today isnt the best of days. since this morning I have this throbbing headache and on top of that I have my monthly. after taking 3 panadols the pain has subsided. i hate this time of the month because I get so moody. I thought I was going to break someones ' neck (specifically this guy on a motorbike) while walking downtown. Part of my tiredness is due to the fact that I got into Bangalore at about 6am this morning after a bumpy 8 hour bus ride from Chennai. I got home at about 7am and hit the sack. I missed my first two remedials..

over the weekend I went to Mamallapuram (which took me ages to pronnounce.(thomas and I have nicknamed it M-town..its easier). its on the east coast of India below Chennai and above Pondicherry. I had wanted to go there to relax and sure enough I did. I indulged in a mid-budget hotel..paying 400 rupees. Its not a lot in Aus currency...around 12 dollars but since the beginning of the trip ive been going to budget places paying about AUD 4 so it sounds a lot. Anyways, so I checked into Hotel Sun Breeze. And it had a fantastic pool! so I spend most my weekend with a novel on the one hand and a papaya drink on the other hand. I did some sightseeing in between. I rented a bike and cycled about 5km north of M-town. I loved every moment of it. it was refreshing to get fresh air and to just absorb the views of palm trees and the beach. So my weekend in short was good with the exception of the bus journey there and out (16 hours + all up). Oh I must mention the frustration I had with my outward bus journey. I was running late to catch the overnight bus to M-town because of the bad traffic and I left the airport quite late (I was seeing Stephanie off). When I got to the main bus terminal in Bangalore, called The Majestic, I spent 20 minutes trying to locate the platform (no. 14B). It was utterly frustrating and I was nearly in tears when I finally got on the bus. In tears not because I was lost but tears of frustration. I kept getting conflicting directions. I must have asked a half dozen of people and I ran up and down the terminal (which is big). grr never again! Im trying to not generalize but Ive been noticing Indians in general dont like to admit they dont know the answer to questions or not know the directions so they give 'some' directions, right or wrong. ugh Anyways, I was thankful to get on the bus. I was the last. The bus conductor has a passenger list and delayed the bus to wait for me to turn up..*sighs* that act kept me from not bursting into tears when I got on.

okays, so Laura has been in India for a bit over a month and there has not been an entry about toilets. lols. im surprised myself. I guess being Asian and India is not exactly the first Asian country Ive travelled I am used to seeing squat toilets. The Indians call the toilets we use at home 'western toilets'. whats funny is that they call the squat toilets 'Indian toilets' when in fact they are just the same as in any other Asian country Ive been to. I have a somewhat high tolerance towards the state of toilets. Even if it looks downright filthy, wet and smelly I can usually cope and I will always choose to go than not go. I dont recall yet of turning down a toilet because it was too gross to enter (and trust me I have seen bad ones...the ones on the trains rank quite badly). But what is the chances that in the last 24 hours I went to the two worst toilets in my life...in fact they were consecutive too. I wont go into the details. Perhaps ask me in person. Briefly, both toilets were in the back of kitchens... On the bus journey from Chennai to Bangalore I was the only female on the bus. So when we stopped for a pit stop at 3am in the morning all the men were just doing it publically (not deterred the fact that I was there) in the bush. I didnt feel like buying chai after that. there wasnt any public toilets where we stopped ( i dont know how bus drivers choose their pit stop). But there was this restaurant open...not really open but the kitchen was alive preparing food for the new day. So I asked if I could use their toilet. I wished I didnt. They pointed to a door at the other end of the kitchen. I looked inside and it was an enclosed area with no windows, a bucket of murky water and a drain. Not pothole, no squat toilets, no nothing..but a drain and a wet wet ground. *shudder*

the second toilet wasnt any better. Again the 'toilet' was at the end of the kitchen. But this kitchen was really big and seemed like an endless walk through the kitchen with men just staring at me as I manouvered around the tables, pots, buckets, shelves with my overnight bag (I had gotten off the bus already). It was made worse because I had to wait for this man to finish his business in the toilet as I just waited with my huge bag with the kitchen staff staring. for some unknown reason when the man finally walked out, he started grinning. it was very off-putting...cos he knew I was waiting to use the toilet/. this one was filthy. there was also no door. instead was a flimsy wooden plank that looked like it was going to give way. there is something I want to say...generally about using toilets in INdia. but ask me in person.

Im not going to end this entry with toilets. what else happened today...well after school I headed downtown (after a detour back home to get some panadols...wonder tablets). Actually I was reluctant to go downtown because all day I had been feeling tired. but I had promised the principal I was going to start an arts and craft club afterschool to pass some time for the younge kids who dont have 'special class' (Ill explain that next entry)and I really needed to get some materials. Im starting tomorrow! I need some craft ideas (pleasee)! not too difficult cos im doing this for Mercury and Venus class (grade I and II). I think tomorrow I will be doing animal masks using paper plates. I need something new each day after school. Hopefully I want to squeeze in cooking classes. nothing fancy...probaby just the stir and freeze type.like chocolate bananas in pyjamas (um did i make up that name)..on is it monkey magic? okay im going a little delirious...but you know when you cover banana with melted chocolate...cover it with crushed peanuts and freeze it....i cant think of the name. I also want to make rice krispies...but I have seen any marshmallows.! poo

I had promised to put up photos but i forgot. sorry! Ill put some up of the mini-olympics next time. I dont think I have written an entry in here since then. but it went really well!

shall write soon! *muah*