Go the mighty Wallabies!

I think that game took 10 years off my life. Especially as it was only 10.30 here in India and way too early for a glass of wine. I was trying to teach the finer points of the game to Raj, my delightful India host who finally returned from Japan.
Since he arrived on Saturday evening the house has returned to some sort of normality - the cushions are all out on the garden furniture and shopping has been done by someone other than me. And I have a distraction from listening to CA recite inspirational poetry by Sri Aurobinda (Jai Mata! he always adds at the end, to indicate just how marvellous it is). Enough to drive me mad. And why he continues to tell me I should: get up before dawn, sit cross legged (with MY knees?), eat only paneer (Indian cottage cheese), chapattis and tulsi tea (herbal stuff that you can't put milk and sugar in and contains precisely no caffeine), and hang out at the ashram all day I cannot imagine. No thanks mate I'm watching the rugby. Then the cricket. With a beer. Jai Mata!
Still not a lot of news from BSR but if you check out SPOTWALLA you will know as much as I do. Which is not much!
This morning Raj took me for breakfast in Old Delhi - haven't been there for 10 years so will do a bit of sightseeing later this week on the fabulous metro and perhaps I can get groped again. Here is a picture of breakfast: the dough thing is a puri, with pickle, spicy chick pea and different spicy potato.

And speaking of puri, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about The Worst Thing I Have Ever Drunk. (Thanks to sriniv for the flickr photo.) Had it at a lovely restaurant called Punjabi By Nature. It is a smaller version of the puri pictured and you place a small hole in the top, pour in the vodka mixed with cumin, black pepper, raw mango or tamarind. I put one with cumin in my mouth (how bad could it be I thought) and half of it came straight back out onto the plate. Meanwhile the others are looking at me going oh that looks like it is awful, and I was wondering how the hell I was going to swallow it or get rid of it. No potted plants so I had to swallow. YUCKO. It came with a free beer and I know why. Even over a week later my stomach churns at the thought. It was worse then Gammeldansk which was the previous winner, even over salt butter tea. And boy did my guts suffer next day. made me wish I'd gotten a hangover instead. But of course I didn't drink more than 1. Even BSR who can normally drink anything had a look of horror on his face when he went for the raw green mango flavour. And chipmunk cheeks!
So I have been sticking to beer and rum since then rather sensibly I think. Most days I wander up to the SDA 'Rainbow' market to get some dinner (before Raj arrived anyway) and stop at the local Beer and Wine shop to get a bottle of beer to bring home. I think I am getting a reputation as nice ladies wouldn't go there. The place was a real treat on Friday night about 9 pm as the staff barricaded themselves in behind cases of beer and dispensed 330ml bottles only (except to me of course).
In bizarre news from Bihar state (is there any other sort?) a man gets annoyed. I really like the bit after the ad in the middle where the cops indicate precisely when he started to behave abnormally.. make sure you read it!
And in weird news from Goa, a couple decide they have had enough and they're not gonna take it anymore.

Last but not least, the sign outside the Cricket Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where we spent a wonderful afternoon before flying back to Kathmandu.
Have a beautiful week!