We were originally going to title this post "India: 2, Rob & Amy: 0," but we had a recent triumph that upped our score. First, how India pulled ahead:
She took Rob's stomach first. A bad bite of food sent Rob into a three day TMI session, including some pretty painful cramps. We were worried, but he finally seemed to work through whatever the demon was. Rob likes to think of it as training so he can work up to finally eating some of that tasty-smelling street vendor food that we've been warned against. India: 1 point. Next, Amy all of a sudden, developed a fever and sore throat. We had bus tickets to Kochi that evening, but we decided to cancel. Good thing because by the next morning, she had white specks in her throat (where her tonsils once lived before being removed), a swollen throat, barely any voice, and a nasty fever. India: 2 points.
Luckily, our host family had a trusted doctor right down the street. We walked over, waited for five minutes, paid 50 Rupees (about $1) to see the doctor, and got four meds for 250 Rupees. That is health care! Amy has some sort of infection, but is slowly getting better. With meds in hand and tummys toughened up, we headed out to Kochi (Cochin) in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Now for our victories. The overnight bus ride to Kochi... talk about things that "go bump" in the night! Indian roads are not like nicely paved American highways. We'll never complain about highways again! We were tossed about, Amy kept sliding off her oversized reclining seat, constant honking (Indians honk A LOT when they drive. It says, "Hey man, I'm next to you!"), and... only one pee break. We had been warned about bus rides and their lack of potty breaks. When there is one, you just whip it out and go for it on the side of the road with whoever watching. Easier for boys than girls as you can imagine. Then there's this little modest American girl, feeling so shy about displaying her goods to the public. But have no fear (dun-duh-da!), pstyle (pronounced "pee style") to the rescue! You probably don't know what a "pstyle" is, so we recommend you look it up on Amazon. Ladies, it will change your life! We are proud to announce that Amy, for the first time in her almost 30 years on this Earth, peed standing up, with all her clothes on, on the side of a road, with a bus full of people watching. Rob & Amy: 1.
So now we are in beautiful Fort Kochi, which is a blend of tropical lazy backwater boat ride chilling, and Portuguese/Jewish settlements from way back in the day. Very cool place, we'll post pics later. We'll definitely have to come back here next time we visit India.
She took Rob's stomach first. A bad bite of food sent Rob into a three day TMI session, including some pretty painful cramps. We were worried, but he finally seemed to work through whatever the demon was. Rob likes to think of it as training so he can work up to finally eating some of that tasty-smelling street vendor food that we've been warned against. India: 1 point. Next, Amy all of a sudden, developed a fever and sore throat. We had bus tickets to Kochi that evening, but we decided to cancel. Good thing because by the next morning, she had white specks in her throat (where her tonsils once lived before being removed), a swollen throat, barely any voice, and a nasty fever. India: 2 points.
Luckily, our host family had a trusted doctor right down the street. We walked over, waited for five minutes, paid 50 Rupees (about $1) to see the doctor, and got four meds for 250 Rupees. That is health care! Amy has some sort of infection, but is slowly getting better. With meds in hand and tummys toughened up, we headed out to Kochi (Cochin) in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Now for our victories. The overnight bus ride to Kochi... talk about things that "go bump" in the night! Indian roads are not like nicely paved American highways. We'll never complain about highways again! We were tossed about, Amy kept sliding off her oversized reclining seat, constant honking (Indians honk A LOT when they drive. It says, "Hey man, I'm next to you!"), and... only one pee break. We had been warned about bus rides and their lack of potty breaks. When there is one, you just whip it out and go for it on the side of the road with whoever watching. Easier for boys than girls as you can imagine. Then there's this little modest American girl, feeling so shy about displaying her goods to the public. But have no fear (dun-duh-da!), pstyle (pronounced "pee style") to the rescue! You probably don't know what a "pstyle" is, so we recommend you look it up on Amazon. Ladies, it will change your life! We are proud to announce that Amy, for the first time in her almost 30 years on this Earth, peed standing up, with all her clothes on, on the side of a road, with a bus full of people watching. Rob & Amy: 1.
So now we are in beautiful Fort Kochi, which is a blend of tropical lazy backwater boat ride chilling, and Portuguese/Jewish settlements from way back in the day. Very cool place, we'll post pics later. We'll definitely have to come back here next time we visit India.
