The sickness strikes!

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Well, it got Kevin, but not me, not yet. And it of curse had to happen the night before we leave at 7:30am the next morning on a train for 8 1/2 hours! Of course!!! So to make a long story short, Kevin picked up some bug that had him puking all night and feeling like he would be better off dead... but its nothing some hardcore antibiotics couldn't fix! But after looking like a ghost all night, he finally got some color back in the morning and was holding down granola bars through a bit of the day... then he got hit again on the train, but this time more likely from dehydration and a mix of the antibiotics, malaria pill, etc, as he's fine now. Of course, as I write this I feel my own gut getting a little uncomfortable... and John already left the internet cafe to hit the toilet, so he was second to go out of the three of us... and I just have that feeling that the dinner we had wasn't exactly meant for your average travelers... I'll update you on that with the next posting.

Anyway, aside from the bugs we're starting to deal with, things have been going pretty darn good! Oh yeah, ummmm, mom, what would you say if I told you I was gonna move to Chennai next fall...? I know you totally think I'm joking too, right? Well, I'll have to get back to you on it in about 3 weeks. Long story short, you know how Bombay has the Bollywood film industry? Well Chennai has the Kollywood film industry, and we just so happened to meet an American while we were cruising along in our auto-rickshaw, and he was on a motorcycle, chit chatting as we rode down the street. We stopped on the side, exchanged infos, he gave us his phone number, and since he lives in Chennai he wanted to take us out and show us around for a night on the town. Did I mention he's one of the film directors in Kollywood? Well we're going to meet up with him again in Bangalore for a few nights (he has friends up there, so we'll all go out on the town a few times), and I'll get a better idea of what my potential possibilities could be with moving over here for a bit to do some work in the film industry. I told him I'm into video production stuff at home, on a very small scale, but that I'd be interested in learning about the possibilities over here, and if anyone, he would help pull some strings to make it happen... we even talked about the expenses for living over here, etc. On a scale of 1-10, in terms of the potential of this thing happening, I would give it a 2 or 3... but if our rickshaw driver had of been slowed down when Dale was riding by, I wouldn't be writing anything about this right now, so you never know. They say things happen for a reason, so I'm allowing myself to dream a little! 😊 And when I say this guy can pull strings, you know how India has corrupt police? Well Dale not only seems to know them all, but it was blatantly obvious that he does what he wants in that city, and the police let it happen. For example we were on a beach late at night talking about the intricacies of India and Chennai, and there were a bunch of other locals strewn about the beach road... the police stopped by each group to tell them to go home, and when he came to us, he saw Dale, smiled, said a few friendly things in Tamil, and moved on to the next group, letting us stay there. This kind of thing was happening right and left all night, and it wasn't just the police who knew him, it was like everyone knew him. It was honestly amazing, as I didn't know a Caucasian, no matter what they did for a living, could get that kind of "status" in India. So I'll update this story again in about three weeks, or whenever we meet him in Bangalore. And also, Dale's side gig is being a professional eater... like you see on TV... like going up against that Japanese kid Kobayashi. Just look up Dale Boone on youtube.com, and maybe throw in the word "eating" or "contest", and you should find videos of him.

Alright, so my stomach feels a little better now, and its time to go to the hotel for a shower (its hot and humid as hell down here!) before bed, as tomorrow we make a day of seeing the Meenakshi Temple (largest temple "complex" in India), and maybe do a little shopping. But after the 8 1/2 hour train ride we all need some good rest. I'll post again soon...

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Comments

[Mom]

Hey Peter, Good to read your blog and to see that you are keeping up with it. Makes your dad and I happy to read how your journey is going, hence I worry less. I have read only this one so far. Sounds like you are dealing with the stomach issues quickly? Hope so at least. Do take your time meeting people you don't know well...and remain somewhat guarded. About the fast pace of the film industry in India, it would be good to talk to folks outside the film industry who can shed some light on what goes on there and what nonsense to look out for. Please don't be led quickly by charm, money or fame! However, living in India of course as you know, sounds wonderful to me; with your dad and I entertaining the idea of buying a condo there - as prices go down in the US, they are rising in India. If you see an antique or beautiful copper 'Neti Pot'....small and easy to bring back, I would like to have one....I guess I can get one myself when we come to India end of the year. They would make great gifts for your friends too. We are at Grandma's now; she looks quite good. Last night for dinner with Steve and Kriseda, she shared the bottle of white wine you sent to her. It was DEVINE!! Really. After she had opened it and I suggested what I thought you might have paid for it, she laughted and said, 'Now you tell me....maybe I should hide it'....then I laughed and told her - 'with the bottles you gave us for our birthdays - we did'!! The label you had made for her on the bottle was very sweet and made her quite happy. Your dad is getting his teeth worked on bro Steve...he is really going to look quite different when he is finished!!! Very different indeed. He showed us the models. He is going to adhere a type of enamal bond to build up all the enamel on each tooth to make his teeth longer and normal as they should be. They are now very short and in time will cause problems with the nerves inside the tooth. Will close for now...keep healthy and safe and have a continued wonderful trip. Love to you, Mom

[Jeff]

Dale Boone
Did Dale Boone say anything about wen he is going back to Atlanta or if he is going to start competitive eating agin?