Sea Squares

I have found out what the blocked off squares are (from my previous blog entry), they trap fish!!! The fish get trapped in the area as the tide recedes, then fishermen go out there to collect them.

The Arabian Sea

We walked along the Arabian Sea the other day. Now when I hear "Arabian Sea" I envisage white sands, palm trees, wild black stallions racing over the beach, and sea so blue your heart aches to see it. The photo shows a slightly different but nonetheless
intriguing picture.

People wash their laundry in the ocean and dry it by laying it flat on the ground. As you walk along the beach you notice these very large square areas blocked off with stones. When the tide recedes, these square areas retain the sea water. My assumption is that the people wash clothes in these large areas and leave them on the rocky shore to dry.

I think that some of the people do this as a job - now how enterprising is that? No cost but the labor.

The other photo shows arrows pointing to these rocks squares. The red circle is around 2 people so you get an idea of how big the squares are. I can't believe this huge area was made just for washing clothes - it is obviously man made but what could the areas have been made for?

P.S. click on the photo to see it enlarged

Vacation Expectations

We are going on vacation in a few weeks and there are a couple of things I am looking forward to. Among the top 10 is NOT seeing guys peeing. I just can't get used to these drivers pulling over to the side of the road and peeing against any wall they see. Coupled with that ... I am tired of seeing people squatting in the road to relieve themselves, and seeing the tell-tale red streak of betel-leaf chewers spitting out their blood-red juice.

Of everything I will miss, the people top the list.

Cometh the Rains and Happy Birthday Diego

The monsoon season has arrived in Bombay. Last night a thunderstorm raged for an hour or so, the lightning flickering off and on long after the rains ceased, and again this morning the rains beat down on the city. For some reason the rains have made me inexorably happy. People are supposed to get depressed when they can't see the sun, but today I feel as though some great weight has been removed from my shoulders and I want to dance and sing in the rain. Undoubtedly in a few weeks I'll be miserable when the rain doesn't stop, but for now call me Gene Kelly.

As a side note, many happy returns to Diego Velazquez ... he would have been 409 years old today!

Learning Hindi

Priscilla, my children's nanny, brought me a small
book entitled "Learn Hindi Through English." The book
is split into different sections that detail different
sorts of conversations you may have, and each page of
each section is split into 3 units; the Hindi script,
the Western pronunciation of the Hindi script, and
the English translation. The units are supposed
to represent fairly common conversations you may have
in a given day.

Here are some examples of the typical conversations
you may have in Hindi:

- He is a donkey (Vah gadha hai)
- This is against the law (Yah niyam ke virud-dh hai)
- Your hair are falling (Apke bal zad rahe hain)
- I want paws a bit wider (Panje kuchh chaude chahiye)
- The boat is sinking (Nav dub rahi hai)
- It has brought the lust (Masti laya hai)
- The world has become mad (Duniya pagal ban gayi hai)
- The moon is giving bath to the Earth with dews
(Chand dharti ko sabnam se nahlata hai)

Or perhaps something has been lost in the English
translation and the Hindi expression doesn't
actually mean "He is a donkey?" but actually means
something like "How are you today?"

Nonetheless ... this is very interesting reading ...

Life is too Good to be Grumpy

The other day I was whining to a friend about
my apartment and the safety hazards that abound
therein. I guess the day was long, headache
unbearable, and concerns for the safety of my
children overwhelming. My friend pointed out
that my 'pitiful' circumstance was likely better
than 90% of the rest of this city and I had
no right to be so critical.

At first I was a bit frustrated that he just
didn't understand where I was coming from. He
didn't get my point and it was easy for him to
retort like that because he's safe and secure in
a lovely home with all the amenities the U.S. has
to offer.

But, as usual, this guy is absolutely right.
I have no right to complain. I have no right to
even have a bad day. Not when so many around
me have so much less. My children are not begging
on the street, I am not sleeping in doorways,
my husband does not have his leg so horribly
damaged that it now drapes uselessly over his
arm as he hobbles around on crutches. My friend
thinks that everyone in the U.S. should live in
a developing country for a few months ... I have
to agree with him.

The next time I am back home and things just
aren't going my way I'll have to remember
this life and reevaluate my priorities. Life
is too short and I am too fortunate to be grumpy.

Monsoon Preparedness

Monsoon will be be here on June 10th. Everyone has
an idea about when it will arrive, but the general
consensus is June 10th. At the office we have had
lectures on monsoon preparedness. Such preparations
include the following:

- take note of websites that track the weather
- keep a case of bottled water in the house in case you
need to wash with it when the sewers leak in to the
water supply
- keep a flashlight, umbrella, bottled water, and light
snack in the car at all times
- Candles, matches, flashlights should be at hand at home
- Develop an emergency plan - phone numbers for people
to call and for you to call in case of emergency
- keep cell phones charge at all times
- Ensure car tires have appropropriate groove depth
- Buy electrical mosquito repellent for every room
in the house
- Have a malaria test kit handy and learn how to test for
malaria
- Have your doctor's phone number handy
- Place mosquito netting over and around your bed
- if you go outside, spray yourself well with repellent
- keep important documents in a watertight bag and close
to hand in your house
- make high quality copies of all immigration
documents, passports, etc.

Here are some warnings:
- allow extra time for travel when it rains
- Children can play in the rain, but when they are done
take them inside immediately and wash them off with
clean water
- Feed aforementioned children hot chicken noodle soup to
warm them up
- If you get caught in the rain, take a shower as soon
as you get home - use bottled water if flooding is bad
- Absolutely under no circumstances go outside when it
floods - uncovered manholes and holes in the middle
of the street may entrap and drown you
- In severe flooding do not shower or bathe
- when bathing children, be extra careful to prevent
them from drinking the bath water
- In the car, do not try to cross water >6 inches deep
- If you are stranded, stay in your car
- If the water rises, get out of your car and head to
higher ground
- Do NOT allow any open wound to get wet - rat and dog
urine in pools of water can lead to septicemia
- pay attention to tidal charts (there's a website)
and take extra care if heavy rains occur at high tide.