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| This is the grass left from harvesting rice. Note the horns on these buffalos. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to livestock and wildlife. It is a preferred feed for cattle, horses, and elk for all seasons. In spring, it is considered a preferred feed for sheep, deer, and antelope and a desirable feed for sheep, deer, and antelope in late fall and winter. |
Today’s photos are a continuation of those we posted during our first few months in India on tour, in today’s case, on March 15, 2020. We’ll continue on this path, sharing more tour photos until it’s time for us to leave on January 11, 2021. From there, God willing, it will be an entirely new world! See the post here.
Surprisingly, every 30 minutes, I check my email to see if our flight was canceled? Even during the night, when I awaken for a few minutes, I check my email. I can’t help myself.
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| Festival in the street. “Meena Sankranti is an important Hindu festival observed on the auspicious occasion of the sun’s transition from Pisces to Aries. Known as Meena Sankramanam in South India, the festival will be celebrated on March 14 (Saturday), 2020, all over India. Celebrating a Sankranti is often marked with the donation of various things. According to specific personal needs, the people celebrate the event at the onset of every month. Some Indian states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala observe the occasion at the beginning of each month. In contrast, states like West Bengal celebrate the festival during the latter half of the month.” |
With the upcoming 16 hour layover in Dubai, we decided to take a chance and book a room at a nearby hotel in Terminal 3 at the Dubai Airport. They may not let us leave the airport without collecting our bags, and if so, we’ll forego the room. It’s just not worth it to go through that entire process of collecting our bags since they will already be ready to be put on the next flight to Johannesburg. 16 hours later.
The cost of the room was US $47, INR 3435 with taxes. If we can’t board the flight for whatever reason or leave the airport to go to the hotel in Dubai, we’ll lose the US $47 since the last cancellation date is January 8. For this small amount, we’re willing to take the risk.
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| The festival continued along the road. |
If the flight is canceled before the 8th, no problem, we can cancel everything at no loss to us, although it could take two months to receive refunds from the airlines. We’ve already alerted the hotel here in Mumbai that we’ll be returning to this hotel if we aren’t allowed on the flight or any other flight. They’ve agreed to hold this room for us. If we can’t fly, we’ll be back at the hotel before noon.
What a dreadful thought! But now that we’ve accepted the possibility that we may not leave, I am not feeling stressed anymore, regardless of my frequent email checks. For a few days, I could feel the tension coursing through me. But now, with my blood pressure and heart rate as low as ever, I am feeling like my old self again, old indeed.
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| There were dozens of participants. |
Speaking of “old,” I ask myself, “Am I still up for all of this as I’m fast approaching my 73rd birthday next month? My recent drop in blood pressure stopped all hypertensive drugs, with my blood pressure now running around 100/60. My blood sugar is at the lowest in my adult life, averaging about 4.3 mmol/L, 80 mg dl, except with a slight rise after eating to 5.0 mmol/L, 90 mg dl, the pain in my legs gone, and the pain in my back is almost completely gone, I am a new person.
Add the fact I am 25 pounds, 11.3 kg, lighter than when we arrived at this hotel. You bet I feel younger than I did last March. I now easily walk 10,000 steps a day, which is 5 miles, 8 km. My only challenge will be walking this much in Marloth Park when there’s an injured leopard on the loose. Nonetheless, we’ll figure it out, as we always do.
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| A small band was leading the procession. |
I suppose feeling old is predicated on how healthy we feel. No doubt, I have cardiovascular issues that may or may not improve with all these newly implemented measures. In the interim, I am psyched to continue with our travels, as is Tom, if the pandemic measures make it possible and safe.
If, at some point, if it’s necessary and safe to return to the US for a year to wait out the pandemic in other parts of the world, we’re prepared to do so, perhaps staying in different states in the country to visit family members and see other parts of our own USA. In that eventuality, we’ll continue to do our daily posts while we wait.
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| Indian music is quite beautiful. |
After almost nine years of posting (since March 15, 2012), doing so has morphed into an integral part of our very existence. Sharing our daily lives with all of you throughout the world has added an element of joy and appreciation that is difficult to describe. At no point do we imagine we won’t continue to write here each day.
Thank you for sharing these details many months with us. Your love and support have been highly instrumental in our ability to stay positive and hopeful. Thank you for all the kind and loving holiday wishes and the endless stream of messages we receive each day, as you look forward, along with us, to us departing India in eight days.
No offense intended to India. It’s a fascinating country with beautiful people, many history, charm, and culture. Under different circumstances, we would have appreciated it so much more.
Be well.
Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2020:
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| In error, in yesterday’s post, I added the above photo as the year-ago photo when the above photo was from one year ago. I have since corrected yesterday’s year ago photo. On this date in 2016, we posted this photo of a vegetable stand where we purchased most of our produce during the 28-day stay in Pacific Harbour, Fiji. For more from that date, including final expenses for Fiji, please click here. For the year-ago post, please click here. |