered room service around four a.m. I love staying up late, and this definitely gave me the opportunity.

4) Shopping! I bought ten pairs of shoes yesterday, and they were all for me; since the most expensive pair was around $7, I can't feel too bad about that.

5) Indian doctors. Rohit called the hotel doctor this morning, who initially wanted to give me a shot of something, but I categorically refused. So, he sent up some medicine without any dosage or warning info, as well as some electrolyte packets to add to bottled water so that I won't get dehydrated and die. I love trying to guess how much medicine I have to take. As expected, I got back to Hyderabad and discovered that the medicine isn't approved in the US, but whatever. If the food poisoning hasn't killed me yet, this probably won't either.

6) The last weekend with Regina, Rohit, Arod, and the Matts. I'm going to be so sad to say goodbye to all of them, although I still get one more week with one of the Matts. It was a fantastic way to spend a weekend, and I hope that we'll have similar weekends in California in the future.

Okay, definitely time for bed. And, fyi, I was nowhere near the quake, so all is good for me (although v. sad for Pakistan and Kashmir). Goodnight!

there has never been anyone like you for me

I'm super psyched about the weekend. Regina, Rohit, Arod, the Matts, and I are leaving for Bombay (aka Mumbai) straight after work, and we're spending the weekend shopping, eating, shopping, drinking, shopping, dancing, and shopping. There's a small kink in our plans since it turns out that this Saturday is a dry day in Mumbai, but I'm sure we can persevere (or stock up in advance). We're coming back to Hyderabad and going straight to a party that requires fancy Indian dress. I'm taking my blue lehnga (which featured in some pictures in June or July) with me so that I can change into in Sunday night, but we're also going shopping for more fancy outfits and then planning on forcing the tailor to make them in a day. The blue lehnga is backup, but I'd like to get another outfit in preparation for my Indian friends' weddings.

Tonight was great fun; six of us were at work until 9:30 for various conference calls, and so we came home and opened a couple of bottles of wine and watched the tape of Regina and Rohit's wedding. Yes, that's a strange way to spend a Thursday night. But, their wedding was lovely and it was great to see that part of their lives--it's really easy to forget that the expats have any life other than the life we are sharing right now, and it's good to get some perspective on life outside the Jayabheri bubble. We hung out talking until 12:30 or so, and now I desperately need some sleep. I don't expect to sleep in Mumbai, and by the time I get back I will have less than a week left in Hyderabad. I didn't know whether to follow that with a sad or happy emoticon, so I'll leave it to your imagination and preference. Goodnight, everyone!

all your secrets and your lies

After work tonight, eight of us were spontaneous for a change and decided to go out for dinner rather than eat in the apartments. We went to the Exotica, which was the restaurant we were supposed to go to on Sunday night; as you remember, we were thwarted because the elevator was broken (with people trapped in it) and the stairs stopped two floors short of their destination. We made it to the top tonight, and we just had to hope that there were connecting stairs someplace else in case of fire. Luckily, fire was not a concern. The restaurant was gorgeous--it's set up on the roof of the same building that holds Little Penang (the ridiculous restaurant with terrible service that we went to about a month ago) and Kafulok (the Chinese place we went to on Sunday). They have koi pools surrounding the tables, and the platforms for the tables are connected with little bridges. It wasn't hot tonight and there was a pleasant breeze, so it was really nice. Other people complained about mosquitos, but I'm so annoyed about not picking up the bubonic plague that I'm now inviting malaria just out of spite. The food tasted rather similar to the food we had at Kafulok; the waiters all claim that they're separate restaurants, but I think it's clear that they all share chefs (or at least recipes). In my opinion, there's nothing better than a romantic dinner for eight, and so I was quite pleased.

When we got back, I discovered that Ranjit had saved me 'Mexican' food since I hadn't called to say that I wasn't coming home; I managed to put a dent in it because I wasn't completely stuffed from dinner (I boycotted the tofu satay that everyone else ate, and so wasn't quite as full as they were). By Wednesdays or Thursdays I'm so sick of eating a tomato/cucumber sandwich at lunch and whatever crap is served for dinner that I'm psychologically famished and can suck up anything at that point that is mildly satisfying. By my standards, tonight was absolutely awesome.

I hung out and chatted with Heather, Salim, Regina, Rohit, Arod, Jessie, and the newly returned Alaskan Matt until about twenty minutes ago, when it became clear that those of us still hanging out should go to bed. I'm really looking forward to Mumbai--I intend to do lots of shopping, lots of partying, and lots of socializing with some of my favorite people before we all part ways.

Simultaneously, I'm looking forward to seeing my friends again and having all that freedom that I so adore, up to and including the freedom to leave my bed unmade and my clothes strewn about without worrying that all of my possessions will be 'put away' and unfindable by the time I get home. I'm getting a chance to ramp back into my 'real life' this weekend--I'm meeting Vishal for dinner in Mumbai!! I'm getting in Friday night, and unfortunately he has to leave Saturday for business, but Friday night dinner has to happen. I doubt that he will be on his best behavior (and for Vishal, even best behavior can be shocking), but I've missed him a lot and am looking forward to seeing him in his native habitat. And on that positive note, it's time for bed!

they can trigger me but they can never figure me out

Okay, so no time to write tonight; I'm tired and I have to go to work tomorrow. All is not bad, however. I watched two episodes of 'Lost' tonight before a conference call, which was great, and I'm well and truly addicted. Tonight was also the last night of Anup's cooking. The thai curries that he made tonight were absolutely stellar, and even though I felt some amount of guilt when Ranjit returned in time to watch me stuff my face with curry, I still took seconds. Mmm.

Ismail picked up some boxes for me today, so I suppose I should start packing up all my worldly goods and sending them home. There are significantly more worldly goods than there were when I came here, so this should be fun. I'm also going shopping in Bombay this weekend, which means that I'll have to leave space in at least one box for the stuff that I will buy there. I'll be back in California three weeks from today! Shocking!

That was a pretty worthless post, but you'll have to forgive me. I only have seven days left in the office, and twelve days left in India. It seems impossible, so I'm going to go to sleep before I can think about it any more.

love is not a victory march

Okay, I've been rather lax with the blogging, which is unforgivable since I had today off. Sadly, I do not have tomorrow off, and that means that I really want to go to bed. Highlights of the last two days:

1) Seeing a cultural program for Gandhi's birthday (the holiday which resulted in the vacation that I had today). Maya's choir sang a few of Gandhi's favorite hymns, other people read verses from the 'Bhagavadgita' or sang Hindi songs, and the governor of Andhra Pradesh showed up to give a speech. The best part, though, was that during the first half hour of the show, there were still guys on stage rearranging the decorations. It was completely unnecessary and thoroughly distracting, but they insisted on redecorating as the program was going on. Awesome!

2) Lunch at Fusion 9. I'm really going to miss that place; Matt and I went there for lunch today, and while it's not the best food in the world, it's a fun place to go.

3) Shopping at Shilparamam and Charminar. Shilparamam is a bazaar set up near my apartment, and I'm sad that I haven't been there before; they have really cool handicrafts, and while I avoided buying another bedspread, I did pick up three cushion covers. Charminar has an insane bazaar; they sell every type of bangle that you could possibly want, but I was sad to realize today that I already have more than I know what to do with, and so I walked away emptyhanded. Matt bought a turban, hoewver, and Jessie bought some bangles, so it was almost worth it.

4) The perfume seller. A friend of Maya's (whom we call the vampire because we had previously only seen him at night) took us to buy perfume from a street-stall someplace. The perfumes, in varieties such as sandalwood or rose, were extremely strong, and smelled like they were actually essential oils. A tiny bottle was 100 rupees, and will probably last me my entire life. After putting just a drop on my wrists, the scent stayed with me all night (despite vigorous full-arm scrubbing upon my homecoming). Jessie and I shared a car home, and we both ended up with major headaches. Still, trying fragrances and having them filled into smaller bottles at a street shop was v. fun.

5) Dinner at a new restaurant. After the cultural show yesterday, John, Holly, Jessie, Matt and I tried a new Chinese restaurant. We were going to try a new restaurant on the fifth floor of the same building, but the elevator was broken and we couldn't find the stairs. Sadly, there were people trapped in the elevator; it was nice for us because there was glass on the outside of the elevator and so we could see them, but they looked pretty miserable. The restaurant we did try, however, was really good, and may actually make it into heavy rotation at some point in the near future.

6) Lost. Best show ever!!! John and Holly brought the DVDs of the first season back from the States; I watched the first two episodes last night, then watched three and four with them tonight. Jessie got hooked as well, and Matt is already hooked from watching them on TV here (they just started playing the first season in India, although we're on the second season in the States), so I bet that my last two weeks will contain more than a little bit of TV watching.

I have so much to do at work that it's not even funny, so it's time to bid you all adieu!

the chaos of the bazaar; charminar looms in the background. 

they kept proffering fancy turbans, even though matt only wanted a house turban for everyday wear. apparently this is the store you go to for once-in-a-lifetime marriage turbans, not plain turbans. matt obviously should have gotten the decorative brooch with the ruby-colored stone and the feather. 

the adorable boy at the turban store 

sleep is for the weak

I have actual entertaining things to write about tonight, but I'm so tired that I can't do them justice. I had intended to call my parents tonight, but I just randomly fell asleep while uploading pictures, and whenever I fall asleep with my contacts in is a great indication that I need to go to bed.

I will write about today when I discuss tomorrow in nauseating detail. You may be pleased to know that Matt and I have decided to go to Sri Lanka instead of Bali; we essentially replaing one lush tropical paradise for another, with the upside being that we're less likely to get blown up in Sri Lanka. Yay! On that note, it's time to go to bed!

the team outside barista after dinner; i'm so sad to leave them! 

me and my new dupatta; it's hard to tell from the picture, but the pink scarf has silver sequins, large mirrors, a silver bead fringe, and lots of rattling seashells. yay! 

jayatri and me at the end of a fabulous dinner 

matt and soumyajit; as this picture indicates, soumyajit can be fired up about things other than cricket (shocking!)