No easy answers…

The main entrance to the Courtyard by Marriott Mumbai International Airport, the hotel which has welcomed us with open arms. We are very grateful.
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As we waited in the hotel lobby for our room to be cleaned, we were informed that on April 1st, laundry service would again become available. This morning, I washed a pair of pants, a couple of pajamas, and underwear while in the shower.

There’s nowhere to hang the items to dry except inside the closet on hangers, where they take days to dry. The window ledge here is too narrow to lay out the wet clothing. I have placed a bath towel on the floor of the wood closet under the clothes to catch the drips since wringing them by hand doesn’t do nearly as good a job as a washer’s spin cycle.

Knowing laundry service will be available in a few days is a boost to our morale, as it will be when and if we discover food supplies for the restaurant can be replenished (not yet). My omelet was smaller than usual this morning, and I wondered if they were running low on eggs.

Tom is now eating whole-grain toast as opposed to white bread, his definite preference. We don’t complain or ask for anything we know may be running low. I suppose we prefer to avoid the staff from feeling frustrated over not fulfilling our expectations. 
There are several seating areas in the hotel, but they are rarely occupied.

They are struggling too, away from their families and homes, while sleeping in the hotel, along with the rest of us. We’re all in this together, yet these kindly Indian people never complain or wipe the welcoming smile off their faces. We so appreciate them.

Over the past several days, we have received many email messages from our concerned readers suggesting we contact the US State Department to help get us out of India.

Coffee bar near the casual dining room.

I can’t express how much we appreciate every message we receive and try to reply to each message and comment. However, as we’ve mentioned earlier, we have no intention of returning to the US. 

With the number of cases in the US today at 123,776 and rising rapidly, we feel safer in this locked-down Marriott hotel in Mumbai. Yes, we’re “trapped,” per se, but we’re OK with the lockdown, especially if it saves lives and reducesrisks to others and us in the long run.

The casual dining room where we have breakfast and dinner.

Today, India has 987 cases with 25 deaths as opposed to the 2229 deaths in the US. Sure, we may be deluding ourselves since testing is prevalent in the US as opposed to India. But, a significant factor here is the national lockdown that has yet to transpire in the US. Why? We don’t know.

In South Africa, shoppers are being shot by police with rubber bullets. See this article here, one of many found online. They certainly are serious about keeping people in their homes. 

The concierge desk is still operated,,, but no one is using it since none of us are allowed to leave the premises.

In India, failure to comply with the lockdown may result in huge fines and a jail sentence. We aren’t going out anywhere, regardless of what we may need or want,,,, until such time as going out is deemed safe,,, and the lockdown has ended.

A beautiful long staircase leads to the mezzanine level.

The hardship of the lockdown for the poor in India is devastating to see on the news. But, what other choice did the leaders of this country of 1.3 billion people have at their disposal? See the stats below for the top ten countries with the highest population:

 
TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION
# Country 2020
Population
2050
Expected Pop.
2000
Population
Growth Pop %
2000 – 2020
1
China 1,439,323,776
1,301,627,048
1,268,301,605
13.4 %
2
India 1,380,004,385
1,656,553,632
1,006,300,297
37.1 %
3
United States
331,002,651
398,328,349
282,162,411
17.3 %
4
Indonesia
273,523,615
300,183,166
214,090,575
27.7 %
5
Pakistan 220,892,340
290,847,790
152,429,036
44.9 %
6
Brazil
212,559,417
232,304,177
174,315,386
21.9 %
7
Nigeria
206,139,589
391,296,754
123,945,463
66.3 %
8
Bangladesh 164,689,383
193,092,763
128,734,672
27.9 %
9
Russia
145,934,462
129,908,086
147,053,966
– 0.8 %
10
Mexico
128,932,753
150,567,503
99,775,434
29.2 %
TOP TEN Countries
4,503,002,371
5,044,709,268
3,597,108,845
25.1 %
Rest of the World
3,293,613,339
4,329,774,957
2,547,898,144
29.2 %
TOTAL World Population
7,796,615,710
9,374,484,225
6,145,006,989

There’s no doubt population size is a factor in the number of cases of Covid-19. The measures each country exercises to contain the virus are a vital factor, regardless of economic consequences and inconveniences to daily life.

This is not easy for any of us. But, we two world travelers, stuck in a hotel in Mumbai with no sense of security over how long we’ll have a roof over our heads, are willing to be patient and see what transpires over the next few months.

The seating area is near the reception desk.

Thanks for all the love and prayers for our safety and well-being as we express the same sentiment to every one of you!

Photo from one year ago today, March 29, 2019:
There were no photos posted one year ago today, as I returned to the hospital for two surgeries on my infected legs due to the cardiac bypass surgery.