The road to recovery

My first day in Udaipur was spent running between the bed and the loo; and desperately trying to get my temperature down. My entire body was on fire. I was worried I had malaria!

By the afternoon I was exhausted and weak. I eventually broke down and took the anti-biotics that Carmen and Patrick had passed onto me when I started getting a fever in Pushkar. And they worked. Fast.

By evening time, I was bored of being caged within the 4 walls of my room so I popped a couple of Immodium and decided to join Angy and Ross. Sunil - the Indian Scotsman had offered to take us to the cinema for a Bollywood experience.

It was good to get out of that room and walk around a bit. And all the pills I had taken seemed to be working so I wasn't that worried anymore.

We walked through a windy road which lead onto a main road. This was lined with little stalls selling general supplies. Some stalls were preparing evening snacks. Here men stand over huge pans of boiling oil. Into his oil they either pipe in a mixture of soft dough, which on contact with the hot oil, forms what I can only compare to a South African Koeksister. These are then dipped into honey. In other hot oil pans, men throw in balls of mixed veg and chilli which have been dipped into batter. These form a crips snack called a Pakora. You can usually buy a couple of handfuls of these wrapped in newspaper for about 20Rps (10 pence). They are delicious. Although this time, I was staying far away from any food.

We got to the cinema which was a rickety old building along the main road. You could tell it was a cinema by the distinctive Bollywood posters that had been pasted and layered onto the walls. The posters are quite dramatic in nature. They usually depict the lead character with either a pained expression on his/her face or a couple in love, looking at eachother with flirting eyes. It depends on the nature of the movie. They are brightly coloured and bold. Unfortunately the love story we had planned to see was not showing for another couple of hours. I couldn't actually wait as I was too exhausted and needed to sit.

So we walked to another cinema - even more dilapidated than the last.
Sunil managed to buy 4 tickets, at Indian price in the "first class gallery" at 34Rps (40p) each to see an action movie called "Risk".

Going to the cinema in India is a big deal that only men have the pleasure of experiencing. It is very rare except in the cosmopolitan cities of Delhi and Mumbai that women visit the cinema. Angie and I were gawked at whilst we stood in the line to get in. Men were coming up to Ross and Sunil, asking how we were related to them - "Is this your wife/girlfriend?" They looked horrified to find out that I was just a friend and neither a wife nor girlfriend to either one of the guys.

We walked into cinema hall. This was large and very old. None of the plush seating we are used to in the Western World. In fact, the hall reminded me of a school hall, with hard school seats. And of course it was pretty filthy.

The film comes on and the boys and men start whistling. In the background you can hear the crackle of the film reel. It's great.

The film was all in Hindi. But easy to understand. Like most action packed films it had a Hero, the Baddies and of course a beautiful woman who is in love with the Hero, but cannot have him until he has completed his mission to defeat the baddies. One violent scene runs into the next and the audience participates and gets revved up whistling and clapping.
Next minute, the Hero's lady comes onto screen and breaks into a full on dance and song scene a la Bollywood. It's quite a contrast! In the scene - which is similar to a music video, there are a few white women - extras - who are practically naked (for Indian standards - read: bikini) shaking their booty. The men are now wild and they cheer!

In Mumbai - the Bollywood capital - tourists are often recruited to take part as extras in films. They are not paid but are given the opportunity and experience for their 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately I wasn't approached in Bollywood!

The film continues - more action, shooting, blood and violence. A guy next to us start talking to Ross. He want's to know more about America - where Ross comes from. He is having a fat chat, and is oblivious to the audience around him. I know now that this is typical in India - to interrupt those around you is not really seen as rude. Another guy lights a cigarette inspite of the neon "No Smoking" sign up ahead. And someone's phone rings and they answer it and have a conversation in Hindi. All, apparently, normal cinema etiquette!

Intermission comes up. We leave. I am getting tired and suddenly feel famished. I need food. I have not eaten for 30 hours!

We head to a restaurant which lines the beautiful lake. I order rice pulao - not too spicy, and it goes down well. I feel a lot better, my stomach is still messed up, but my fever has gone and I feel more alive.

I look forward to exploring Udaipur tomorrow, which seems to have a calm atmosphere.