On Thursday, after sending e-mails, etc, I just did some research for filter suppliers--melt-blown cartridge filters, candle filters, carbon-block filters, etc.--so I could obtain a large amount of cartridges to bring back to Berkeley to test, figure out a reasonable price, and just scout the market for water filters in general. I was able to make a few phone calls, make a few appointments, and send some e-mails.
According to an e-mail from Dr. Jeff Williams, a researcher at HaloSource, he will be putting together materials and literature for me regarding testing for E. coli and other coliforms, and potentially a quantitative way to test for things such as crypto, giardia, etc. that doesn't require PCR or immunoflourescent antibody tagging!! This is was too exciting. Unfortunately, he is currently in India, and does not return to the US for a few more days... ...but afterwards, I get to geek out about biology. I haven't had much of a chance, save when I first met Ajit and Annette again at Genesis and I was spazzing about my genetics labs and how I was able to play around with cloning genes, genetic mapping, Drosophila, RNAi and C. elegans, and more. Anyhow, we will see.
Until then, I have an appointment to meet with a researcher at EurekaForbes, the leading and foremost company in the water business here in India. That should be interesting. Nick is hoping to join me so we can also further discuss their marketing strategies. After speaking to Duane this past Monday, apparently EurekaForbes has had a great marketing and PR system. Hopefully we can learn from them in all different aspects, and adapt both technology development and marketing strategies to our project targetting slums instead of the middle-class market. Later today, I am meeting with some labs to discuss the project and potential water quality testing to be conducted. I wish I could wait for the e-mail from Dr. Williams to determine exactly what I want to set up, but that's okay.
By the afternoon, I just went back to the lodge and lay down and completely crashed and did not move for the next hour or two. Finally, we made our way to Krishna's place and waited for the owner of two flats to come back so we could sign the lease. Of course, we refused to get our hopes up considering that we have been this close before, and the bottom still fell through. Finally, after waiting for him to arrive 3 hours late, we finally have two flats for three months. Life is good again. Unfortunately, that night the rains actually came in. There was an intense amount of lightning and thunder, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but this also means that the monsoons are coming, and that they are coming early this year. This is slightly frustrating, and I hope that I can get the things done that I want to get done before the rains come in too hard so that we are stuck in the flat.
Anu, Emily, and I stayed at Krishna's place, and Viru and Avijit joined us to watch the first half of Rang de Basanti. It's not a bad movie, but apparently my nap in the afternoon was not enough, and I fell asleep within the first hour. I think it is one of those movies that I might buy for myself, though. It's not a Bollywood film, but I also want to obtain a few of those, too. Again, I wake up at 6 in the morning for no reason, and finally after everyone woke up, we spent most of the Friday morning and afternoon obtaining things such as new locks and keys, mattresses, chairs, mats, and other things for our apartment, and we also moved our luggage from the haunted house in Dadar to our new place in Tilak Nagar. Our apartment is going to be right around the corner from Krishna's, and also Arvind, our dearest wonderful friend from previous visits (who is the only other one who can compete with me regarding odd sleeping patterns) is going to be living one floor below.
After getting moved in, we took Krishna out for a girl's night out to thank her for everything that she has done for us in the past week or two. First, we had scheduled a pedicure spa for her.
(Photo courtesy of Anu)
It is so tempting to get one here. I have only had a pedicure once. By the second to last week in Kenya, all I could think about was to get a pedicure the day I returned back home. I could feel the eight to nine weeks of walking four miles every day around Mombasa/Likoni caked onto my feet. It felt like my skin had absorbed all of Kenya, and my feet would never feel clean again. The lack of running water did not help either. I wish I could say that around here in Mumbai, the situation is better, but I think due to the fact that this is an over-crowded city with over 51% of the population living in slums, and poor irrigation systems, that is not the case. If I felt that I had the money to do so, I would give myself a pedicure appointment the day before I left. Still, I would feel more comfortable having one done back in the US, but it is so much more expensive back at home.
Speaking of poor irrigation systems, yesterday there were men cleaning out the irrigation systems, which were basically just ditches that surrounded the buildings along the street. Of course, this means that the ditches have everything from dead leaves to most likely human feces. The smell while walking by is practically unbearable. That must be one of the worst jobs ever. ...The whole dynamics regarding jobs and servitude is just odd in general. It is so strange to be sitting around with my laptop while the maid just goes around cleaning up the apartment and washing our clothes for us. I cannot stand how, when I go clothes shopping, there is somebody standing there trying to get everything for me before I ask them to do so. Every time we go to a restaurant, or even when we are eating at Krishna's place, everybody things that I am odd because I want to serve myself.
Random tangents aside, after her pedicure, we made our way to Bandstand near Bandra and took her to the Taj Hotel for an hour and a half spa and massage treatment.
Anu, Emily, and I made our way to the litting cafe/dining area and treated ourselves to a little treat. Emily had a magarita, Anu had a Ferrero Rocher milkshake, and I got a Berry Blast. Also, there were these amazing bar snacks, which also have a story themselves. Originally, they had these three small plates: one with these AMAZING candied cashews, another with wasabi peas, and another with these flavored beans (that I am sure that I have had before... they remind me of some Chinese snacks, but I cannot remember when I had eaten them before).
So we were sitting there drinking our amazing drinks, listening to the live music, enjoying the air conditioning, and just devouring the cashews and flavored beans. Within a few minutes, two of the three bowls were empty, and the wasabi peas were also slowly disappearing. Our waiter walks by, and replaces our tray with full mini-bowls of the delectables. Again, less than ten minutes later, the nuts and beans are gone. He replaces our tray, and we all have a good laugh. Within five minutes, the waiter arrives to take away our already empty tray, and brings by two big bowls--one with the cashews and one with the beans. It was awesome. Finally, we finish those bowls too. We figure that it was time to stop it with the cashews and beans, but when the waiter brought by another bowl, Anu tried to tell him that we did not want anymore. Of course, Anu was smiling, which of course is the universal language for "Give me more!" and so we had another round of giggles and bar snacks.
Then, we meet Nick, Avijit, and Viru at Five Spice, where they had what they believe to be "good Chinese food." I could only smile and nod and wish that somebody else wanted plain steamed rice. Apparently ordering plain steamed rice is "a waste," since plain rice is weird and needs some sort of curry or "gravy." Oh well.
(Photo courtesy of Avijit)
Then Viru left, and the rest of us walked down the coast line, and found a grassy patch to sit down on. I ended up falling asleep while everyone else watched something on Avijit's laptop. We arrived at our flat, and I completely crashed, and I did not wake up until 7 in the morning. Hopefully I'm all caught up so I can be functional during the meeting today, and so I can trudge along Princess Street to buy things with Ajit. We shall see. We are supposed to either go watch a movie tonight, or go to a disc ( i.e. go clubbing) tonight, but I don't know if I have the energy to do so.
We have no running water in our flat this morning, still, and that sucks.
I really want a pedicure when I go home. And a good hair wash. Haha. I can be such a girl. ...Either that or I just do not want to feel a month's worth of India caked onto me.
It is warm.
This is Edith, signing out
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