Breakfast is served

The sun seemed to come up much too early today. Thankfully the drapes are heavy and keep most of the light from disturbing my slumber, but the quiet of the early morning has been shattered by the undulating traffic and the ever-present car horns (something they seem to use with much more frequency in these parts than we at home would ever become accustomed to).

Conscious of the fact that breakfast is being served only until 10:00 am, I reluctantly tear myself from the comfort of slumber and splash some water on my face before getting dressed and stumbling down to the restaurant area. The wait staff are pleasant. Smiles and greetings are comforting even as they seem a bit out of place for the body that still wonders what time of day it is.

Breakfast is an adventure to be lived, savored and enjoyed. I find a bottle of lime water (something amazingly refreshing and possibly particular to the subcontinent), and a small plate of fresh fruit. In addition to the prepared fruit (pineapple and papaya, as well as fresh oranges for the taking) there are also bowls of corn kernels and cucumber slices (of course with the smaller bowls of condiments not far away).

Sipping on a cappucino and enjoying this first taste of food for the day, I am slowly waking up and watching as the parade of persons passes before my still-bleary eyes. There is a group to my right who are chattering in Italian. As I introduce myself, I discover that they are a group of vision care specialists who are here in Delhi to begin a two-week stint of mission work. They will travel today to an outpost southwest of here (two hours by plane), where they will then meet with those who are in need of corrective lenses, and who cannot afford to pay for them. They have brought a store of stock with them (of the second-hand variety) and will do their best to match the stock with those who need them.

There is more and more life in the restaurant as I venture back to the buffet, curious to see how they do eggs and bacon in this part of the world. Yes, there are omlettes and waffles (what buffet wouldn't) but there is also an array of local cuisine: allou (a simple potato curry), small flatbreads (homemade of course), crisp fritters which taste of split-pea flour and geerah (cumin), and all manner of sweet breads. I want to taste them all, but I must content myself with choosing wisely. After all, my body is still waking up to the fact that we're not in Kansas any longer, and that this adventure is just beginning.