Final Installment of My India Trip

The train came at 5 or 6 pm - I can't remember which - and I quickly found my seat in my car. There were already lots of people in the car as I got on at the train's second stop. I sat down next to an older couple with another woman in her 40s and two children - a boy and girl. This ride back to Mumbai was less comfortable as I was pretty sunburned at this point and feeling exhausted. I was so drained I couldn't really concentrate on anything - food vendors came back and forth offering various items I didn't recognize the names of so I didn't get anything except some chai. The family in my area pulled out a large bag of food and an aunt kept coming over from another area with food for the kids. I wasn't very hungry, but thought I should eat something. Finally, the man and woman across from me must have noticed my confusion or lack of initiative in getting some food from the passing vendors (I was pretty pathetic at this point - sunburned, unshowered, wearing an old, dirty shirt and still shedding sand from my Tevas), and leaned forward and asked me if I liked spicy food. I said yes, I did, and before I knew what was happening, the woman next to me was tearing a piece of newspaper and setting it in my lap while the woman across from me handed me three chapatis. Then the woman next to me scooped some potato and onion curry on the top chapati and the woman across gave me some spicy meat dish. It was a humbling experience - I thanked them and sat with my left hand in my lap while I ate with my right - the food was amazing, spicy, and filling. After I finished, the woman gave me an Indian sweet. I then climbed to my upper berth and decided to get some shut-eye. Luckily, I didn't get sick on this ride and the trip went much quicker.

I slept off and on all night until about 5am. The weather was warm and rainy. By six, most of my travel companions had gotten off on the outskirts of Mumbai - it was just an old guy and I in my section. At this point a couple of men that I can only describe as Hindu transvestites came on board. They were obviously men, but were wearing saris and makeup and jewelry - they came from passenger to passenger holding out their hands for money. The old man next to me gave them a few coins. Then one of them came to me and started speaking in an Indian language. I kept saying I couldn't understand what he was saying - as he couldn't speak English, we just stared at each other. Then he said a few more words and put his hand on my head and left. I don't know if he was blessing or cursing me, but it was strange to say the least. I later read in my Lonely Planet guide that this group of people are called Hijras. According to LP, "they are a caste of transvestites and eunuchs who dress in women's clothing. Some are gay, some are hermaphrodites, and some were unfortunate enough to be kidnapped and castrated...They work mainly as uninvited entertainers at weddings and celebrations of the birth of male children, and as prostitutes." As I consider this strange turn of events now, I think he was giving some sort of blessing, because the tone of his voice had more of an "I'm blessing you" sort of sound rather than a "Curséd be the day of your birth, you miserable tourist" sort of sound.

Well, by 6:30 I arrived at Mumbai's central train station. I was glad to be back, but kind of bummed too because check-in at my hotel wasn't until noon. So I went over there anyway to drop off my luggage and then find a coffee shop or some place to eat some breakfast. When I got to the hotel, I talked to the clerk about arranging transportation to the airport on Tuesday morning - it would be Independence Day in India on the day I flew out and I knew security would be high in all the major cities. Also, after what had happened in the UK, I thought it would be better to give myself some extra time. The man secured an airport taxi for me and even let me check into my room early. I dragged my stuff up to the second floor, took a shower, and crashed. When I woke up, I was pretty hungry so I ate breakfast down in the hotel restaurant and watched a bunch of wet-headed French tourists sip their tea, read the paper and wake up.

After my breakfast, I wandered about a bit - these last couple of days in Mumbai were structureless and relaxed. I looked at some bookstores, had a great lunch of these grilled chicken kebobs, and had some gelato (pear, I think). I looked around at some great street markets in Colaba (I think - I'm continuing this entry from my brother's apartment in Tokyo and don't have the LP handy).

On Monday, I was planning to take a ferry out to Elephanta Island - an island which has all sorts of statues and monuments - to Ganesh, I think - but it was closed on Mondays so I had to scrap that idea. Instead, I took a walking tour that was suggested in LP. It took you past many of the nicer historic buildings in the Fort and Colaba areas. At one point I ducked into a library that LP said had a great balcony where you could sit on a comfy chair and relax. I tried this, LP writers, and I got kicked out for not being a patron. This was the only time LP's information let me down. Later, I walked by the large field outside of the university and watched kids playing soccer and cricket. It had been raining in the morning, so all the players were covered from head to toe in mud - I got some great pictures I will share from watching this. Then I stopped by a tea shop and bought a couple types of spiced green teas - very nice. Then I went to the Bombay Store to get some gifts for co-workers and such. That night I ate dosas at the small restaurant across from my hotel and then ducked into an Internet cafe where I Skyped my folks to see how they were. Apparently, I sounded pretty drained - my mom and dad both commented on it. Yeah, travelling through India is not a relaxing trip.

On Tuesday, I woke up early, ate at the hotel, and tried to figure out the best way to fit everything into my backpack and uh, other bag ***Kristin, what do I call it if I can't call it a fanny pack?*** Big thanks to Stacy again for supplying me with two great travel bags. I was a little sad to be leaving India - the trip was too short and I knew that teaching would seem a bit samey after all of my adventures. At 10:00 my taxi came and the last images I saw of India from the car were children weaving in and out of the traffic selling Indian flags to drivers.