July 11th

We went to Shalimar to eat last night. It's where you sit on the ground and eat off of very short tables. Your plate is 4 banana leaves that have been sewn together. Your bowls are banana leaves that have been molded in to bowls. They just keep bringing you all of the vegetables. NO MEAT! beans, beets, onions, sprouts, potatoes, rice and all kinds of round flat bread like stuff. Nothing is really spicy, some a little. You have a sppon that you can eat with, but Shaynal and Pouti used their hands. Then after you eat you get up and go over and wash your hands with lava dust or something. They pour the warm water over your hands to wash over the ashes.

Then there are these beds all lined up around a stage and they sing songs about you. Of course Shaynal had to interrupt them, so no telling what they were really singing. They also had these chairs hanging from trees that you could swing in. Everything was natural clay pots, ropes, tree houses, weaved beds, etc. It was really nice evening and good food.

I have been having a little trouble getting used to DilPut doing everything for me. I was put the new pillow cases on this morning and Bob said "Dilput will do that". I started putting up the curtains in the living room and Bob said "Dilput will do that". He is such a cute little man (boy, but he has a 3 month old son so that makes him a man right?). He gets down on his knees and cleans all the floors. He takes out trash, moved furniture, wired the airconditioner, wash Chirag's car, brings all the employees a glass of water ever hour, and will grab anything in my hand and carry it up the stairs. On one hand it's really nice and you really feel like a queen but then he is always there, you have to lock the door if you are going to undress. I was napping and he just brings things into the room, NEVER knocks. He doesn't speak much English, so he is a very quiet little man too.

I am going to get my glasses today. I think we have all the furniture we need for a while. It was nice to sleep on a bed last night.

The weather is not really hot. Humid. But with the airconditioners it will be OK. I was pretty worried about just sweating all the time. Of course we are supposed to get monsoon type rains this weekend, that shall be an experience.

Better get to work. Again thanks for taking care of the florist for me.