Early afternoon. Nice young guy named Sanjib Layalu at “Hotel Layalu” in Diktel (room can be had for 150 rupees a night) helped me find access to a phone here and gave me an eloquent presentation of the Maoist’s platform. I looked for the Sylvie the French Nun all afternoon, even took a nap in a doorway on Diktel’s only street where I couldn’t miss her. I mistakenly called my parents at 1:30 AM their time, they hesitated, this made the set-up call run 7 seconds into the following minute making pay another US $3 for a second minute to the phone man. Darn. Dad and mom are OK. Mom’s foot surgery is on Tuesday (two days from now). Dad’s situation is still unresolved. I asked both my parents to call Mike Dugo to tell him I am thinking about him in his time of recovery from his knee surgery.  

Has the best samosas (deep fried curried peas and potatoes in pastry) ever in a little place here – light, flaky and hot. I asked Sanjib to tell Sylvie the French nun if she shows up that I am sleeping in the next town 3 hours onward in the town called Dorpa Dobela. From here to Bodjpur the route will be Diktel > Dorpa Dobela > Ratansha > Annapurna > Bodjpur. I feel a little bummed about not being able to meet up with Sylvie but I am not sure why. I am worried that she will not have enough money to get back home – I guess she can always go back through Halesi on her way to the road and borrow money from Fabrice. Pull it up out of the Samsara man!