The Day Before Exit Day--to South America!

Thursday, May 23, 2019
Bombay

The Day Before Exit Day--to South America!

       Namaste from Bombay!
       It was Counting Day in India today which meant that the whole country came to a stand still as people were glued to their TV sets awaiting results. Needless to say, the BJP swept the polls and the country was jubilant.
     I awoke at 6.00 am and began blogging. With not too much time to waste, I had a chat with Llew and we decided that I was not going to put him through the pressure of carrying a suitcase back to the US for me. Instead, I will take care of all excess baggage charges when I am ready to leave Bombay for the US as the Fulbright folks will be footing them. This meant a bit of shuffling around of my packing which is now restricted to just one small stroller which I shall be checking in so that I shall have only my backpack with me on the flight and during my 4 hour layover in London (for which I have, of course, big plans!)

Off to the Dentist with Dad:
     Then I had my breakfast--muesli with coffee and watched Come Dine With Me (after ages). Next, I got dressed and by 9.30 am I was at Dad's place as he got ready to go for his dentist's appointment. It appears that getting implants is not as easy as he had expected and when he came out of the dentist's cubicle, he says the pain was quite awful. He agreed with me that getting these implants is not as simple as everyone said or as he had imagined. In fact, the pain was so bad that he had to simply sit down outside in the waiting room for a while before we were able to leave. He will have another measuring and fitting session on Monday and yet another one a week from then. It appears that the actual caps will only be ready three weeks from now--by which time I will be back in Bombay again.

Off to Run Last-Minute Errands:
     I got off the rickshaw at Jay's shop--I had a load of photocopying to do: my itinerary, my air ticket, my Heathrow Express tickets (for my trip into London on my way back), the hospital admission letter (for Russel) plus I had to get the 1000 photographs that are on my camera removed to a flash drive so that I could have an empty camera for our trip ahead.
     All that downloading and printing done, I hopped into a rick and left for Hill Road. I was headed to Elco Arcade to buy gifts for Rosana, the professor friend with whom we will be staying in Rio. That done--I got beautiful cotton tops, costume jewelry and Indian silk scarves--I went back to pick up my flash drive and camera card from Jay. Then, I was on my way home when I saw the Mango man with his cart full of mangoes. I thought I would buy a dozen Alphonso mangoes and take them for Llew (as South America does not have the restrictions on bringing food into the country that the USA has). I picked out a dozen, stopped en route at Dad's place and left half a dozen for him and Russel and carried the other half dozen home for packing.

Last-Minute Packing Gets Done:
     Once home, I was in time for lunch--I finished up the bits and bobs in my fridge: the last of the mince, white pumpkin with lentils, Waldorf Salad and chapatis with fresh mango for dessert. More packing followed as I got ready my medication, toiletries and cosmetics, pouch with chargers (which then reminded me to charge up all my devices to 100% and then charge my mobile batteries as well). All that done, I downloaded movies into my iPad for my flights--I have two segments (Bombay to London and then London to Buenos Aires). The second bit will be done in the dead of night when I hope to be asleep. Still. I also downloaded three magazines to read on my flights. So I am well-equipped with all the entertainment I need (although being that it is a British Airways flight, I am expecting really good British entertainment fare on board). The amount of pre-planing that has to go into an international flight today is not funny. I carry my own comfort kit on board as well (socks, eye mask, ear plugs, ear buds, tooth brush and tooth paste, mints, face and hand lotion, a pen, etc.) These things get me through the long flights.
      When I was done, I cleaned up my house--there is nothing like returning to a clean and tidy home after a long trip. I then went in for a shower. I stripped off my bath linen and placed it in a bag to take to Dad's to be laundered while I am away. I made a list of all the thighs I have to do before I leave (clear out garbage, put in devices, chargers, etc. into backpack, download a couple more movies, etc.) Then, I got dressed and left for Dad's with my bag which I left at his place. After I visited with Russel for half an hour. I also made a condolence call from Dad's place to my fiend Laureen in Wilton, Connecticut, who just lost her husband Anup. I shared her sorrow as Anup was a great guy and we've had some fun times together at Pot Luck Dinner parties which were, almost always, held at their place. Dad and I got ready for Mass. We left together, attended Mass and then I said bye to him at his gate as I returned home.
     I finished the last of the food in my fridge, washed up all the containers, put them away, continued sprucing up my small space and downloaded another British movie to watch on Netflix--a gangster film starring Daniel Craig called Layer Cake--which was okay. It had a terrific cast (Craig, Ben Wishaw, Michael Gambon, etc) but plot-wise, it was crazy. Anyway, I had a long chat with my friend Delyse in Connecticut and another long Llew whose birthday it is today, wished my brother Roger whose birthday it also is today and then it was time for bed. Llew and I shall have a postponed celebration when we are together in Buenos Aires--what better town for a party, right?
     And on that happy note, thinking of all the fun that lies ahead, I fell asleep.
     Until tomorrow...