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Today’s photos are from May 18, 2016. Please click here for more details.
The reporting of Covid-19 cases in India may be highly skewed, with many citizens with symptoms not going to hospitals or seeking medical care. With a population of over 1.3 billion, they can only speculate on the number of cases occurring behind the scenes where many don’t have access to medical care or won’t seek medical care.
As of today, there are 96,169 documented cases with 3029 deaths. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is yet to come for India. These past 24-hours resulted in the highest number of new cases in a day, with over 5342 in the entire country, with 34% of the cases occurring in Maharastra, where Mumbai is the capital city.
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| In Nagara, Bali fish are brought in from the various boats at the Negara Harbour to be distributed to many vendors. |
These conditions don’t bode well for us getting out of here anytime soon. Why would India open its second busiest airport (next to Dehli) for international flights with these types of numbers? They won’t.
Each time I walk, I look out the window at the end of one of the corridors ten times a day before I turn around to retrace my steps. Invariably, a group of men, many not wearing face masks, commiserating in a parking lot, standing close to one another. This is common in India, and unless this behavior changes, Covid-19 won’t have a chance to level off soon.
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| This fishing boat with its pink and black sail passed by a few days ago. |
A few of our readers have written suggesting that we can fly out when outgoing flights to other countries. But, the reality remains that planes won’t be flying empty into India to transport international passengers “out” of India. International flights won’t be available until India is willing to allow international travelers “in.” We don’t foresee this happening at any time soon.
Today, the lockdown was extended until May 31st, although some businesses have been allowed to open, including trains, buses, tuk-tuk, taxis, and small shops. Liquor and cigarettes sales continue to be banned.
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| These ducks hang out at the rice paddy fields, awaiting their share of rice the locals provide. |
Also, several readers have suggested we order takeaway (carry-out) meals based on the repetitiousness of our meals in the hotel. Most takeaway restaurants offer foods we don’t eat or don’t comply with my way of eating. Plus, we can’t help but consider the safety of foods/meals from outside restaurants.
During our entire time touring India, before the lockdown, we rarely dined in any local restaurants, except for a few high-end facilities while we made stops while on the Maharajas Express Train in late January and early February.
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| The rice paddies are ready for planting. See this site for more details. “The Balinese system of irrigating their rice terraces is known as Subak. It is such an important part of Balinese culture that in June 2012, it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status. This method for irrigating the land was inspired by ancient Hindu philosophy, and it has been used since at least the 11th century. Using this method, the rice fields were built around temples, and the allocation of water was the responsibility of priests. For this irrigation management to work successfully, it has required that members of each community cooperate and work in partnership. Each community member takes responsibility for maintaining the system’s integrity, which is why the terraces tend to look so well maintained. The rice farmers work as a unit to create appropriate canals and dams. Another important element of the Subak system is the religious festivals that mark the cycle of the year.” |
Even then, a few passengers complained they’d acquired some gastrointestinal distress from dining in those few upscale spots. While in Udaipur, we walked across the street to dine at a lovely restaurant without any issues.
But, “fast food” restaurants may not be as safe and as strict in handling food during the pandemic, making takeaway meals out too risky at this point. This is our reality.
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| Huge bags of rice, ready for processing, at the side of the road awaiting pickup. |
In the realm of things, eating the same two meals twice a day is no big deal. They are tasty, nutritious, made with the utmost care, and served hot even when delivered to our room.
We found out we can now order our dinner at 6:30 instead of 7:00 pm, which helps since my breakfast doesn’t hold me all day. By mid-afternoon, I get ravenous, but it often passes after a few cups of decaf coffee.
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| The rice begins to grow for eventual harvesting by hand. Rice paddies are a prolific source of revenue in Bali and many other parts of the world. |
Life in lockdown continues, day after day, week after week, and now month after month. We have no idea when this will end, where we’ll be able to go when it does, and what life will be like on the other side. Then again, neither do any of YOU.
Please hang in there with us as we pray for good health and safety for us all.
Photo from one year ago today, May 18, 2019:
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| A cow in a field with her two white calves in Connemara, Ireland. For more, please click here. |