Tuesday 16 September 2008

16 September 2008: Notes from a small room

The best laid plans are made of mice and men, particularly in Delhi. We meant to travel to Varanasi on the 13th but didn't travel due to the bombings. We booked replacement tickets the following day, only for Andy to develop a fever. By the evening, with a temperature of 39.6°C, Andy was in the Sanjeevan Speciality Hospital just around the corner from our hotel. Our train was about to leave without us – for the second time in two days.

On arrival, Andy got an ice cold bath which reminded him of being in the Scottish mountains again. Thirty six hours later, he's back out and on the road to recovery. Just a bout of fever and Delhi belly. A trip to India wouldn't be complete without a stay in hospital. We both empathised with each other on our reversed roles. This time Jen had to deal with the hospital bureaucracy whilst Andy had the agony of a swollen hand from the drip. It's brought us closer together and given us greater understanding of pain.

On his second night in hospital, Andy had a roomful of people who he mistakenly thought were well wishers. After pleading that he wasn't famous, Jen came in to expose the head well wisher as the lift man who was looking for a cash 'gift' from the rich Westerners. We are now holed up in Delhi for a few more days, and Andy is taking a concoction of pills.

We've been in a reflective mood after having been close enough to two of the bombs to hear them first hand. The indiscriminate nature of terrorism results in people getting caught up in it by accident, when they have nothing to do with the ideology behind it. In Delhi, pictures were shown of some impoverished market vendors who were killed. It's clear that the people behind the violence have achieved nothing, as the people in the city are going about their business as usual.

2 comments:

davidjwaugh said...

get well soon Andy! Hope your trip improves soon.

Love DMJM

Anonymous said...

Poor you Andy. I think I will be glad when you and Jen leave India and visit pastures new !!!

Take care and get well soon, you!

Love from auntie Liz and Uncle John
xxxx