LAST BLOG 

 

HOME: Sixty hours in transit (hour to airport in Mumbai, 3-hour flight to Dubai; 9-hour layover in Dubai airport; 14-hour flight to Toronto; hour drive to son Peter’s; overnight; 2-hour flight to Halifax; 2-hour drive to Antigonish.  

LAST HOSPITAL STORY: When we left the hospital on Saturday, I left two read paperbacks by the garbage bin in the room. Two days later a hospital employee showed up at our hotel with the books. 

SOUTH INDIAN FOOD: Neither Betty nor I know much about Indian food, but one of the hotel restaurants specialized in items from the south of India. I felt we should try this place even though it was a very, very long walk from the hotel lobby (including crossing a courtyard, and including two short flights of stairs. Betty just managed to get up the stairs while I carried her wheelchair. 

Once seated we were presented with a bowl of papadum and then five sauces for dipping. There were no plates, instead the food was served on large leaves. 

Following the Sommelier’s suggestion I ordered a Super Tuscan. The wine was superb, but unfortunately it was decanted before I got a chance to examine the label. 

We next got three small appetizers, and I even recognized one as having been made from bananas. 

At this point the waiter came for our order. The menu had a section of non-vegetarian, and a section of vegetarian. I asked for one of the 12 items from the non-vegetarian page and was told that it was a fixed menu, and if I ordered non-vegetarian I would get all the items on the page. 

We next got two of the items at the same time (a fish item and a chicken item). This was followed by the remaining items presented in several small silver bowls. 

There were three desserts on the menu and, of course, we were given all three. 

The last picture shows Betty being served South Indian coffee. 

When we left the restaurant the waiter insisted that he push Betty’s wheelchair. When we got to the stairs, he asked us to wait while he summoned another man. They then carried Betty’s chair (with Betty in it) down the stairs. 

The conventional wisdom is that passengers gain a pound per day on a cruise. Despite the meal described above I actually lost 8 pounds on this adventure.