I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone

My dear Fred emerged from the airport less than two hours after his scheduled arrival, and the rain stopped long enough so I could wait for him outside the airport in relative comfort (thank you, God!)..
I almost didn't recognize him, but then the Western guy I was chatting with said.."hey, he looks Australian..." and when I took a closer look, it was him!

Inexplicably, I stopped visiting the toilet every twenty minutes after Fred arrived..coincidence? Miracle? A testament to the power of the mind?? You decide..while I'm still emitting copious amounts of snot, my stomach infection seems to be gone (?!) and my puffy, swollen gargoyle eyeball is looking much better. There's nothing quite like the healing power of a great friendship!

Speaking of testaments...I'm here to testify that my mother is a shopping goddess! She managed to buy me the perfect bra..right fit, right color, right material, AND she got it on sale! Now that is true shopping prowess, and thanks to her skill, I WILL NOT have to buy another bra from the street again! Thank you, Mama!!!

Fred and I decided not to linger in Bangalore and hopped a train to Mysore, the sandalwood oil capital of India. It's an absolutely adorable little city with a palace, a zoo, and - somewhat inexplicably - a corporation. We arrived yeaterday and are thinking to stay some days. Eventually we'll make our way East to Madras for a cricket game (Fred's idea, not mine) before we board the three-day boat to the Andamans on the 30th..

Fred and I are natural travel partners, so my hopes are high for upcoming adventures. He's basically my "ticket" to freedom..with him by my side, I can be myself, talk to anyone, smile at anyone...no more expressionless face for me! What a relief! It's so much more natural, and besides, the south is much more shanti and the people are very, very sweet.

Did I mention that the tradition for women in the south is to wear fresh jasmine flowers in their hair?? At 10 rupees a metre, I can have them every single day! I'm so pleased I'm positively giddy! It's a simple yet unspeakably wonderful extravagance that gets all kinds of smiles and compliments from the locals...does it get any better than this?

Time to go..!

All my love to everyone,
Still smiling and much healthier,
LMA

PS: Thank you, Sue, for your very sweet and uplifting comments!!! I certainly don't always feel so amazing...especially with a gargoyle eyeball :)