In which Alison renounces pasta until I come home: OR "The maharaja was a lover, not a fighter"

After we got back from the leprocy clinic, things got back to normal. Thursday I sat with Dr. Gigi and saw a woman induced for labor. It was especially neat, because it meant that we knew about when to come back to watch the birth. It finally started raining here (they said that this was the wet season, but it seems to rain like Florida-for an hour in the afternoon), and the late afternoon was really cool and nice. We went for a long walk down past the hospital, which leads out pretty quickly out of town and into the fields. The tiny houses next to the road all had animals outside (mostly cows and goats) and the children were playing cricket and other games in the yards. As we got farther out of town, the bugs started to bother us, so we turned around and went back to the main street. Just as we were turning onto it, we heard drums and flutes, and turned to see a procession of men covered in colored dust with gold pots of palms on their heads. They were moving and dancing in time to the drums, and walking in the middle of the road, stopping traffic. We followed them for about half a block, where they stopped in front of one of the little temples and danced wildly for abuot ten minutes, then moved downt eh block to a local store, where the proprietor gave them sweets and figs. It was Indian tick-or-treating!



After following them about half a mile, we saw a covered fruit market and went in. It was erally cool, like the souks in Morocco with so many tempting fresh fruits and vegitables that I had a really, really hard time not buying any. I really do miss having fresh veggies. We did buy some coconut pieses to chew on on the way back, and just before we went to bed Kyla ran down to teh delivery room to see if the lady I had seen induced would give birth soon. She came tearing back up the stairs saying that the baby was crowning and we had to hurry. I ran down, and saw the baby born in the nicest delivery we've seen so far. The mom was fully conscious, and was breast feeding the baby boy before we left to go to sleep. It was also a "precious baby" as they say here, a baby conceived using fertility treatments.



Having children is such a huge deal here, that many choices are made in with that in mind. On friday we saw keyhole surgery for endometriosis. This is where the abdomen is blown up with Co2, then a camera and instruments are stuck through into the cavity and teh whole surergy is done through the holes. It is fascenating to watch. This woman seemed to have a really serious case with cycts all over her ovaries and affected tissue even on her diaphram. Still, there was no question of removing anything from the area (besides the cycts) because she hadn't had any children.



Also friday we saw a c-section at 3pm which was going fine, until the power went out. This happens all the time ehre, and usually the only annoying thing is that the fan stops and you sweat until it comes back on in a few minutes. In the OR however, everything suddenly went much more serious. Dr. Gigi had already cut through the subcutaneous layer, and was about to reach the muscles when the power went. The nures rann off and came back with flashlights, holding them up over the doctors shoulder as she delivered the baby (a big baby boy). She started using towels to mop up the blood (since the suction machine wasn't working) when the power came back on again and everything jumped back to life. It was such an interesting moment, becuase even through it was clearly an annoyence, no one paniced. It was just a fact. Sometimes, when your in the middle of surgery with an open patient, the power goes out. It happens.



Saturday the three of us headed out for Trivandrum on the 7:30 train. We wanted to go somewhere different, not too far away, and this seemed like a nice chance to get away. I was excited to see what traveling around it likely to be like. The train was awesome! We sat in 2nd class sleeper, which meant we had nice long benches an a whole compartment for the three of us. The windows were open (no glass, just bars) so we got a great breeze and could see everything that was going on. It was neat ot see people in the rural areas heading into the fields, weeding, leading animals. There were women washing clothes in all the rivers, and young menherding goats and cows who would stop and wave at the train. Trivandrum is in Kerala, which is the neighbering state and is much greener and lusher than Tamil Nadu. You could really see the landscape change as the train went. It was a 4 hour ride, so we were in Trivandrum by 11:30. We checked into our hotel (which had both AC and TV, so the girls were happy) and set out to hit the town!



Trivandrum is the capital of Kerala, but it isn't really that large a city. Our hotel was a few blocks from teh tarin station, so we walked back down toward the main drag to find a place for lunch. We stopped into an little resturant and asked to look at the menu. Now, the thing abuot Indian restaurants is that the menu is really more like guidelines than actual items on offer. Or, maybe it's a wishlist of what the chef would like to learn to make. Anyway, the only thing that everyplace has is Thali, or Meals as its more commonly known. After a few abortive tries for sandwiches from Lisette and Kayla, we went with Meals. Meals consists of Poori (the flatbread that comes before the meal in most Indian restaurants in the States), chipatti (tortially like flatbread) and an assortment of vegitable side dishes in single-serving bowls. There is usually something with pumpkin and something with potato, but it changes from day to day and resturant to resturant. After you finish our chipatti, a man comes aruond with huge helping of rice, and refills any sides you would like. The thing ends with yougurt and banana. Its really good, if huge, and the common price is 25rs. This is about 50 cents.



We all got meals, and then went to the zoo and two art museums. Lisette really loved the zoo, and it was nice enough if small, and the art museums were amazing. The first featured oil painting from the Raj period, and it was amazing how many things hadnt changed (there were meals in the pictures, the dresses on teh women could have been worn today, ect). The second museum featured more classical art, including some increadible iory carvings. They were just breath taking, and the building that housed them was really cool too. Kerala style is very Chinese influced, so all of the house had red pagoda like roofs and wide porches. We walked back from the park down the main street of the city, stopping in a fwe stores but not buying anything. Finally, we got back to the hotel around 5:30, and rested unti ldinner. We choose a nice hotel, hoping that they would have "real" food. I admit, I was excited that they had spagettii, even though the sause was very strange and full of onions. As soon as I had finished, though I knew it was a mistake. We went back to the hotel and watchecd the begining of Jerassic Park. Long before the dinosaurs had gone amok, I had thrown up all of my dinner and was still distressed. It was a horrible night, just when I thought that everything was gone from my system, I would get ill again. Finally, around 5 am I fell asleep.

The next day I felt better, though still not great, we found a place to get some taost for breakfast at a hotel nearby. We were the only customers in a dark ballroom lit only by the light of a cricket game on TV. After our toast, we went to the palace of the King of Kovalum, who only lived there for one year before he died and it was not used again. It started out a bit sketchy, with a long windy walk to the palace door that didn't look that impressive, but we got our own tour guide who showed us around in hysterical English natration, including showing us a sadan chair and adding "If the royal lady was so big huge, she would need two or even three more carriers!". The maharaja was a big music lover, aparently, and there were lots of musical instruments and a lovely music room on teh top foor with gorgeous carved walls and windows. The whole place was set up so that the women didn't have t ogo outside, there was even a long hallway for the to walk down to exercize! There were also lots of gift from other counrties on dislpay, including a crystal throne given by the Bohemia, tons of Italian glass and Chinese jade. Kerala was a big player in the spice trade, so they had lots of ties around the world. There was also a huge gun, taken from teh Dutch at some battle in India. Lisette and the guide joked that now that she was back, she could have it if she could carry it away with her. It was amazing how not protected everything was...you could touch just about all the artifacts, and the guide told us to feel the textures of rhino-hide armour, the velvet from a child elephant-seat, the teak carvings of squirels on the wall. It was amazing.

Afterwards, I wasn't feeling so well so we watched stupid TV until it was time for our train back. We rushed across the Indian sunset and night, being joined for the last bit by a group of students from Nagarcoil. They were heading to Chenni, and loved reading LIsette's Rough Guide. They offered us food, but we didn't take any (me because I was struggling with my tummy, the others because they are convinced that they will be drugged if they eat on trains. They honestly had a converstation about whether a chipatti could be drugged. Now, maybe taking food from strangers who are sharing our bunk isn't wise, especially if you are allone, but WHY would someone selling food and then getting off the train drug you?) We did give them some chocolate, which they like, and we watched them play Chinese checkers and rooted for them. It was quite nice.

Except for the illness, a good weekend overall. I miss you!