Internal Workings

I only just got up. It’s 5 PM. No, I didn’t go out last night and get plastered. I was, I fact, on the set of a Tamil movie (a little like Bollywood movies, but then down south) as an extra, acting like a stupid white person. That ended at two o’clock (though they tried to keep us there till five, as they weren’t finished yet). Then we went home and back to sleep.

The reason I was only able to get out of bed only a bit ago was because apparently on the set they fed me some bad food. As a result, all I’ve been able to do is poo, sleep and occasionally get out of bed to complain for a few minutes.

The problem was that while I was sleeping it was very hard to control my bowels and I couldn’t not sleep. Suffice it to say I’ve been forced to hand wash a lot of underwear. I hate being sick as it makes you hate what ever you’re doing. Right now I really don’t want to be out here in India. I’d much rather be somewhere clean, organised and understandable. Yesterday I was loving India, so I know it’s just the illness, but still.

I’m in a little place called Mamalapuran (or something like that) which is half way between Chennai and Pondicherry. Tomorrow, or the day after, I’ll be travelling up north with a couple of people to do a night on the town. We’ve been invited to join a PHD student who is out here to do her anthropology studies.

After that chances are I’m going to hit Bangalore (I want to get over to the west coast). Right now, however, I don’t really feel like moving at all. I just want to sleep more and get well.

I still haven’t figured out why I’m here. A girl I was chatting to a few nights ago explained that there are normally three types of travelers; the hippies, the naïve and the mystics. I didn’t fit into any of those categories, according to her. Maybe that’s because people like me don’t normally go travelling in places like this.

I think I went on this trip even though I no longer really wanted to go, simply because I’d been telling myself for so long I wanted to go. Not that it’s been bad. I’ve enjoyed myself tremendously and don’t regret it. I do often wake up, though, and ask myself ‘Why am I here?’

When I know, I’ll be sure to tell you.