Like a Wir-gin

Sorry, I promised I would make that the title of this blog. Because that's how well brought up Indian girls sing Madonna's song. I laughed till I nearly choked. Lucky I didn't have a mouthful of the snack Manish keeps ordering for us to eat, which he and his friends call Elephant Peni$. Here's a photo of it so you can make your own mind up, and if you've never seen an elephants one don't blame me.

Not a lot has happened since I last bloggerated you - I made that word up can you tell? The power kept coming and going yesterday so I ended up having a shower and getting dressed in the dark - the first thing I grabbed last night was only half an outfit, so I had to have another go. Never try to co-ordinate a matching outfit in the dark - always just go for the black dress.
So I was back at Harry's Karaoke last night and the joint was jumping. Quite a big crowd - me the only foreigner as usual here in the 'burbs - but they were all competing with each other to sing so I just sat back and enjoyed myself. It's rather good to be in a foreign country and not hang out with other tourists or expats - get out and see what the local people do for fun. And I'll say this for Indians in general - give them a microphone (or a loud hailer) and you will struggle to get it back again. Poor Manish was running from one side of the room to the other grabbing microphones as 2 tables were taking turns to delight us with all sorts of musical offerings. And then they screamed and screamed for Dancing Queen and I ended up on the dance floor with one...a little bit Oxford Street!
The next adventure was getting home. Manish very kindly gave me a lift to save the driver hanging around all night waiting, and we had to try a few entrances to the gated community before we finally made it here. It's like a crazy maze, but so much more difficult in the dark. Hauz Khas by Night is not a tour I expect to be booked out anytime soon! Gawd.
The news this morning shows me that Greece has gone bonkers, Nepal is still bonkers and heading for total bonkerdom, and that today we will all surely learn that the Mumbai gunman will be executed for his trouble. Well, I'd be very surprised if that wasn't the sentence handed down. Though of course here in India, like many other countries, these sentences take years to finally, if ever be carried out. India rarely carries out the sentence, unlike some other places I could name.
Heard from Robin while I was eating lunch - he went for a visit to a monastery this morning and then found some local weavers and bought me a dress - the weaver apparently had her loom set wrong, and so the material came out as 1.8m wide by 2.5 m long - which is way too big for your average Bhutanese lady. So he got it cheap for me. How the hell I am supposed to wear a length of material as a dress is anybody's guess.... hope I don't have to wear it to meet the king!
The sat phone saga continues - I am now trying to get hold of the man in Abu Dhabi to tell him to call Robin in half an hour, as his phone is on the horse but will arrive soon. And now I get the Abu Dhabi answering service in 8 different languages I don't speak. GRRRRR. This could turn out more annoying than last years broken stoves. For those of you who missed that palaver: http://www.adventure.com.au/webforum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=55 will bring you up to speed.
LUNCH BREAK INTERRUPTED BY PHONE CALLS....
Well you won't believe this - a breakthrough! We have an iPhone which didn't seem to be working anywhere, so I just used it to play hangman. Anyway, Robin can call the iPhone from the sat phone, but can't call my phone with Indian Sim. I can't call the Bhutan phone or the sat phone from the iPhone, but I can call the Bhutan phone from the Indian Sim, and the iPhone doesn't work at all in Nepal. ARE YOU KEEPING UP???? So, it does appear that what the nice man at Thuraya told me was true - the  Indian government are blocking all calls in their area (not just their country) to or from sat phones and phones they can't trace (like the roaming iPhone). How bloody ridiculous.
I'm off to buy another phone - 2 just isn't enough to carry around in my opinion!!!!!
And have a lie down

Supertramp said it: It's raining again

Well it is in Bhutan anyway! Robin is very soggy and pleased to have a carpet and a kitchen tent. He would be even more pleased if he had a satellite phone that worked. But hey, that's for me to sort out. Currently 4 countries are involved in this tamasha - let's hope that's all it takes.
Got a call from Robin on the Dong La at about 4000m in mist, rain and hail. He had seen ugh yellow, red, pink and white rhododendrons, signs of deer and wild boar, and lots of birds. He sounded very happy and tired, and said his trusty guide Raj seems to be enjoying himself most of the time!
He rang me while I was at Sarojini Nagar  (especially noted by the embassies as a place to avoid because of possible terrorist attack). As you see, I made it out OK but there sure weren't any other foreigners there. Got a good deal on a bag from the 'hand luggage emporium' near the ice cream stand - the man assured me it was number one quality. I'm sure it is for $10 Aussie. But as long as it holds all the blasted books Robin bought and a few other heavy items I'll be happy.
Currently enjoying the Amazing Race Asia, where an American who is married to an Asian lady is being soundly berated for his driving in Korea - and boy does she have a screechy voice!
Swam half a km or so today - which kinda wears one out. 
The shouty news TV stations have been bombarding viewers all day with tasteless logos about the convicted Mumbai blast chappie Kasab/Qasab. There is overwhelming public support for a public hanging, and so the news channels now have borders around their KASAB MUST DIE flashy trashy headlines, of a swinging noose superimposed over his photo from the CCTV cameras at the Taj. In case you didn't guess, I find it all rather tacky. Not to mention wrong. That's not to say the bereaved families didn't suffer, but it won't solve the problem or bring the loved ones back.
And in travel news, there is a strong push to close many of the tiger parks to the public as there is a perception that tours is making the tigers too used to people, and therefore creating problems for villagers.  And if nobody ever goes there nobody will know what is happening to the animals...

A shoe shop at Sarojini Nagar Delhi