So I wasn't in Bangalore very long... just an afternoon. I first wandered about looking for a place to exchange my travellers cheques. Finally found a place, albeit a little sketchy as they were glueing together ripped rupees... I was afraid that they were going to give me the bank notes that they were fixing in front of me but no they gave me crisp new bills (but no receipt... hmm...). One thing that I did find in Bangalore was Sapna Bookstore. I loved it. I was in Book heaven, it's like the World's Biggest Bookstore on Younge Street in Toronto (but of course smaller!). So I bought I book to read on my bus trip to Goa and a children's book for the kids that I met last year on the houseboat in Kashmir. I was feeling quite a bit better than I had since the train trip and I thought that this next stint was going to be exciting.

The bus was supposed to leave at 6:30pm... which actually ment that it would leave 2 hours later and then a bus change was needed an hour after that! It was a comfortable sleeper bus and I was lucky to get a seat right in the front by the window. Lots of leg room and my rucksack was right with me so I could keep an eye on things. The weather was cool but luckily no rain, I was ready for a good trip but something was amiss... that queesy feeling was back again and back with a vengence. Never before was I sick on a bus... but oh, was I ever sick! Thank goodness that it was dark and everyone was sleeping and that I sat right by a window because halfway into the trip I shot up from my seat, through open the window, pushed my head through and well... you get the picture. I felt a tap on my shoulder and the old man sitting next to me (bless his soul) said 'vomity?' I didn't know how to answer that so I just nodded a yes and he said 'next time, plastic bag... less danger'. I smiled a feeble smile and stuck my head out the window for round two!

All of the sudden I was not looking forward to Goa! I managed to crawl to a room. I asked for a private bathroom and he said 'yes, yes' and took me through a common TV room with about 5 guys watching and showed me the toilet and he said 'see? Private. You like?'. I stepped in and cristened the porcelain god with what little food I ate and said I'd take the room. The men didn't seem to mind that a sick white girl kept running through the TV room to get sick. So there I stayed for a day and a night and the hotel guy insisted on looking after me by bringing me black tea, lemon soda, and toast. At first he insisted on fruit saying that I needed vitamins but after I got sick from that he agreed on the black toast!

Panaji, Goa turned out to be another place where some relative were married so the next day I walked to the Immaculate Conception church and perused through the record books. I had two men helping me looking through the books but unfortunately none of us could read Portugese and finally had to give up! I still was not up to par and I had no energy so I got a plane ticket back to Delhi where I knew that I would be looked after.

I flew Air Sahara and it was the first airline that I've been on where they hand out cotton balls to stuff in your ears! They also give you a box of candy just before you board. It was a 2 1/2 hour flight so I expected maybe a snack and a drink but we got the whole works. Beginning with Mango Panna some kind of a green drink of water, mango pulp, sugar, salt, cumin, and ginger... it's supposed to be good for stomach so I thought with my track record I better drink it. The taste was something dreadful but everyone else seemed to love it. We were ever served a full meal... I ate half (first 'full' meal in about 5 days and it seemed to stay down!). Anyway, I left the blue sky and returned to the sweltering brown-green polluted air of Delhi. No sooner that I got back I wanted to leave!

Okay, to make a long story short (I'm in Kashmir now feeling so much better)... I stayed in Delhi only 2 nights. Long enough to say goodbye to my Brit pal and to spend just over a 1000 Rupees on doctor's visit and blood test and urine samples. Don't worry... I'm fine picked up a little bug or worms or something! Blood test was simple and easy. Urine test not so. I was given a little plastic vile the size of a chapstick and I was expected to pee in it. Normally I find the regular pill-bottle sizes daunting... but this... this was ridiculus. And to top it off I just couldn't go. I bought 2L of Biselri (bottled water) and drank till the cows came home but still nothing. I couldn't even fill that silly little vile! I decided to take the pressure off and ignore the vile until the next morning... never mind what it looked like!!

So now, Srinagar, relaxing, and on meds for a week. But don't worry, I fine and well again! So that's why you haven't heard from me in a while. And Dusty, that's why I hadn't looked up yet.