I was quite ill for the last leg of our trip back in Bangalore. I had all the usual cold symptoms -- sore throat, cough, runny nose, cloudy head, lack of energy, etc. -- and they were all pretty bad. The sore throat was especially brutal. Had I been at home, I probably would have taken sick leave and sat on the couch all day, but since I was not at home, I powered through to the best of my ability. I didn't want to spend my last few days in India for -- what? three years, five years, ten years? who knows when we'll come back? -- cooped up in a hotel room. That would suck for me, and it would also be disappointing to everybody else. So, I heroically suffered (mostly) in silence and tried to carry on as if everything was fine.
Although, had I decided to hunker down in the hotel room, we would have been in the right place for it. Being bougie at heart, S booked us a really nice hotel for the last two nights of our trip. It was even nicer than the hotel in Mysore. In general, lodging is much cheaper in India than it is in the US (where we were, at least), which is how we could afford to stay in a luxury hotel. Well, that and S's parents paid for everything and kept giving us money. They have a bunch of rupees that they don't want to convert to dollars, because you never get a great exchange rate when you buy foreign cash, so they want to spend as much of it as possible in India. My father-in-law would sometimes stroll around town carrying a tote bag full of twined-wrapped bricks of bills. Some people keep their money in a bank; he keeps his in a sack. He would be the ideal target for a thief, but he's so unassuming, nobody would have any reason to think he's flushed with cash.
One of the places S's parents spent some their money is the jeweler. We were there for like two hours one afternoon. I was just tagging along and ended up getting a new wedding band out of it. I lost my original one about ten years and never got a replacement. There just always seemed to be something better to spend our money on. I'm arrogant in a lot of ways, but one way I'm definitely not arrogant, in fact I'm rather diffident, is when it comes to buying ostentatious things for myself, like jewelry. I never think I'm worth the cost.* But with my in-laws offering to foot the bill -- sure, why not?
*As with with the hotel, prices are significantly less for jewelry in Bangalore, India than what you would pay anywhere in the States. See, I feel compelled to say this. I have to make it known that nobody spent that much money on me.
Of course, I couldn't find anything that fit. I don't mean that I couldn't find anything I like that fit. I mean they literally did not have a single ring in the entire store (multiple stories!) that fit my stubby ring finger. I had to order one to be custom made. My in-laws will pick it up when it's ready and give it to me when we next visit them (probably this Spring). I was hesitant to go through with this -- what if they want to come back to the US early or my ring gets delayed or something? -- but they assured me it would be okay. So, okay.
The entire experience was kinda fun. They really fete you. They bring you coffee and tea and little sandwiches throughout the process. (They even have a childcare room.) I couldn't take full advantage of it, because I was feeling lousy and did not want to eat or drink much, but still it made feel important just to be offered it. Honestly, I mostly just sat in my chair silently while my in-laws did the talking. I put a mask on, primarily as to courtesy to everybody around me, but also because I felt more comfortable in it. It's easier to zone out wearing a mask, and if my nose starts dripping nobody can see it. It's such a shame masks got so politicized, as I think there is a time and a place for them. Like, if we had a norm that people wore good N95 masks in public when they were feeling ill, I think it would help prevent the spread of disease and keep us healthier. But, alas, that ship has sailed. We botched that one.
Anyway, I'm really running out steam with this miniseries of posts and not that much exciting happened our last few days -- you don't need to hear about us seeing Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom* or watching cricket at S's cousin's place -- so I'll just put up the rest of my pictures and call it a post.
*But here's my review: Completely vapid film. So dull and derivative, even by superhero movie standards. The filmmakers didn't even try to mask the lack of creativity. They openly ripped off other shows and movies. For example, in the opening scene you see a sea monster that opens it head just like a demogorgon in Stranger Things. Then, later, there is a scene at Jabba's Palace. They don't call it Jabba's Palace, of course, but it's Jabba's Palace. Even S, a Star Wars naif, noticed it.
[View from the hotel in Mysore]
[Monkeys climbing around the hotel in Mysore]
[A different view from the hotel in Mysore]
[Lil' S2 and his second cousin swimming at the pool in their complex. Swim caps are required, so we had to go to the sporting goods store to buy one for Lil' S2.]
[View from the guest units at S's cousin's complex. I would frequently see cattle being herded on this patch of land.]
Until next time...
PS -- Here are links for Part I and Part II.
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