Today has been the required lounging day. I was tired, stressed, and freaked by all the changes in plans, so I appointed today a day of rest. This worke well, since Amma took Aparna to the airport and then didn't get back until 1:30 - which gave me time for a quiet breakfast, lots of coffee (which I have learned to make on an Indian stove), practice, Kannada homework and general lounging.
By the time Amma got back, I was stir crazy and went for a walk. Then I went to the salon. I fell a bit victim to the classic upcharge - I went for a head massage, and let myself be talked into a "hair spa" which included shampoo, head massage, conditioner, steaming my head, blow drying me and braiding my hair. It was all very nice, but the price went from 180 rupees to 728! That was rather obnoxious, and I wish they'd said clearly that the fee was over 3 times higher. That said - 728 rupees is still under $20, and for a wash, massage, and blowdry, more than fair in US dollars -- but not really a steal. I'm slightly concerned that the salon now sees me as rich, and therefore willing to spend alot of money. Probably won't go back for a while.
It was nice, though, and the head massage was pretty fantastic.
Anyway, I digress.
Amma to the rescue
I'm not sure if she sensed that the chaos was wearing on me, or that Aparna has such a history of not sticking to a plan, that she's used to balancing out the erratic nature of her daughter's schedule. Anyway, Amma has stepped in as "Programme Planner". And she has said both that Aparna has always had an erratic schedule and set of commitments, and that it's not quite so normal - even for India. She said, flat out, that although things have been changing, plans made with her *will* happen.
So.. now we have some plans.
- 17th-19th we are going to Mysore to see the sights, do some shopping, stay in Amma's house there, and come back by way of Sri Ranganatha temple - my favorite temple from my last trip to India.
- 29th-31st (maybe 1st) - we are going to Hampi. I decided not to partake of a 5 day tour extravaganza. Oddly, going privately with the family will be more expensive, but I think easier all around. I don't really want to see short spans of everything in the region - I want to delve into Hampi, and maybe one other thing. So we are going ourselves. Amma knows a lot of the history and has seen Hampi before, so she can give me lots of details about the place. We will be going during a festival there, which may be very crowded, which is unfortunate... it'd be nicer to avoid the hoards. We will stay at the home of a friend in a nearby town.
We're calling tomorrow to cancel the plane tickets to Trivandrum for the 15th to the 18th. Anil is better - his fever has gone down, but he has some very serious joint aches from the fever, and he's staying in the hospital to recover. I have no idea what that means -- these days in the US, staying days in the hospital is a major, big, on-death's-doorstep sort of affair. Not the sort of thing I'd associate with joint aches, however bad they may be. But perhaps the Indian rules for what needs hospitalization are different.
The doctors will say more about Anil tonight, when the bloodwork is done.
At any rate, no matter how good the results, it's not at all reasonable to believe he's going to be perky and up for adventure by Friday. It is definitely beyond being a 24 hour = all better sort of thing.
It's possible that I will be able to go to Trivandrum from the 18th to the 21st or so, and then Chennai from the 21st to the 27th. Amma and I have worked out that I *must* be in Bangalore by the 27th (or anytime after the 25th) to try on the dance costumes, and deal with any re-fittings. Ideally, I would also like to have some time to run through after the 21st and get the cholis and saris. I'm getting a bit tired of the light weight Indian clothes I have with me - the Western clothing is much too hot to be enjoyable most of the time.
If not that, then I may stick around, pick up the saris/cholis, and go to Chennai on the 22nd to the 27th... it depends greatly on Aparna's schedule. There's no reason to go to Chennai if she's not there.
In the meantime, Kannada classes are going well, and Amma has some thoughts for pointing me in the direction of local palaces and museums. Sometimes the two are one and the same. I could also handle some book store shopping locally.
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