MONSOON!

Holy crap. When it rains here, it seriously rains. I just got caught for 20 minutes in a downpour, and when I got back to my hotel, I had to wring out all my clothes in the bathroom. I was soaked through to my underwear. Crazy. To be honest, it's not any worse than some of the rainstorms we've been having in Nova Scotia recently. It just lasts a bit longer. And it's hot out so it's kind of fun. Everyone here is prepared for it to rain at any second, so they all carry umbrellas. But I am not so prepared, and so I get wet.

Anyway, in contrast to yesterday's post, which was largely negative, I have decided to post some things I like about India. I'll try to keep it short, since talking about nice things is boring. I love the food - I am stuffing myself silly on the best food in the whole world. I love that they have like 50 different TV channels that play nothing but Bollywood movies and songs all the time. I love that I can go see all the movies in the theatres with lots of people who are also excited about them. I like that I can buy any DVD I want here for cheap... haha, enough with the Bollywood related stuff. I like the smell here - well, not the third world smell that you sometimes get (even though that's part of the experience), but the other one that's kind of a mix of incense and yummy food cooking. I like that there are a million colors everywhere, and everyone's clothes are so pretty. Nothing is boring or bland in that regard, ever. I like that no matter where I go, there are always nice people who are willing to help me if I have any trouble. I even like the heat and humidity here - heat suits me anyway, and even the humidity is much more tolerable than it is at home, though I don't know why. The climate makes my skin much nicer. Weird.

I like most things here, to be honest. Really the only thing I find frustrating is that I am incapable of blending in, and therefore am often subject to odd racial stereotypes. (I.e. white people are all rich and promiscuous). Anyway, I am trying to find a way around that. Today as an experiment I made it a point to dress particularly Indian (tunic type shirt down to my knees) and look like I knew where I was going. This seemed surprisingly effective. I didn't get a single pervy comment all day, street vendors didn't harass me, and the beggar children didn't chase me down the street. It was a really hassle-free day. Yay. :)

It was monsooning all afternoon which spoiled my plans to walk a gajillion miles to some gardens and a mosque, so I went to see a movie instead, which was called Rock On!! Fortunately for me, the plot was so contrived and unoriginal that I had no trouble at all following along. It was about a rock band that fell apart and then reformed 10 years later. They weren't a particularly badass rock band... the costume department dressed them all in classic rock and metal band t-shirts so they sort of looked the part, but there wasn't a tattoo or illegal drug in sight the whole movie. It was pretty tame stuff. Which is good, I suppose, since people brought small children with them. It was a suitably entertaining few hours though, and gave me a chance to work on my Hindi comprehension. And at one point during the show, some guy's phone rang and he answered it and started having a really loud conversation in the middle of the theatre. And then everyone started shouting at him, haha.

Sorry I keep posting so randomly. I am just killing a few days in Bombay before I meet Erica again in Delhi, so not much going on just yet. I am typing to amuse myself while it downpours outside! Now I will brave the water in search of dinner. Mmmmm.