As we move into our second week, so do we move into our 4:30 timing.
Actually, the 4:30 timing is not that bad. Little has changed in our daily routine. Now we wake up at 3:50 instead of 5:00 and after practice we have more time to shower, change and relax a little before breakfast. We had previously been getting to bed around 8-9pm, now we try to be in bed around 7. It can be a little difficult getting to sleep while the traffic is heavier, but it really doesn't slow down much until 10pm anyway.
Below: Saraswathi's place at 6am after practice.
Our practice hit a bit of a wall this week as we both found ourselves having some issues with our lower backs. We had planned on picking up the intensity for week 2, adding in extra workouts, runs and a little extra yoga here and there, instead, we are nursing our tender backs. Still, the experience of taking it a little easy on ourselves in class has been good. We'd both been very eager to push our limits and make a lot of progress while we are here and wound up pushing ourselves too far. We've since decided to take it easy, let the progress come, take the practice day by day and really feel where our bodies will allow us to go. When we recover, we'll slowly start to increase our intensity and feel out how much extra work we can put in each day.
The mistake we'd made in booking the first apartment we saw turned out to be a larger mistake than we'd thought.
We'd only taken a brief look at the apartment. We saw that it was an ok size, it was clean, it had an attached bathroom, had two beds and lockers large enough for our needs. It basically met all of our immediate criteria. So, midway through the week we moved in. Having already payed a 14,000 rupee downpayment (a months rent), we were surprised when the building manager asked us for another 14,000... We'd already packed our bags and moved, so with few other options, after making certain that we'd get our deposit back at the end of our term, we payed the additional money and prepared ourselves to spend the night.
After unpacking our bags, settling in and going out for dinner, we arrive back to our apartment. As the night progresses we begin to notice the details we'd overlooked.
The room had windows, however, we discovered that these windows did not close, allowing all of the sounds and insects from the outside, in. Also, the room had windows into the hallway of the building as well, covered by drapes which appeared, while the lights are ON in the room, to be thick. However with the lights OFF in the room, and on in the hallyway, people could be seen and heard walking past, looking in, as we lay in our beds. Also, We had seen the toilet, but for some reason neither of us had noticed that it had no seat. Just the bowl. These were the small problems.
Below: Santrupthi Apartment (our room's window is at the bottom on the left)
Our room was on the bottom floor, first room on the left. Directly beside the front entrance of the building. The front entrance of the building was a fence-door with wooden strips through the fence loops. Above the door, rather than a wall, there was a barred metal design built into the building, open to the outside noise and air. Coupled with our street side window which doesn't close, every sound from the street, just feet from our room, was let in. As a motorcycle drove by it sounded as though the motorcycle was inside our room, next to our beds, revving it's engine while people walked past our room, trying to look in through the curtains, entering and exiting the building through the clanking front door and gate.
We didn't get the best of sleeps that night.
Thinking it over, we decided that sleep was more valuable than saving a little money, and packed our bags to move out. We made arrangements to move into the nicer apartment as soon as it was available, and upon inspecting it with our new list of criteria, we were satisfied. For the time in-between, we moved back into our previous hotel. When we spoke with the building manager of the apartment we had moved out of, he informed us that they cannot refund us for the month we'd payed for, but that we could get our deposit back. Disappointed, we decided to bite the bullet and accept the loss.
Saying goodbye to weeks of sleepless nights, we came back to our hotel and enjoyed a very pleasant night's sleep.
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