India Delhi, Commonwealth Games "Survivor Camp"
If the previous Nehru Stadium was a morgue, then this Five-star hotel where various delegations have spontaneously gathered, because it's the only place where water and food are barely manageable, has become a large PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder exchange scene.
By the poolside, several Australian athletes lucky enough not to join the triathlon are surrounding a satellite TV, the screen showing Mexico City Water Sports Center "Temple of Tezcatlipoca" — the azure competition pool crystal clear, athletes entering the water hardly make a splash, electronic timers precise to one thousandth of a second.
Then look at the bottle of so-called "committee exclusive supply" bottled water at hand, the label printed with the Ganges scenery, with a line of small text below: "Source water purified by 108 traditional processes (Note: processes include priest chanting, sun exposure, and cow dung filtration)."
"I swear."
