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Today’s photos are from our post one year ago today. Please click here for more details.
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| Big Daddy by candlelight. |
Some days are easier than others. Today isn’t one of them for me. After a fitful dream-filled night’s sleep and feeling sluggish during my walks, I’m looking forward to a new day.
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| We spotted seven giraffes on the road on the way to the market. |
The monotony of our routine coupled with the uncertainty of when we’ll move on hits me from time to time, and today is that time. Oddly, I have a bit of a headache which I never get, which surely must be from a lack of sleep coupled with a tinge of frustration.
No, this isn’t easy, not for you, not for us. We’re seeing news from around the world that people are being allowed outdoors for exercise in most states, in most countries.
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| Giraffes in the bush in the neighborhood. |
However, with Mumbai currently listed as a “hot zone” or “epicenter” and with mobility restrictions high, there’s no way we’ll venture outdoors. Also, we’re in the center of downtown Mumbai, an area that may not be safe to walk now or even after some restrictions are eventually lessened.
Although crime in the streets has been dramatically reduced during this period, many desperate people lurk in alleys and narrow streets trying to figure out ways to feed themselves and their families. Who’d want to walk in these areas?
There have been reports of lockdown violators being attacked and even murdered. It’s a mixed bag, some are careless and venture out without regard for the safety of others, and some consider themselves to be vigilantes in attacking lockdown offenders. In any case, we won’t be going anywhere.
As for the 40 business people here in the hotel, we’ve yet to see any of them. We only go downstairs twice a day to collect our meals and no longer sit in the lobby when the room is being cleaned. Instead, we stand outside our door and wait for the cleaners to get done.
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| Female giraffes have hair at the end of their ossicones. The hair at the back of the male’s ossicones becomes worn off from fighting for dominance. |
Yesterday, I asked our cleaners (although they speak limited English) to go down to the second floor where the 40 guests are staying to clean those rooms. Emphatically, they both shook their head “no,” assuring us they had plenty of spaces to clean on this fourth floor.
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| Lots of bushbabies on the stand. |
Here’s a photo I took yesterday while walking of the designated lift for the 40 guests. As shown, it’s taped off to prevent us or anyone on this floor from using it. The hotel sanitizes the lifts every few nights, but having our lift for this floor provides a little peace of mind.
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| I took this crooked photo of the lift’s door while walking by in a hurry when I noticed people coming out of their room. Although I wear a mask while walking, I steer clear of other people even if they’re also wearing masks. Some guests do not wear a mask. |
As for the guests as mentioned above (in the photo’s caption) who do not wear a mask, I keep hearing on the news and podcasts that masks are most helpful in preventing “carriers” from transmitting the virus if they cough, sneeze or speak, not necessarily protecting those without the virus from contracting it from infected people.
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| This is a grouping of those dangerous caterpillars that can cause a severe reaction if they contact humans or animals. |
There’s varying and conflicting information on wearing a face mask, and for now, we prefer to wear a mask. Medical information changes daily. I am sure at some point it will come out that “everyone” wearing masks aided in the reduction in the number of cases, of course, coupled with social distancing and hand washing.
That’s all I’ve got to say today, folks that aren’t necessarily uplifting, but reality.
Photo from one year ago today, May 4, 2019:
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| A tower of five giraffes on the road in Marloth Park. For more photos, please click here. |