Dreams of India, Hotels, and being Lost

I dreamed that I was traveling in India.

I had a strange structure I think in my hotel room–or was it a lower part of a tour bus parked along the curb in front of a hotel? It was weird. I opened it up and was looking through my clothing and trying to decide what to change into, while two or three (Jewish?) women with whom I was traveling chatted with me.

I had a fascinating array of tunics I made myself. They were hanging in a neat row. One was white or off-white with organza over cotton and was full of lace and pin tucks–at least one tunic. Another was red and green, maybe paisley, again with a row of pin tucks, the entire front of the tunic. There was a navy-blue calico tunic that I was probably going to change into. But when I looked through my slacks, I found very few.

Meanwhile, someone mentioned that they were going shopping, so I thought I might go and buy some salwar (Indian trousers).

Later, I met Shahrukh Khan at a hotel, and after we chatted for a bit, I asked for an interview. He had to leave the next day, so at first, I thought that meant no interview… but we ended up sitting down together at a small, round table with some potted plants nearby–at a café or balcony that I think was inside the hotel–and I got a friendly and casual interview. It was like a long conversation.

Do I remember what we talked about? No.

I already had on my schedule an interview with another famous Indian actor, another Khan, but this was the highlight.

Just before waking, or while waking, I was posting on Facebook, “I interviewed Shahrukh Khan!”

*

I had a dream about a small group of people traveling. I was in the group, as were my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew who all live in Phoenix and whom I visited last December.

At some point, I was separated from everyone else and was trying to get back to the group or to the hotel. It was a place that had palm trees—I think I was in Phoenix. Yes, I remember that. There were buildings the color of terracotta and lots of palm trees.

I was on a bus at some point, maybe. But I mainly remember walking along the center of a meridian, and there was loud, busy traffic on both sides of me. A pedestrian or bicyclists crossed my path. I felt very nervous and out of place and maybe lost. Definitely unsure and lacking confidence.

*

There was a three-year-old girl (maybe this was a different dream?) who got separated from the group of travelers and was on her own.

She was accustomed to drinking a type of juice at intervals; she may have been taking medication with it. She’d been wandering on her own and found the motel where her family was supposed to be staying, but they weren’t there yet, and a woman who worked there wasn’t willing to unlock the motel room for just a three-year-old. So the kid was waiting just outside–it looked like a drab motel– and sobbing. She wet her pants and only had the one outfit. She was terrified and despairing.

Meanwhile, I had the perspective of someone who was witnessing this while seated or standing on a terracotta colored set of steps rising from the hotel basement just outside the room the child was in front of. I realized I was the only person who would help her out, so I let her into a hotel room–maybe I checked in first.

Next it turned into a dream about my new hotel room, with a couple of guys (one looked like the father-in-law of Mrs. Maisel) showing me around. The room had–or maybe this was the entire hotel room–a huge bathroom that was all beige tile. It was strange, with an enormous shower in the center of the room, and one of the men explained to me how that worked. On the side was an alcove/ closet where I already had rows of clothing hanging. While I explored the bathroom in fascination, I was vaguely aware that the little girl was there in the room with me. I kept commenting and marveling at the size of the bathroom. I said to the guys, “This bathroom is so huge that it could have lots of colorful tile, but instead all the tile is beige.”