Post card from India: `Its still only pizzas and no love for curry'
This being my second tour to India and still not being a lover of curry, I've demolished 12 pizzas since the day we arrived
Herschelle Gibbs
23-Feb-2000
This being my second tour to India and still not being a lover of
curry, I've demolished 12 pizzas since the day we arrived. The
Taj Mahal hotel is spacious, comfortable and has a great pool for
us to lounge around after practice and have lunch with a few
Castles. The night before the test match, we had our team meal in
the Chinese restaurant and I plucked up enough courage to sample
some of the lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork.
There have been one or two pretty looking ladies which has kept
the smile on our faces while we walk around or laze at the pool.
Seeing that we are here in the sub-continent till April, I could
definitely say that I am missing my Sunday evening escapades at
La Med in Cape Town. I would like to say hi to my regular mates
and hope that it is still as good as always and I look forward to
some beverages on my return on the first of April; and that's no
joke!
Nothing has changed as far the amount of hooting on the road is
concerned. There are even more cars than before and where they
manage to get their diver's licenses from I would like to know.
It seems like after 4 years we still have the same team bus with
the same amount of mossies flying around to greet you in the
morning. As far as shopping goes, I think I will give that a miss
and rather wait till Jo'burg or Cape Town seeing that there is
little much fashionable to buy here, or what I've seen for that
matter.
I have managed to further my modeling career, when the whole team
and then just 5 of us were put on the catwalk and in-front of the
cameras last week to model some elegant mens' suits. The modeling
agency here is not quite in the league of my agency Storm from
back in Cape Town, but the lady models themselves are not too
shabby.
Our preparation for the first test match was quite good with most
of the batters getting sufficient time in the middle.
After the first day in the field during the 3-dayer, my right toe
was a little painful again. You will recall this was the injury
from the Kenya tournament in October last year and it still has
not fully settled down. The fizz reckons that it is because the
fields are so much harder here than at home and thus the toe gets
swollen and bruised when I spend time batting or fielding.
However, not to worry as we are treating it regularly and once I
get some time off in April he assures me it will settle down
completely.
Hope all is well in SA, hello to everyone back in CT and this is
Herschelle signing off from India.