George Foreman

It's the simple things that are important. Tonight we toasted George Foreman for inventing the Mean Lean Fat-reducing grilling machine. One of that last things we did before embarking on our trip was to go to the Driggs Thrift Store to buy a $3.00 George Foreman grill to bring with us. Wow was that a great purchase! Since we don't have an oven (another 'hassle' I neglected to mention in my previous whine), it's great to have a grill. Kinda pathetic how my concerns have completely narrowed into the very basics of survival: Can I purchase food? Can I make dinner for the family? Can I keep them healthy? If I wash these vegetables in the water, will that be worse or better? (Thank goodness for vinegar & its assistance in bug killing!)

So far, so good as far as keeping healthy goes. We're not being hyper-paranoid and use sink water to brush teeth, wash dishes, etc. And we realize that anytime we go out to dinner, we have no idea what kind of hygienic precautions they are taking. I'm hoping that our immune systems can keep up with what I guess is the constant onslaught!

We also gave thanks tonight for the fact that we have consistent hot water, electricity, and internet. In our experience, none of these things can be relied upon in India and it minimizes the hassle factor to not have to worry about these basic survival issues.

Today I missed a great photo-op: I saw a Guatemalteca woman about 4'10" tall, dressed in a colorful skirt and embroidered blouse. She was navigating through a large crowd of people. In her left hand, she was carrying a brightly colored bag full of something that appeared to be somewhat heavy. Balanced on her head (with no support from her hands!) was a bundle of something that was larger than a bread box. In her right hand, she was holding a cell to her ear and chattering away. Talk about multi-tasking! And talk about anachronism. Wish I could have captured it!