The Reunion, Italian Dinner, Debate, Farewell

We're together! Amazing as it may seem, all of our planning actually worked out and we ended up in Delhi at the same place at the same time. When I pulled up at The Oberoi I grabbed my bags and started for the entrance - through the 30 or so guests and staff cajoling for cars. I hadn't seen Karin and Anjum standing outside but luckily Anjum spotted me and called out my name just before I disappeared into the abyss. Here's the scene:

I heard my name and turned to see Karin smiling in the distance. Our eyes met, and suddenly everyone went silent, stopped moving, and turned their attentions intently on us. Then some classic Bollywood tune started playing. All the men gathered behind me and all the women gathered behind Karin... and started dancing. Oh how they danced! Time slowed down and we started running into each other's arms. Karin's hair was blowing in the wind, her sarong falling particularly beautifully in the moonlight... and I looked dashing in my Armani suit and white tie. As the dancers became more and more frenzied, we ran faster and faster into each other's arms, culminating in an incredible passion-induced embrace that seemed to last only a moment but in fact went on well into the next number. I wish you could all have been there (can never hurt to have more back-up dancers, you know).

Well, it was great to see Karin - and Anjum. They were outside because Anjum was just about to leave. And leave she did. After three and a half weeks together, Anjum and Karin bid each other adieu and Anjum drove off, leaving Karin with me! We made our way into the hotel chatting about what her trip had been like.

We then went upstairs and [PORTION EDITED OUT IN THE NAME OF DECENCY BY THE INDIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNET DIGNITY AND BLOGWORTHINESS]. Harry came back from the spa soon thereafter and by 10:00 PM we were having dinner in the ITALIAN restaurant here. Karin and Harry are apparently done with Indian food for a long long time (that's what Karin thinks). Dinner was delish. Inspired by a particularly good pasta dish, Harry will be learning Italian next year and we intend to parlare solamente in italiano thereafter.

We discussed their impressions of the trip, of India, of capital punishment, and of legalization of drugs. Harry is going to send out an email eventually but here is a brief summary of what they (primarily Harry) expressed to me (correct me if I'm wrong) in the form of debate and dialogue:

1. The ratio of lack-of-comfort to difference-they-were-making was too high. While they were willing to endure being cold and wet, without toilets and plumbing and general rudimentary conveniences, they would have preferred to make those sacrifices somewhere even more remote, helping people who had even less access to health care. You just can't satisfy these people when it comes to helping people in need.

2. Harry had his fill of India.

3. Harry supports a basic libertarian view of how governments should be approaching legislation in general.

After an enjoyable meal and at around midnight, we gathered Harry's things and accompanied him to the lobby for his farewell scene (fewer dancers but still good energy). He then left for the airport for his 2:30 AM flight (international flights arrive and leave at crazy times in India - usually in the middle of the night).

By the time he left I had been totally exhausted for hours... following my 2 hour sleep the previous night (if you call 6AM to 8AM "night") and no nap! We got back to the room and I passed out. I think Karin was using the internet at the time. I slept for almost 6 hours! I think I have finally acclimatized.

It's 9:30 AM now. We will have breakfast and then will explore Delhi. We are scheduled to do a day trip to Agra tomorrow and then to leave for Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan the next day. Karin and I have not had a chance yet to finalize our itinerary but will do so by tonight.

Tea with Tibetan Monk, Bus Ride From Hell, Delhi Haven

It's 3:15 pm in Delhi. We arrived early this morning. Recap:



Yesterday morning A and I awoke at 5:40am to catch morning prayers at the Namgyal monastery near the Dalai Lama's palace. Before entering the temple we removed our shoes and placed them on the racks. The sign above the racks said, "make sure that your shoes are not stolen by someone."



We watched rows of monks chanting in the low-pitched gutteral tones interspersed with bells ringing. It was very spiritual once my stiff body got accustomed to sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor for an hour. It's amazing what six straight nights of camping does to your flexibility. I did manage to meditate for a few minutes at the end. It was surreal.

After that we strolled on the footpath around the complex. We got a bit lost and walked back (we were walking in the wrong direction, or as is written on the signs, "circumambulate this way"). [Oh, and on the roads in Himachal there were speeding signs with interesting wording like, "If married, divorce speed"]

Yesterday's highlight was having tea with our monk friend Gelek. After a yummy Tibetan lunch on the patio of Chonar House, A and I decided to check out the monastery office to see if he was there. Luckily he was, and he invited us to sit for tea. It was awesome (both the tea and the experience).

The rest of the day was spent wandering around Mcloud Ganj. It was a beautiful sunny day so we basked in the sun. It was great to feel some warmth at last.



Ok, onto the bus ride. We were due to get on a 12-hr overnight bus to Delhi leaving at 6pm. Our luggage was strapped on top of the bus, and we crammed inside. The bus was not chartered for us alone, and we were asked to leave the first 10 seats empty. Which we did. But once the 10 additional passengers got on, their tickets showed seats 11+12 (where A and I were sitting). Even though there was room to shuffle them around to fit, they refused, and after much debate, A and I decided to just suck it up and sit with strangers one row ahead. It was not really a big deal until Anjum realized that the woman next to her would need the window wide open for the entire trip (due to motion sickness). It was quite cold by then. So we offered her a dramamine, and by chance the lady accepted (what a relief!) She was asleep 10 minutes later and Anjum reached across and closed the window. Where else would someone accept an unknown drug from a total stranger?

Ok, so we thought we were set! But then the roads were windy and within one hour five of our team had vomited in make-shift barf bags (including one in the row behind us). The windows were opened. We were cold again. After three hours the roads were less twisty. But we were not in the clear, because our inconsiderate passengers had reclined their seats back to their fullest, leaving about one inch of leg room. I'm not usually one to complain about that sort of thing, but the seat was touching my knees! Me! I took another dramamine to put myself in a coma. It worked until my freaking tiny bladder woke me up to go. Picture this: six American (and Canadian) women lined up on the Indian roadside squatting as oncoming traffic passes by.

The only reprieve from all this was my neighbor Tenzin, who turned out to be a really nice Tibetan guy on his way back home to Delhi. He escaped Tibet nine years ago with his brother on a six week trek across the Himalayas with a group of 40 people. They ran out of food, shoes worn through, but still managed to reach Nepal with the entire group in good health and without frostbite! He was somewhat clausterphobic so I offered him some dramamine. That drug is a life-saver.

We finally reached Delhi at around 6:30am and at Harry's insistance headed straight to the lovely Hotel my mother had reserved for us. That was a great move. The first thing I did was go to the lobby restroom to wash my hands and face and dry them with a perfectly white, soft, face towel. Bliss...

A's friend Ritika later picked us up for some brief shopping for gifts, followed by a hearty (non-Indian! non veggie!) meal of pizza and pasta with fries on the side. Yum!

Jaime will be here in a few hours. We will have dinner with Harry and send him off to the airport at midnight. Then Jaime and I we will begin our Rajastan holiday. Yay!

The medical expedition is over. It was a great experience that has had a profound impact on me. I do not necessarily feel transformed, but I certainly have a greater appreciation of my luxuries back home; namely, clean, potable, heated water, and accessible quality healthcare. Obviously I have a lot more to say, but will leave that for individual conversations with all of you.

:)
Karin

Mumbai Continued: Parsi Food, Chai Tea & Bread and Butter. Art Galleries.

It's 5:30 AM. Eric was just telling me about his experience as a fellow Wall Street Journal journalist in the region when Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered. They had collaborated on stories and he had been staying in Daniel's guest house. I definitely have to read A Mighty Heart, Mariane Pearl's account of the tragedy.

This morning was not particularly productive as my friends here slept through most of it while I wandered his apartment in a daze, cursing Hypnos (god of sleep) for his sadistic decision to torment me so.

We ended up going for lunch at Britania, a great Parsi restaurant, and walking around Kala Ghoda, Mumbai's premier art district. We visited a few galleries and then went into Yazdani Bakery for chai tea and bread with butter. Eric and Zainab also took me through Watson's Hotel, which was built in England in the 1860's. It opened in Mumbai as an exclusive whites-only hotel, which eventually inspired the founding of the incredible TAJ group of hotels by Jamsetji Tata. Watson's was the swankiest hotel in Mumbai for much of the early 20th century but eventually lost favor and was finally sold in 1960. The hotel was closed and tiny offices were haphazardly built within. Eric describes it as a great example of how lease law in India can turn magnificent buildings into blights as landlords cannot evict tenants or raise rents and so have no incentive to conduct even minimal maintenance. The building is a shambles - and is largely occupied by lawyers (see pic from lobby), which attests to its utter failure to remain a productive and decent component of modern society.

Land use issues are a common and seemingly ubiquitous theme in urban India. Not only do landlords get stuck with tenants paying almost no rent, but squatters will move into almost any building that is not guarded 24/7. Because squatters are numerous and vote (as opposed to the wealthy who tend to vote much less), politicians make unrealistic promises to them to get elected. The result is a protected class of people who are keeping large portions of cities from being properly developed as politicians and squatters perpetuate a symbiotic, but ultimately very destructive, democratically entrenched downward spiral into decay and blight.

Following our walk in Kala Ghoda we returned to Eric's place for a desperately needed nap (I had slept 2 hours the night before and was exhausted). Eric woke me at 10:00 PM so that we might continue our intensive tour of Mumbai's nightlife. We ended up at Dome on the roof of the Intercontinental Hotel - modern hotel and a beautiful view from the roof. When that closed, we headed to Henry Tham's. And when that closed we headed home.

It is now 10:00 AM on Feb 24. I'll be seeing Karin today! Once again I slept from just before 6:00 AM until around 8:00 AM and was painfully unable to sleep anymore.

This afternoon I will be heading to Delhi on Kingfisher Airlines. My source tells me that Vijay Mallya, the Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, is the Indian version of Richard Branson. Apparently he runs a very good airline.

This evening Karin and I will be able to answer the question posed in the very first post on this website. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to that mystery and to our upcoming Rajasthan adventure.

Mumbai: From Bollywood To Child Labor; The Heat, The Smells, The Slums, The Party

What a confusing title! But Mumbai (Bombay) is, in many ways, a juxtaposition of diverging socio-economic, environmental, and class distinctions.

Eric lives on the 28th floor of a fine building in a very nice part of town (Colaba). His 300+ degree view of the city and ocean is spectacular. From the apartment it's possible to watch the daily catch coming in, people enjoying themselves in a beautiful manicured park, a shanty-town surrounded by upscale condominiums, and the daily buzz of a vibrant city.

Yesterday morning Eric took me to the docks where the fish come in and are cleaned by a small army of workers. As we entered the area we were told that photographs were not permitted. In fact, we were repeatedly told that as we walked through even though we had no camera visible. There were hundreds of people - mostly female - kneeling on the concrete cleaning fish, shrimp, and squid. Of the fish workers, a good portion of them were young children (probably why pictures are not permitted).

The smell was absolutely disgusting - thousands of pounds of fish coming through daily, much of their carcases discarded and rotting on the hot pavement (high yesterday was 94), and every few blocks a corner that served as a makeshift lavatory (based on the abominable smells that were confronting us). I did not get any pictures but that's one image that will stick (and I mean stick) with me for a long time.

That walk did not last long but we were both exhausted from it and returned to his place to relax. Eventually we headed out for lunch (or breakfast depending how you define these things). We ended up at Rajdhani in the Crawford Market for unlimited gujrati thali - as in a set menu, an army of staff that kept the plates full of vegetarian Indian food, and quickly being ushered out as soon as we were done. Very efficient. And quite delicious. Cost of that feast was in the $3 range.

We then walked through the Crawford Market. People were asleep everywhere - on the ground, in baskets, on tables. You name it, and it's a bed in India.

We returned home and napped. I woke up just in time to go out for dinner. Our friend Fabio arrived from Pune. I only ever knew Fabio with a buzz-cut but now he's sporting long flowing locks. He resigned from Merrill Lynch a couple of years ago and has started a consulting firm here. Was good fun to see him.

We headed out at about 9 PM for dinner at a rooftop Indian restaurant (not vegetarian this time). Gorgeous place. Food delish. And apparently the sheesha was good too - though that's not something I enjoy. We mostly talked about our days at SAIS and what life is like in India.

Following din din, Eric's friend Zainab joined us and we headed to Olive - a popular hangout for Bollywood types. Lots of beautiful people. Eric knew everyone.

One of the first people we met there was Asad Shan - Veejay on B4U. He does exist, as evidenced by the 54,100 returns that Google gave me. This from Wired Magazine:

Asad Shan was working as an investment banker in London when he decided to jump ship and start a new career in modeling and acting. After a stint at the New York Film Academy, and some success on the runway in England, he moved to Mumbai, hired an agent, and is busy trying to make a name for himself.

Apparently there are a lot of people moving here to take advantage of the booming Bollywood entertainment industry. Check out this BBC article where Asad is also featured. We also met Vibhav Krishna, Mumbai Entertainment Lawyer to the Bollywood Stars.

We hung out at Olive until about 1AM and then headed to the J.W. Marriott to a place called Enigma. Fabio had a 6:30 AM flight to Goa and our plan was to stay out most of the night and then to take him to the airport.

Enigma was loud and jumping and good fun (thanks to my earplugs). We were there when it closed at 3:00 AM and then grabbed a bite in the Marriott's restaurant. Fabio from Rimini ordered... pizza! And enjoyed it!

We drove Fabio to the airport and were back at Eric's place by 5:30 AM. And then the unthinkable happened... I got on the computer and Eric's connection died! Waking him up to reconnect did cross my mind but I caught myself and headed to my bedroom. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was... sunrise. Eric can run up walls.

This morning I woke up at 8:30 AM. I was completely and utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. Thankfully Eric came out to briefly check his email shortly thereafter and I again have internet access. And by 9:00 our Agra train tickets arrived at the front door.

Tomorrow I shall fly to Delhi to be reunited with Karin! Tomorrow evening dinner with the trio. Then Karin and I shall then begin the rest of our adventure together in India.

The Dalai Lama won' t give us an interview. What a shaft!

It's 6:40 pm in Dharamsala. We are having a great day.

Awoke at 7:00am, showered (!), and eventually headed out. Despite having enough hot water, I still felt the need to take a bucket bath instead of shower.

We decided to head to the Dalai Lama's temple complex, but got delayed due to many interesting Tibetan shops on the way. When we finally arrived, we were clueless as to what to see because neither Anjum or I had a book explaining the site. So I stopped some Monks until I found an English-speaking one and asked him if there were any guides available. He hesitated, and then started explaining the whole complex to us. He was very sweet. His name is Gelek, he is 20 yrs old, and has been living in the monastery here for 10 years. He is originally from Bhutan. So he pointed us in the right direction, and recommended we walk on a footpath around the complex. He would have liked to take us, but he was wearing a western-style shirt under his robe, and said he would get in trouble (turns out he had just been visiting a cousin- hence the western dress). He asked us to stop by the administrative office later to say hello (we did go by later in the day but the office was closed).

We visited the temple, the bookstore, and the Tibet museum (and souvenir shop, of course). The museum was especially interesting (and disturbing) as it recounted the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and subsequent persecution of its people. The temple complex was full of monks, tourists, and locals meditating, praying, and soaking in the spiritual atmosphere. We had a sense of well-being.

We tried to say hello to the Dalai Lama, but alas he is on a meditation retreat and is in seclusion for 10 days. Anjum tried sweet-talking the Indian guard by telling him she was from Uttar Pradesh (Indian state), but he didn't cave.

So we consoled ourselves by having lunch at an awesome Tibet restaurant (Snow Lion) accompanied by the best tea we have had yet (not butter tea-gross!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent strolling around Mcloud Ganj and doing some more shopping.

Ok, gotta go, we are late for dinner.
Oh, I spoke to Jaime this morning- we meet up on the 24th in Delhi!

Namaste!
Karin

Karin And I Are In The Same Country. Tout Story.

Landed in Mumbai at 1 AM (technically Feb 22). Eric's driver, Ram, picked me up at the airport and took me to Colaba, where Eric lives. Arrived here about 2 AM. Total travel time door to door (Del Mar-Colaba) is in the vicinity of 32 hours.

Tourists are constantly complaining about so-called "touts" in India. These are the locals - usually taxi drivers - that constantly and tenaciously accost foreigners to try to get hired. They are particularly aggressive around train stations and airports where tourists report having really awful and unrelenting experiences with them.

So... Eric had told me that his driver would be waiting with a sign outside the terminal. I collected my bags and headed out - around 1:30 AM. There were dozens of people out there - mostly taxi drivers. And at least 25 signs being held up with individuals' names. I went through each one carefully but my name was nowhere to be found. I waited a few minutes and then decided that I had to call Eric to see if anyone was actually at the airport to meet me. I returned to the terminal and went up to a taxi guy and asked how I make a local call. He pointed to a phone and said "You have to call from that blue phone. You have to put one Rupee in for it to work." I had no rupees. And to get one Rupee (about 2.2 cents) was going to be a big pain in the butt. So I just kind of stared at him for a moment with a confused and forlorn look on my face (which is exactly what I was feeling). After about 10 seconds he reached into his pocket and gave me a Rupee. My very first act in India was out-touting a tout! Or, as Eric puts it, I landed in India and immediately started begging.

I thanked him profusely, made the call, found Ram, and was driven to Eric's apartment. We chatted for an hour and now it's bedtime. It's great to be here. Total sleep over the past 35 hours is approximately 2 hours.

Above is a pic from the plane after leaving London Heathrow.

Hello from McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

Just arrived in Dharamsala. It's cold and wet. Again. But we had 2 dry days in a row previously. So the 1st thing we did on arrival: Anjum soaked clothes for laundry, Harry checked himself into the nicer Hotel next door. A + I were debating if we should join him, but I thought that as acting lead I should suck it up and stay with the group. The 'Hotel' is the same as the others- 40 yr old carpet and bedding, unheated, one small space heater. Small water heater. But it is a luxury after 6 nights of camping.

Can't say much yet about Dharamsala except that we have spotted some white people and monks. There are many small Tibetan shops that we plan to visit. Don't know if the Dalai Lama is in town, but we will find out about visiting his complex.

We are not actually in Dharamsala. We are in Mcleod Ganj which is the smaller, nicer, tourist spot where the Dalai Lama lives (upper Dharamsala).

As for the last few days, we had 2 busy clinic days. yesterday we saw 211 patients. Our busiest yet. Overall, we did not see as many patients as expected. Only about 1500 total. So many dermatologic and eye complaints. Also a lot of osteoarthritis and general wear and tear from the difficult lifestyle. Occasionally we come upon someone with a rare disorder that we vaguely remember reading about in med school. I am keeping a list of things to look up upon my return.

Our last camp site (outside of Chowari) was lovely. But due to rain we were bummed out for much of the 6 night stay there. Also, everyone was sick (by everyone I mean ~75% of the team). And we revolved some people in and out of a local guest house- basically room with a toilet, heater, and shower- so they can have their diarrhea without having to trek to the bathroom tents (hole in the ground that became disgusting after prolonged use). Harry was there for 2 nights. Anjum stuck it out in the tent. It is unclear what the illness was, but most people are treating themselves for Typhoid. We will probably all de-worm ourselves as a precaution. And will throw in some scabies treatment to boot.

I am dependent on hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and pepto bismol. So far it has worked for me. Except that my hands have lost several layers of skin and perpetually taste like chemicals. I immediately washed them with soap and water on arrival- what a luxury.

When we get back to our room A+I plan to shower. We have do do that very quickly so as not to use up all the hot water in the heater. The second showerer gets the shaft. I have not taken a proper shower since I don't know when. But I have become very efficient at the bucket-bath.

So we have 2 nights here, and on the 23rd take an overnight bus to Delhi. No more clinic. Just free time. We plan to explore and relax. We have internet and phone access, so feel free to write!

Love to you all.

Karin

On My Way to Mumbai II

Now at London Heathrow. LHR is just not a pleasant airport. After finally getting to my departure terminal I was told that I could only bring one of my two bags that I had been carrying from San Diego through security. They told me to stuff one into the other. That would have been impossible so I stepped aside and sort of bound them together with their straps and that was acceptable.

The flight from JFK was pleasant. First, I watched My Bollywood Bride, for obvious reasons. The opening scene was of a Californian dude arriving in Mumbai and being accosted by touts (the people that are constantly trying to get foreigners to hire them). That's going to be me in 9 hours! TheCalifornia dude was going to India to meet a girl - just I am! The parallels end there, however. He is going to seek out an Indian woman that he had met in Santa Monica. They had some kind of relationship and then she suddenly left. Upon his arrival in Mumbai he discovers that she's a huge Bollywood starlette! You'll have to rent it to see what happens.

After My Bollywood Bride I read. First I read The Economist which was largely about how it is likely that George Bush will launch an attack on Iran for various reasons. They believe the clincher is that he doesn't have to answer to anyone now (can't be re-elected) and will be concerned about his legacy (which is looking rather dismal right now).

Following The Economist I read the February edition of Wired. Very interesting article in there that basically tears apart Terry Semel's management of Yahoo! The author's position is that Semel has no clue about the tech side of things and Google is, technically speaking, everything that Yahoo! is not. Semel's a great marketer and deal seeker/maker (though he did blow a chance to buy Google early on) but Google is engineering-first and in the tech world you can't catch up by relying on marketing.

And finally, I did the Tuesday New York Times crossword. Did any of you try Feb 20's NYT crossword? That's a Wednesday if I ever saw one! Unless you happen to be very knowledgeable about Sidney Poitier's career, I suppose.

And this is a cool picture (at least it is for IFR pilots): It shows our route of flight coming into LHR. We had been asked to enter a holding pattern and soon thereafter we were released and told to fly the approach. You can see the pilot's teardrop entry into the pattern and then, just after entering the 4th leg, she does a 270 degree turn to the right to enter the approach. At least that's my theory.

On My Way to Mumbai

Mail & newspaper on hold. House secure. Plants watered. Everything turned off. Online accounts in vacation mode. Everything packed. Work files under control. Actually, one of my clients called me at home yesterday. I really dislike that. But in this case it was for a good cause - a demand letter I had written seems to have worked even though I had put it in the outbox after hours on Friday. I called my office and left word to stop the letter if it hasn't gone out.

I'm at the airport awaiting my flight: SAN-JFK-LHR-BOM. The first two flights are on AA and the last flight is on BA. While I do enjoy flying, this is going to be one long trip.

Update: At JFK now. Uneventful flight. They showed The Prestige. This airport is way overheated. Maybe they forgot to turn down the heat now that the one week of actual winter weather has passed. I'm in a t-shirt and I'm warm. The Jet Blue terminal is still surrounded by television crews. Probably leftover from the fiasco last week.

Picture is from the plane as we taxied to our gate at JFK.

Beautiful, Productive Day In The Himalayas. Karin In Charge. Singing. Dancing. I'm Leaving Tomorrow.

I just received a call from Dr. Rash. Today was a gorgeous day in the Himalayas. The team saw over 150 patients and there were many interesting cases. Lots of scabies and rashes. A fair number of years-old untreated spinal fractures. And they are seeing more of the heart-breaking mental-retardation cases where there is little that can be done.

Only 6 people out of the entire team has avoided sickness. Of our Intrepid Trio, only Karin has stayed consistently strong. I have had Karin on a steady diet of hearty Indian fare for the past decade and I attribute her resilience to my own resolute commitment to banghan bharta, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and raita.

The other physician on the trip decided that, since the sickness was of unknown origin, they should treat for typhoid (a la Dr. House for those of you familiar). So everyone was put on antibiotics. Karin's thought that more of a wait and see approach might be better - as in wait and see who slips into a coma and then treat.

Karin also described an incredible hike they took from a high mountain pass. They all got our of their Jeeps at 10,000 feet and had a wild no-holds-barred snowball-fight with the drivers. They then hiked up an additional 1500 feet and arrived at a peak that was absolutely spectacular. Incredibly memorable experience.

The lead of the trip has now departed. I think that means that Karin is now in charge. She's so modest about these things that it's hard to be sure but I did the math and according to my calculations when #1 goes home, the assistant to #1 becomes #1. So, I haven't completed the proof yet but I'm pretty sure she's numero uno.

The other night they had a serious rain storm. Everyone retired to their tents for the night. Some time later, Prem the Sherpa unexpectedly came around to make sure everyone was dry. Prem, on the other hand, was going from tent to tent in a torrential rainfall without any rain-gear whatsoever. He was sopping wet. That, in the eyes of our Explorers, made him even cuter than before (he's Karin's height).

Evening activity has improved markedly since Harry reported on the (possibly) rabid dogs that they would name, play with, and run from. The staff have been getting together with everyone and playing music, singing and dancing. Apparently their Indian hosts are talented musicians and it makes for wonderful entertainment. Inevitably the staff asks the Medical Team to sing something they know from their culture. Karin reports that the group then sheepishly tries to figure out something they all know and ultimately are stuck singing childhood camp songs such as "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". They all feel quite pathetic when it's their turn but they swallow their pride and do their part to expose the gathered Sherpas, cooks and other Indian staff to quality North American culture. I'm going to suggest that they move on to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Hava Nagila tonight if they feel up to it.

Meanwhile, back in San Diego (where it's storming today), I am doing some last-minute planning and packing. I had sent this website out to some beautiful hotels in India to see if they might consider discounting our stay to become part of this noble, yet entertaining, effort. Aman has graciously offered to do just that and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of others.

And here is the message you will be confronted with if you try to log into the website for booking trains in India today:

We are currently facing problem with the credit card payment gateways at the moment. Your booking may or may not materialize due to the same.

Quick Emasculating Call From Karin

Karin called me this morning at 5:20 AM. Yes, I was in a deep sleep. Yes, it's Sunday. Yes, I was up in the middle of the night. No, it was not an emergency. Yes, I was ecstatic to hear from her.

My head was in a cloud, though, so she opted to call me back 2 hours later. Her purpose: to tell me to bring socks and feminine-hygiene products to India for her. The weather there was bad so everyone was packed into the kitchen-tent and I could barely make out what she was saying. I was, however, able to hear the entire group erupt into hysterical laughter when she chose a crowded kitchen-tent on a desolate mountain-side in the rugged and unforgiving Himalaya-sierra to instruct me to bring panty-liners to India. Yes, I felt emasculated. But I've recovered - as evidenced by my ability to write about it here.

I didn't get much more information because she was speaking on Harry's cell phone and roaming is about 10,000 Rupees per Himalayan minute. So all I can really tell you is that she's running low on... um... socks.

(OK, maybe I'm still recovering)