Day 2 - Tuesday/Mangalwar - Unlucky for some . . .

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I surprised even myself last night - woke up at 3am, cold! My hips had gone stiff and ached like mad - I feel 60! So I threw my Virgin flight blanket over my sleeping bag liner (Thanks again Mr Branson) - I'm not getting under the covers in a double bed with a strange guy, I wasn't up for rooting around for my sleeping bag, and there's no way I'm turning the A/C off!

Woke up at 8:30 when Kristian opened the curtains with blatant disregard for my eyesight, and went downstairs for breakfast - an experience, it was pilau rice, spicy re-fried vegetable rice (which I'm sure was on the menu last night . . .), curry sauce plus bread and jam. I had a spoon of rice to save face, and filled up on bread and jam!

While waited for the bus to Lonavala, I chatted to the rest of the group. This morning we were joined by 3 Germans: Kai (m), Karoline (f) and Karen (f); and 2 Norwegians: Lone and Hilde. They're all very nice and we got on well. Finally the bus turned up 2 hours late, and we began the 3-and-a-half hour journey to Lonavala, our base for the next couple of days.

The journey was another "exerience" - the word of the trip, by the way, everything unpleasant or distressing is classed as an "experience" - the traffic and the driving were both insane going through Mumbai, and on the highways afterwards everything was just so green! Not that crappy washed out yellow-green we get in England, I mean proper green! The lanes on the highway were at least marked, unlike in the towns, although they don't know the meaning of the term "lane discipline" - the driver weaved around traffic all over the road, and overtook a lorry as 2 lanes merged, missing concrete-filled barrels by a whisker!

We were met at the Hotel Chandralok by 3 IDEX staff, Kusum, the manager, and her 2 male underlings, Krishan and Dipu. We unloaded our bags, then and had lunch. This was an indian mixed all-you-can-eat lunch, known as a "thali" - you get little bowls of 5 dishes, chapatis and pappadums, and the waiters keep coming round refilling the bowls as you wish. Very nice, but I made Hilde look foolish - she spooned what looked like coconut onto her plate, at my suggestion, but it turned out to be salt. I couldn't help but laugh as she scowled at me with an embarassed smile on her face. Oops!

After lunch we were then joined by the 13th member of our group, another english guy called Keith, and had a talk where we said a bit about ourselves (Kai went on for 10 minutes while we got his life story upto that point) and were told a little about the projects. Very little!

Dinner afterwards was good, chinese style noodles and indian side dishes. The hotel is 100%!v(MISSING)egetarian, but the spices used mean everything still tastes OK, even if the texture's not what we're used to. Had ice cream for dessert and an indian mouth refresher - a teaspoon of seeds and spices, with a taste mainly of aniseed, but very nice in small doses.

After dinner we had a few games of doubles ping-pong, and then me, Kristian, Julie, Karoline, Karen, Hilde, and Lone went out for a wander around. I got Hilde into trouble again! There were some stasues in what looked like the front of a shop, and I asked her to pose for a photo. So she stood just in front of them, on some steps, when a man came over waving his hands and asking her, not angrily, to get down. She'd been stood in a temple, with her shoes on, a complete no-no! I don't think she'll do anything I suggest again!

We then went to the nearby Krishna Hotel for a drink, and ended up staying for 3! Had a good time, everyone gatting on very well, they're all amazed I'm going to be away for the first time alone, for 12 months. Come to think of it, so am I. What am I thinking!?!?!?! :D

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Comments

[Anna]

Alan!
I don't think you're supposed to nick the Virgin flight blankets.....!