Shabbat

Inspired by the religious experience of friday evening, I spent saturday resting at the hotel. Generally uneventful, with a few exceptions:

-encountered a pair of honeymooning seeded from stockholm. He's forty-two and an account manager for a small investment bank. They seemed happy. I predict a successful marriage.

-A Polish man from Warsaw wished me a happy new year and hugged me in the hotel bathroom. Very odd, but I think he meant no harm by it.

-Passed young girl wearing a google (staff) t-shirt. Upon commenting, she said her father works there. Light blue shirt, not sure if he works for Indian office.

-Reencountered the British woman, this time with her husband (the avionics engineer). He gave me some advice and recommended a driver. Very solid people.

-Read interviews with David Axelrod and Aung San Suu Kyi. She definitely has a tougher job than he does.

-Met a charismatic (Indian) catholic just back from a religious conference of 22,000 people. He told me he'd prayed for forty days before asking for vacation leave over new years. Wonderful emotional/spiritual energy.

-Dinner in Ernakulam at the Grand Hotel. Ordered chicken borscht and chicken curry, with rice. Soup was tasty, but not borscht. Chicken curry was eh. Smart concierge on duty named Vishnu, whose dream is to work for an airline. I suggested Lufthansa.