13 April 2008

Sunday was looking as though it was going to be a quiet day at the hotel. And I guess for the most part it was. I got some play time on the computer, watched a movie or two. (Thankyou India for HBO and Star Movies).
Around 6pm I was getting a bit hungry, so I trotted downstairs to reception and asked for my usual, Omelettes, Juice and icecream. There was another chap there who started discussing my request with the man at reception. If I interpreted the conversation, There were no eggs and the icecream had melted. (Not sure about that). So I went back to my room and sat for a while. Then this young boy who kooks after my floor came in and tried to explain something about my washing. (He’s a really nice boy. He looks so young. A bit like Honey I suppose). I think he was trying to tell me that a pair of socks were missing and that he was going to pay for new ones. (I hope that last bit is a wrong interpretation.) As I wasn’t really understanding him and he seemed so desperate to make me understand I tried to suggest that he could talk to Khilandeep on the cell hone. I didn’t get through straight away. We left it there with a few nods and smiles.
Khilandeep rang make shortly afterwards. By this stage I got the impression that I probably wasn’t going to get my tea, so I asked Khilandeep if we could go to a coffee bar or something. He suggested that, as he was about to have coffee, then I come around to his place and have something there. When I arrived, I was invited in to say hello to mother and baby. The baby was blissfully asleep. She has amazingly black hair. About as black as when Kate dyes her hair. It was thick and stuck out like a hedgehog.
Khilandeep’s father was quick to grab me and take me to his bathroom. (That doesn’t sound right does it?) He wanted to tie a turban on my head. It seems that Sunday was some Prophet or other’s birthday. It was a lot of fun and I was greatly honoured. Once done he took a photograph and suggested I email it to Fiona. He said I looked handsome. (Not sure about that either). Unfortunately neither he nor Khilandeep could find the download cable or the card reader, so we will have to wait until tomorrow and do it at work. He suggested that I should take home a lipstick pink turban so that I could impress the girls.
We sat and talked for a while. Khilandeep’s favourite subject is the military, but we talked about a number of other things. It was interesting to get their perspective on the British influence on India. They see that there were a number of positives about the British coming. Most of all was that India was Hindistan, a collection of many states ruled by princes and kings. The Brisitsh made the most of the fractures between states and eventually took over, making India the nation.