I can’t sleep. My body clock is all screwed up. I’m lying on the bed staring at the weird stains on the inside of the ‘bedroom’ door, the peeling paint on the wall, and the bare fluorescent light tube, and I have to smile at how loosely the term ‘hotel’ is used here. I’m jealous of Jeff’s deep sleep beside me.
I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I can see Diarmuid smile knowingly as he reads this. Arriving into the streets of Delhi at 11 at night after 53 hours of travel, stopping in 5 time zones, and the rapid changes in cultural surroundings have fried my brain.
Everything seems so surreal right now, like we are starring in our own movie – Slum Dog Millionaire II – The epic sequel. I had been forewarned that, as a big softy, I would be in danger of having a meltdown when confronted with all the poverty of India. At this point I feel cushioned by my own zombie-brain state. The Indian people seem like characters in my movie, all busy playing their roles. They have all clearly been rehearsing, and I feel inadequate and awkward around them. I wish I could remember my lines.
Thinking you’re in a film is a good sign…life’s more interesting in films!
Apparently the body clock is based more on eating patterns than sleep, so you can avoid jetlag by not eating for the 12-13 hours and then breaking your fast at local breakfast time. I’ve tried it once and it seemd to work