Talk To A Woman
Too much train travel can fragment thoughts.
- The best thing I’ve heard all trip was from an Indiamiker in Puri. He said: “When threatened, talk to a local woman”. You have no idea how right he is until you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place: i.e. a drunk man in the upper berth who won’t leave you alone, and his two henchmen below you. A young woman not only rescued me but arranged my berth swap, shared a taxi, and found me my dingy little cupboard room in an unmarked hotel in a Colaba back alley at five in the morning, one I would have never found on my own.
- I am paying too much for a shithole of a hotel.
- Of course that just means I’m in Mumbai now. I prefer to call it Bombay, as do many of the locals. Bombay is a city very close to my heart. Although I’ve never lived here, and did not spend a long time here, Bombay is the city where you go to get your dreams made, whatever it may be. If I had not come to Bombay last July, I would not have my foot through the door in my childhood dream and now, profession-to-be.
- I am hating men at the moment. I despise the ones who show you pictures of their wife and kids in one instance, then transform into total sleazebags the next moment. Just because you’re a foreign woman, it seems, being a total sleazebag is supposed to be okay (they have a special form of sleaze reserved for the foreigners, another form for the locals). I’ve met way too many of them—on every trip. (i.e. One man asked how much it costs to take his family to Bangkok for his wedding anniversary; the next moment he asked how much a prostitute would cost in Bangkok, and where he should leave his wife while “enjoying”. How would I know?! Today’s was no different. Yesterday’s was worse.) I utterly despise people like that who have no respect whatsoever for the institution of marriage.
- I wish men in India would just leave me alone. At this point I am contemplating the “sorry me Japan no English” move. It’s that bad right now.
- Spent the last 5 days in Hyderabad with some schoolmates who are interning there. Stayed in the “eco-friendly campus” of a certain big name tech firm. What that meant in practice: it was more like a 5 days’ exchange programme, we lived in a hostel so bloody far from Hyderabad or Secunderabad and all I got to see was a hostel room, my school friends, and other international interns. At least I got to see my friends.
- Ate a life-changing meal at Baghdadi Restaurant, behind the Taj Mahal Hotel (where Liz Hurley got married). Wonderful chicken shimla and a fluffy, beautiful roti. It would have been better if the Delhite fellow sharing my table was less of a sleazebag and I didn’t lose my appetite because of it.
- Looking forward to a weekend trip to Alibag with some Mumbaikars, and Konkani food to lift my spirits.
- Sometimes I hate being a woman. It is one of those times.
- My Nepali friend says “On a scale of 1 to 10 for reliability… Royal Nepal Airlines isn’t even on the scale.” So I fly Thai Airways in a few weeks from Kathmandu to Bangkok. I’m excited about the prospect of having newspapers and drinks served to me in a flight; it’s been a long time.
2007
25
Jul
- Posted by popagandhi at 08:04 pm
- Permalink for this entry
- Filed under:
- RSS comments feed of this entry
- TrackBack URI
Excited about the imminent inflight newspapers and drinks for you as well. haha.
Focus on the ladies then and as usual, have fun in india :)
cupboard room sounds Harry Potterish
spot on about Royal Nepal Air, guess how long my returning flight was delayed in May?
75 hours!
so..did you get the number of the nice indian girl who helped you? =)
Sometimes I forget how much easier it can be travelling when you’re a guy…
Hmm… Not just men, but boys too, though I wouldn’t call those boys sleazebags. These curious boys in their teens have the perception that with foreign women, they can behave differently from the way they do with Indian women. They come up to you, their faces filled with awe, touch you on your arm and back off giggling among themselves. What the?
I like traveling in India. There’s so much to discover and there is a gem in her that has so much to offer to visitors. What I find a pity is that there are annoyances like this that a traveler has to endure. Can these kids be taught that though they see us foreigners as “different”, they should show foreign women the same respect they show to Indian women?
Maybe this is all part of the “package” India offers – this characteristic of hers that gets me exposed to the extremes of her worlds, together with that diversity that comes along with it – which is what makes her so attractive to me. Perhaps it’s the love-hate thing. I still like to return.
Travel is 90% endurance, 10% vacation. And India is where this equation fits in just nicely. Perhaps why some of us just keep on coming (or going) back.
I love men in India, on screen. Off screen: Satya, you’re one of the rare few.
Apologise on behalf of all Indian men. If you can accept it that is. The good ones are the ones who do not talk to you. Great that you have been to Secunderabad, my home town. Have you had the great Hyderabadi Biryani? You should try Haleem as well, only in Hyderabad.
Aravind: Yep had plenty plenty of biryani!! No need to apologise… I have many well-balanced, wonderful and gentlemenly male Indian friends from India and elsewhere, who I love more than anything else.. the rare few are the loudest and emptiest vessels, and I suspect they can be found around the world in many different varieties, not just in India.
andie1304: Tell me about it man.. I still love India so.
Evie: Yes, as well as her dad’s and her aunt’s.. ;)
Dermot: well, to be honest it can be quite easy travelling as a lone female, if you play it right.. there are also some perks. People and families warm up to you easily, and help you more—whereas they leave men alone, and that’s about it. That’s what the male backpackers have observed anyway, and I think they’re right. It’s just that when it gets bad, it can be real bad.
[...] I wish men in India would just leave me alone. At this point I am contemplating the “sorry me Japan no English” move. It’s that bad right now [...]
i’m totally doing the “me no english” move right now. might as well put all that japanese to use, since i don’t watch no drama serials.
A comment by you about, women travelling alone, above reminded me of these posts that I read some time ago – Women staying alone.
A travelogue by the same person.