Sat 23rd August

12 day 22 hours 34 minutes and 14 seconds more without me? Doesn't seem like long does it. I AM SO READY FOR STARBUCKS and a SALAD.

This is what was in my salad yesterday at Pizza Hut. (1st they have no pepperoni) They do have lettuce there (the only place I have found in Ahmedabad), but it is all brown around the edges and wilty (really limp). Then sweet pickles, corn, little cheese balls (puffs), green peppers, little bitty cherry tomatoes (the size of a dime), pineapple (they put pineapple in everything), carrots. Then it drowned - swimming - choking in really runny sweet dressing.

There is no where you can get anything like American or Chinese food here. You have to stick to Indian. There was a group of Chinese men at Tomatoes the other night and they are putting in a Chinatown in a small town outside of Ahmedabad. It will serve liquor.

We went to eat last night with Reasa, Robert and Ben. Now remember Ben is 6. He is sitting across the table from me and being very quiet and polite. Bob and Robert was talking, so I asked Ben "How are you?" You could have blown me over with a feather. He says "Fine, THANK YOU FOR ASKING" I have NEVER had any child give me that response. I am so in love with this child. He is modeling here in Ahmedabad, he is the only Caucasian model they have. Bob and I think he should be on TV.

Today is Saturday and we are going to Tomatoes for lunch and then I think Bob is going to go and see about some titanium glasses like mine. He can't stand it. Then my sheets will be here. Have I told you the sheet story? Our bed is not the normal 3 inch mattress and we had to have special fitted sheets made to fit the 8 inch mattress that we bought. So they are making them and dellivering and putting them on the bed for us. 2 king size sets with pillow cases, then another single king size fitted sheet for 2,800 rupees. Which is $52 USD. I am going to miss the service and attention that you get here.

Our rickshaw driver now comes every morning to get our schedule if we need him. Then we have the private car we can call and be here in less than 30 minutes.

We went to the doctor yesterday and everything checked out find, he decresed one of his blood sugar pills. The doctor also said that Bob should be taking the malaria medicine. He gave him a precription. So we walked to the pharmacy and he paid $20 for a months supply. I paid for $500 for 60 pills. I still can't believe the price of drugs here. I know that the people are poor and can't afford the prices of American drugs. I also know that the insurance companies have a lot more to do with the price of drugs in America.

We went to Kaneka Lake. We walked a ways down the lake and past the water park and zoo. Bob said that they had really improved the area. There were alot of very poor people there working on the side walks along the lake. All of their children playing and running around naked. SO POOR. They hang cloth between two trees and put their babies in them (like a hammock) and they swing in there while they sleep. It's easy to move as the work progresses down the road. It's just amazing. There was one man that had just an old bathroom scale. It was one of those guys that would guess your weight. It was so funny and sad. Not taking the camera, I didn't get any pictures. I always feel funny taking their picture. It's like invasion of their privacy.
Most kids love for you to take their picture, but they HAVE to see it.

While Bob was getting his eyes checked for glasses I checked out the colored contacts. I tried on blue, saphire and tourquoise. I bought the blue ones. It has been 25 years since I had the last contacts. I always loved my green ones. For the low price of 750 rupees ($18.75 USD), I could turn them down. I may get the green ones when we pick up Bob's glasses.

We also meet Greg. He was from Philadelphia at the Chocolate Room. I had seen him at Tomatoes. I spoke to him when he came in, telling him that I had seen him at Tomatoes. Bob asked if we could join him. Greg had been in Australia for the last 6 years. He was here training only the last week. But he would be back. So we exchanged cards. He was really nice.

Snehal is coming by tonight and we are going out to dinner. SO I took a cold shower. If it is in the middle of the day and the sun is shining, the water is not quite so cold. So I am clean again until I go outside and sweat.