Tuesday Evening

I was introduced to everyone working on the Reno project earlier in the day, but my memory for names is pathetic. As I talk to each person, I ask them to repeat their name and then I try to think of a trick to help me remember. I talk with Tejal and I happen to be standing near a box of tea. "Tea" sounds a bit like the "Tay" sound in Tejal. From now on, whenever I see her I will think tea... tay... Tejal.

Some of us go to dinner. The driver heads down a street that is filled with cars, bikes, and auto rickshaws, every one of which is headed straight towards us. The car darts and honks and weaves. My foot presses hard against the floorboard in search of a non-existent passenger brake. Minutes later we arrive at the Malacca Spice restaurant. My companions are unfazed.

Dinner is fantastic. I discover that I am a "non veg". In India, it is customary to order meals which are shared around the table rather than for each person to have their own. Those of us in the "non veg" clan share a special priveledge. We can eat both the meat dishes and the vegitarian dishes. It's all wonderful.

I go to the hotel, the Sun N Sand. Despite the name of the hotel, there is no sand to be seen, nor are we near a beach. The attrium lobby is very nice. Inside the room there is a digital control center for controlling the lights, the alarm clock, the A/C, and for calling the front desk. It only takes me 25 minutes to figure out how to turn off the lights so I can go to sleep.