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Guess who was in the paper today?

EAST INDIAN SPIRITUAL LEADER, 'THE HUGGING SAINT,' VISITS U.S.

is how the title read. I was unable to find a link on the SBT website. Perhaps because it comes from the California Times?? Anyway, Amma, the hugging saint, is on a North American tour. Pretty cool. Maybe one day I'll actually get to meet her. In the meantime, I'll just hang out at her Ashram for a few weeks.

Well, I watched my Anne McAlpin video today. She is some travel guru. She has all these tips on how to pack, what to pack, etc. My aunt bought the book with dvd for me along with a couple of her products; the security wallet (silk) that goes around my waist and a purse size bag with lots of pockets that can hold a towel/blanket/scarf/sarong (one piece of cloth that functions as all of those things). Pretty nifty.

Then, I checked AirIndia's regulations on baggage. I had to find a converter because Americans are the only people that I know of that don't use the metric system (except maybe the British). Just to find out that my carry-on (or as they call it "hand baggage") is too big. Nice thing is there is a detachable day pack on the front. If I remove that, it will meet the maximum allowed dimensions. The problem then is, how MANY carry-ons can I take. I didn't see any notice about it on line, so I e-mailed them. We'll see how quickly I get a response.

Something you've got to love about the Indian people is their use of the English language. I mean, I normally think of English as a blah kind of language. Spanish, Italian, French, those are the romantic languages. But when the Indian get a hold of it, they turn into something beautiful. For example, read the following out take from a description of their airline food:

"The exotic blend of herbs and spices, and the intricate preparatory methods, are all intended to let the aromas and flavors sink into the fare and your senses. Not only does the food smell or look gorgeous, it fires your appetite until you and your taste buds succumb to temptation. And the seduction is total! Efforts to resist indulgence often prove futile. But you will feel no remorse because such sublime and experiences are a step closer to spirituality."

I mean, come on. Have you ever heard anything so, so ... ridiculously romantic said about airline food?