I am leaving from fear of dysentery and cholera that sometimes accompany widespread disasters due to the disruption of waterlines and power supplies and the overburdened systems for taking care of the injured and dead. In the New City, rescue workers continue to reach victims trapped under debris. The TV news warn of after shocks. On Saturday night I sleep in my clothes with my luggage packed for an emergency departure. On Sunday morning at eight, there is another quake.
Guests call urgently to one another and hurry downstairs.
By the time I get to the lobby, everyone is already there fully dressed, with shawls to ward off the cold morning chill. I call the Red Cross but the person answering does not speak English. My hotel staff translates to say that there is no system in place for receiving funds. All the guests are leaving and the hotel manager is unhappy. At 10 o clock my bus leaves Ahmedabad for Udaipur in Rajasthan.