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| Before his haircut. |
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Being in lockdown has been a challenging scenario for both of us. It was about time to share some of Tom’s challenges during these many months stuck in a hotel room in Mumbai, India.
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| Side view after his haircut. |
Emotionally, it’s been relatively easy for him. He busies himself with ongoing research and reading with history and ancestry, two of his favorite sources of information. He spends a little time reading and posting on Facebook, much less than in years past.
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| Full frontal view after his haircut. |
Of course, he continues to research possible future travel, but with the uncertainty due to COVID-19, this has considerably diminished over the past many months. He has no interest in exploring facts about the virus. He leaves that to me, which I report to him from time to time.
Perhaps, like the proverbial ostrich with its supposed head in the sand (which isn’t true after all), he has little interest in pandemic news other than that which may ultimately impact our future travels. Essentially, his interest in COVID-19 revolves around this simple aspect, “When will we be able to get out of here, and where can we go?”
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| The sidewalk (often referred to as the esplanade) along the beach in Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia, in 2015. |
Otherwise, he is surprisingly cheerful and optimistic. No doubt, he’s resigned himself to the situation and has maintained an even keel, day after day, night after night, making this isolation all the easier for me. It would be unbearable if one of us became despondent and grumpy.
Tom loves food, although extremely picky over what he eats. With relatively few menu options that appeal to his tastes, as mentioned, he was eating the same dinner each night; chicken penne pasta with white sauce, a side of roasted potatoes, and four slices of white toast.
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| Many of the restaurants offer Italian cuisine. |
I kept my mouth shut about this unhealthy repeated meal. There was no point in commenting about what he ate. In addition, he had four pieces of white toast with butter and strawberry jam with four eggs and bacon each morning. This was an outrageous eight pieces of bread a day.
Add in the seven pats of butter and two little jars of strawberry jam each day. The calorie and carbohydrate consumption was over the top. He gained 20 pounds since we arrived in this hotel on March 24th, a mere three months ago!
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| Diners were enjoying an early lunch as we explored the area. |
When I noticed him struggling to button his pants, I still kept my mouth shut. On May 24th, of his own volition, he started walking and doing the stairs. But, as we know, exercise alone won’t necessarily result in weight loss.
On June 27th, again of his own volition, he cut out all the bread, the butter, and the jam. Now, he’s losing weight like crazy while still eating the cheese omelet, bacon, pasta, and potatoes.
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| Casual, affordable dining establishments line the boulevard. |
You won’t catch me complaining about the carbs, especially when he consumes them only during dinner, which may work for weight loss for some people. I expect he’ll lose the weight balance by the middle of August at the latest since weight loss slows after the first week or two.
He’s doing fine without the bread and says he’s not any hungrier than he was while eating the bread. Once we get out of here and into a holiday home where we can cook our meals, he’ll easily be able to maintain his weight with the meals we cook.
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| Pizza restaurants are never at a shortage in most countries we visit. |
We’ve both read many stories about people gaining weight while in lockdown. Fortunately, I’ve lost 12 pounds since we arrived at this hotel after having gained 25 pounds after taking all those heart medications for six months after heart surgery and changing my thyroid medication. I thought I’d easily lose, but it was not happening, although I was eating my usual healthy diet.
Finally, albeit slowly, I am losing the added weight due to our confinement; no wine, no daytime cheese snacking, no after-dinner nuts or low carb snacks. Hopefully, by the time we leave here in a few months, we’ll both have lost all the extra weight and be back to our “old” selves, fitting comfortably in our clothes.
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| There’s never a shortage of pharmacies wherever we may travel. They are often referred to as “chemists” in many countries. |
As for Tom’s next issue, it boiled down to his hair. His last haircut was in January 2020. I suggested he do a ponytail, but he wouldn’t consider it. I offered to cut his hair. He wouldn’t believe that either.
Yesterday, while I was wrapped up in preparing the post and oblivious to what he was doing, he took a pair of sharp scissors to his hair. He came out of the bathroom after his “haircut,” and I couldn’t stop laughing all day, which continued today when I saw it again.
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| A small grocer and “take away” shop in this strip of shops. |
He dug out a hat from his suitcase and now insists on wearing it when leaving the room to walk the corridors. He doesn’t need to wear the hat since we doubt the few staff members he may see in the corridors will give a hoot about his botched haircut.
He surprised me today when he didn’t mind that I posted these photos of him. It reminded me of when my kids took scissors to their hair when they were four or five years old, especially the side view. I trimmed the back of his neck. Like most haircuts, good or bad, it will resolve in weeks to come.
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| Palm Cove Holiday Caravan (RV) Park is across the street from the beach. |
Much to my delight, Tom is doing well. As we discuss our potential plans to leave Mumbai when airports re-open for international travel, we do so with a sense of calm coupled with sensible caution to determine which will be our best course of action.
In days, weeks, or months, however long it may be, we’ll share more as the opportunity to move on as it presents itself. In the interim, individually and as a couple, we’re holding our own.
Stay well.
Photo from one year ago today, June 29, 2019:
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| A year ago today, we’d booked this itinerary on the Viking Sun cruise departing Mumbai on April 3, 2010, that was ultimately canceled on March 15, 2020. In 2013, we sailed on a similar itinerary, but this 29-night Viking cruise offers additional ports of call which appeal to us. Also, other than Antarctica, this was my favorite itinerary, sailing through the Middle East and the Gulf of Aden. For more details, please click here. |