No plans for plans

My view right now... and just when I was planning to...

It was perhaps with gallows humour that yesterday I mused, 'if I wanted terrorism and bad weather, I would have stayed at home'. Ok, in poor taste I know. While still watching the events in Mumbai on television, we were staying inside as much as possible because the weather has, much to my disgust, turned positively British. There had been a cyclone warning for Chennai (Madras) and being in Indian terms only down the road we have been suffering the ripple effect so that the pages on my chick-lit have been curling with the damp, and clothes are still hanging up to dry.

I think this compounded my gloom and so yesterday I told Dominic that I wanted to get the next possible flight out of Hyderabad for London. Because of the situation in Mumbai I felt unable to travel back to Maharashtra - which was where I had been planning to go next - and I wasn't too sure about anywhere else either. I felt stuck. Dominic, in an attempt to cheer me up, tried to inspire me to see Hyderabad instead.

"Then you should see the Charminar."

"Seen the Charminar loads of times."

"Then you should see Golcunda."

"Seen Golcunda."

"Then we could go to the museum."

"Seen the museum."

"Then we could go to the zoo."

"Seen the zoo. I want to go home."

"Ok but then you must stay at least until Stanford (Dominic's elder brother living in Aus) comes. You should see Stanford."

"I've seen Stanford," I replied. "In fact you look so much like him I could just pretend that you are him. Hello Stanford, how are you?" (Sorry Stanford, it was not a good day that day.)

What struck me yesterday as I went through my emails was that this is not the first time I have received 'are you ok?' messages from home. It seems that me being out here has put some of you through it a few times.

But this morning I decided that perhaps I would stay. I will keep you all informed.

Lx