Travels and Tribulations

Mumbai

gpcuriel — Wed, 9 Nov 2016 06:32:00 GMT

November 5th, and 6th, 2016

It's again been a few days since I could write. It seems Internet is harder to come-by in northern India. Hotels have been limiting us to using one device on Wi-Fi per day. I'm not really sure why, but it's super frustrating.

I arrived in Mumbai from New Delhi on November 5th after being in New Delhi not even a day and missing out on a lot of sight seeing. I got to Mumbai around 1pm. The driver who picked us up from the airport arrived super late. We must have waited on him nearly an hour. Then the drive from the airport to the hotel was sickening. I'm not usually one to get sick while driving, but this guy's driving was just terrible. He also had no idea where he was going. He had to stop and ask for directions on three different occasions. I think it was around 3pm by the time we finally got to the hotel. Once we were dropped off, Jay called the company who supplied the driver and requested a different driver for the next day.

My visit to Mumbai was going to be a special one. My plan was to branch off from Jay and his family and meet up with someone else, which requires a little bit of back-story. Back in June of 2015, I joined this website called Bharat Matrimony. Basically, Indians use it to find someone to marry, or their family uses it for them. So, I guess it's an arranged marriage site. I can't remember how I even found out about the site, but I wasn't on it long before I was banned for not being Indian. While I was a user of the site, I talked to a girl named Annie. Things obviously did not work out and she ended up marrying someone else, but we remained friends and talked somewhat frequently all this time. Once I told her I was coming to India, we started working out a way we could meet. The closest city in which she could meet me was Mumbai. However, she would only be able to come on one day, the 6th, and only for the day due to work commitments. So I was to meet her on the 6th, but on the 5th I would meet her husband Wells since he was already in Mumbai for some work training.

I was able to relax for an hour or two before Wells would come meet me after his training was done for the day. This will sound odd, but I was nervous to meet a dude. However, I was moreso nervous to meet Annie the next day. Part of the reason I was nervous to meet Wells was because I was unsure if he knew how Annie and I started talking. If that's not awkward, then I don't know what is. It turns out he did know, but didn't mind. Wells got to my hotel around 5, I think. He had brought gifts from him and Annie! The gifts were a big box of fine chocolates and traditional Indian clothes! I really wish I knew what the clothes were called. I feel bad for not knowing. After the quick meet and greet, we headed out to Juhu Beach, which apparently was a short walk from my hotel. Normally that beach is pretty crowded, but it happened to not be that crowded that day. Keep in mind, this is India. In the US, we would have considered that beach packed. But we were able to walk freely without having to push through people, so hence I say it was not that crowded. We walked along the beach for a while and eventually found a nice place to watch the sunset. We were waiting to take a train to a different part of the city, and Wells said the trains are easier to take at night.

If you've never heard about the trains in Mumbai, let me give you a quick primer. The trains get so packed, that, in order to get on, you stand in line and wait to be pushed on with the crowd. People hang off these trains because they get so packed. They are super dangerous and intimidating if you've never seen one or been on one. Wells obviously didn't want to put my at risk, so he suggested we wait till sundown. Once the sun had set, we went to the train station and got our tickets. Twenty Rupees (~30 cents) each to the Marine Lines, where we could go to Marine Drive. One our train came, and I got super freaked out. While it wasn't as bad as I just described, it was still pretty intense to get on. The train only stops for what seems like ten seconds, so you have to hurry and jump on. There was also a bit of a crowd, and we had to struggle to jump on. The train, to me, was pretty full when we got on. But at the next stop, it practically emptied and we were able to find some seats for the rest of the ride. It felt like it took 45 minutes to get to our destination, but we finally got there.

Now, it was time to play frogger again and cross a very busy street. We would take a few steps forward trying to get a car to stop or slow down for us so we could cross, but no avail. It took us probably ten minutes to cross Marine Drive so we could get to the strip where everyone hangs out. Once we had crossed, I was surprised to see a very familiar scene. It almost felt a bit like home, but not so much. Mostly everyone was dressed in what I'd consider Western attire. You could see couples sitting along the shore holding each other. There were people going for walks and jogs as well. It was the first time I had seen something like that in India. We walked along the shore for some time before we decided to go grab a beer at a place called the Beer Cafe. The Beer Cafe was full of young Indian couples having drinks and food. That may not seem surprising to you, but come to India and you'll see how rare of a sight that is. There were lots of cute women in there too, but all seemed like they were with someone, unfortunately. I did get some looks while I was in there, but for the most part people didn't seem to notice me. The manager or owner, however, was a bit of a different story. He seemed to make sure we were happy customers and even gave us a "complimentary" beer. Hey, I'm not complaining. Wells and I hung out there for a while and talked before we took the train back to where we came. Wells made sure I got to my hotel safely. He even rode the auto from the train station with me back to my hotel, and then he took the auto back to the train station so he could go back to his hotel. Super nice and helpful guy. The next day, Annie was to arrive in Mumbai at 9:15am and I am to meet her at 10am at the train station....

So it's the 6th now, the day I meet Annie. I have been talking to her for nearly a year and a half. We have video chatted before, and we text somewhat frequently, but I was still so nervous to actually meet her in person. I took an Uber to the train station where I'd meet her and Wells. Wells had gotten her from the airport and then they were taking a train to meet me. I got to the train station and of course my phone had no service. I wasn't even sure I was at the correct train station. I decide to stand off in a corner somewhere so people had no reason to walk past me, but sure enough, they found a way to do just that. I always get the stares when I'm alone. I'm sure I looked super suspicious just standing in that corner by myself. At one point, some guy had come up to me and was saying something to me in Hindi. He seemed to be raising his voice, but I wasn't sure. I told him I do not understand him and he seemed a bit frustrated and then walked away. I couldn't even begin to figure out what he wanted. I had the thought in my head that he was asking me what I am doing standing there, then walked away to get some friends or something. But I have no evidence to support that theory. Then about 30 seconds after that incident, I see Wells waving to me. Wells is a taller guy, about 6 feet tall, so he stands out. I knew if I saw Wells, Annie must be with him. My heart started beating super fast and my palms were getting super sweaty. My brain had started to lock up and I lost all my senses. I didn't know what to do and now I see Annie approaching me fast with a big smile on her face. Am I smiling, or do I still have that straight and intimidating look on my face? Shit, I don't know. I sure hope I'm smiling. Annie comes in for the hug and quickly hugs me. I really thought the hug would be longer. At that point, I can't even remember if I hugged back (I did... I think). I don't know what it is about girls, but I just shut down around them.

After exchanging pleasantries, we headed to the trains to head to our first stop of the day. We were going to Mount Mary Church. I don't know much about the church, but I know it's at least 100 years old. We took a bunch of pictures there as well as payed our respects and then moved on. We took a walk through some neighborhoods and eventually went to a place for lunch. Good Luck Cafe, I think it was called. I had some Iranian black tea there, and it was really good. After lunch we roamed around some more and also went to some Bollywood celebrity's house. I want to say it was Shah Rukh Khan's house. We took some pictures there and then caught a train to Churchgate. Churchgate is the area where the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel is located. If you keep up with news, you'll know that in November of 2008, there was a terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Hotel. There are still missing windows from where people jumped out at the Taj Mahal Hotel. The windows were never fixed, probably to preserve the memory of that day. We took lots of pictures around the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel, then went to the cafe where there was also a terrorist attack on the same day in November of 2008. We had some milkshakes there. There was still a visible bullet hole in that cafe.

After the cafe we headed back to my hotel to rest up, since it was nearly 4pm already. Well, Annie and Wells accompanied me there and then headed back to their hotel. We were going to rest up for a few hours and meet up again in the evening. I gave Annie some gifts I had brought her before they headed out. I took a nap in the few hours they were gone. We met up again at around 7 and this time Annie's cousin Kaivan had come along. He's a super funny guy. He used to work in a all center for Capital One where he did debt collection. He had plenty of good stories to tell. We headed out to a bar for some drinking, but we had initial problems at locating one. We first tried the one in my hotel, but they had next to no selection and the drinks they did have were damn expensive. We eventually settled on a place called "Gringo" (yes, really). We hung out there all evening having dinner and drinks. Unfortunately I was not able to give Annie the attention I wanted to give her. Her cousin Kaivan was really interested in conversing with me. It was a good thing and I had great conversation with him, but I just couldn't seem to give Annie much attention the whole night. I know she noticed and was probably a bit disappointed.

We hung out until around 11pm and then went back to my hotel. We took a couple group pictures and said our goodbyes. It was really great to meet Annie. She's so sweet and kind. I thought it was cute how she looked out for me the whole day, and whenever we crossed a street, she would grab a hold of my arm to make sure I didn't lag behind or get hit by a car. The day I spent with her was the best day of my trip, by far.

No "Delhi belly" for me!

gpcuriel — Sat, 5 Nov 2016 05:35:00 GMT

November 4, 2016

I woke up bright and early today to get to the Agra Fort at 7:30am. It was just Jay and I who went, and I'm really glad we got up that early to go see it. There was practically nobody else there. We were able to get through the whole thing in about an hour, and that includes getting all the pictures we wanted with our stupid poses. It was interesting being in such a fort that is still in pretty good condition for its age. There wasn't really much to do or see there, though. We just roamed the whole fort that was available. There was one shady place within the fort, and I imagine it's much more shady on a full day. There is a small mosque you can step into to take pictures and whatnot. You are required to take off your shoes before entering. There was an older guy and a younger child hanging around that area and said they'll watch over our shoes for 50 Rupees and make sure they're not stolen. We paid the 50 Rupees, because I know if we didn't, then THEY would be the ones stealing our shoes!

After Agra Fort, our driver picked us up and took us back to the hotel so we could pack up our stuff and checkout. From there, we drove to New Delhi. The traffic in New Delhi really messed up our timing. We didn't get to our hotel until around 3:30pm. We were going to go to the Lotus Temple, but it would been closed by the time we made it. Instead, we went to a place called Jantar Mantar. It was filled with what looked like ancient astronomy architectures. It was pretty awesome and I got a few pictures with dumb poses there. I forgot to point out the smog in New Delhi! Holy crap is it bad! At first, I thought it was fog. But usually with fog, there is a bit of humidity in the air. I also realized it was pollution smog when my nostrils started to burn a bit and I began to have some coughs.

After Jantar Mantar, our driver took us to the Indian equivalent of the United State's Capitol Hill. That includes the Parliament House, the Rajpat, and the President's house - the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It was a really neat area. It was the only place so far in this trip where I felt like I could have maybe been back in the US - aside from all the smog. There was also a lawn/mall area around that area where military parades take place. There were people hanging out on the mall riding minibikes, flying kites, socializing, you name it. I also bought some chai off a street vendor. It was spicy and scolding hot, but I enjoyed it. I knew it was safe because it was boiled. There were also so many cute women in the area! My eyes couldn't stop moving! Anyway - before I get too excited over here - further down from the lawn/mall area is India Gate. It's a war memorial commemorating Indian soldiers who have died in war since World War I, I think. The names of over 13,000 servicemen are inscribed on the memorial. There is also an eternal flame and an upright rifle with a helmet on it that serves as India's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

After that, we went to a Sikh temple. I think it was called Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. It was a really grand temple. We had to go in barefoot. And before we could go in, we had to put on a scarf to cover our hair and learn a little bit about the Sikh religion. I guess Sikh's see everyone as an equal and do not discriminate. We were also told that they are one of the most peaceful religions and they seek to remove darkness and replace it with light. That's kind of humorous because, after we left the learning session, Jay was telling me how Sikh's make up a large amount of the Indian military and are generally more aggressive people. It kind of contradicted what we were just told. I'll believe what Jay says. Before we actually entered the temple, we had to wash our hands and clean our feet. You are supposed to participate in the routines while going through the temple. Jay and his family did, but I didn't. I'm not exactly the most religious, but I'm pretty sure it goes against my religion. I just walked through and observed everything and nobody bothered me about it.

That was all we covered today. There was much more on the itinerary, but there just wasn't any time. And we have to catch a flight at 10:30am tomorrow morning to Mumbai. Overall, I enjoyed New Delhi, aside from the smog. It seems much more modern than Chennai and Agra - at least the parts I saw.

So on the Tinder front. That girl I've been talking to is going to meet up with me when I get back to Chennai on Wednesday. We are going to meet around 8pm at a place called Amethyst Cafe in Royapettah. Jay is definitely going to come with me, just to be safe. That girl and I became Facebook friends, and she looks legit, so I'm not as worried. She appears to be super outgoing. But I still wonder why she agreed to meet me knowing that I'm only visiting temporarily and am leaving the country to return home the very next day. I mean, I know my motivations and what I want (to find an Indian woman whom I eventually marry someday). But I think finding someone also on that wavelength is such a shot in the dark. I have no expectations, and we'll see what happens.

Goodbye, Chennai. Hello, Agra!

gpcuriel — Fri, 4 Nov 2016 05:59:00 GMT

November 3, 2016

It's been a few days since I've written. I have been out late and was too distracted to keep up. To summarize the past few days, I mostly explored the other portions of Chennai that I hadn't gotten around to yet. Those areas are Elliot's beach and surrounding area and a zone called T Nagar. T Nagar is an absolute madhouse. I filmed myself trying to cross the street there. It took me over 3 minutes and I almost got hit by two buses, I think. Jay spent more time with me so I was more comfortable just walking around. The US Embassy also issued a security warning for all US citizens in India warning of a possible ISIS attack on places frequented by Westerners. That news was troubling. Very troubling. I kind of avoided going out alone in certain places after that. I've also kind/maybe/sorta got used to moving around in Chennai. I still don't like it and and I still think it's chaotic, but I'm more comfortable doing so.

I had to wake up at 4am on November 3rd so I could checkout of my hotel and catch a 6:25am flight to Delhi. The hotel front desk and Jay both said getting there an hour early is fine. In the US, it's at least two hours early. I went with my gut and got there an hour and a half early. Jay and his family got there about a half hour after I did. Needless to say, we should have gotten there much earlier... we were the last ones to bored the plane and it was waiting for us. Airports in India operate a bit different than in the US. Firstly, you can only get into the airport if you have ID and a ticket. So you need your ticket printed out beforehand. Also, your checked luggage is scanned right in front of you and then taped up so it can't open. I actually like that concept. Security is also so much slower than I've ever experienced in the US. It also doesn't help that absolutely no one just waits their damn turn there. People are always pushing and cutting. I believe you'd get your ass kicked in the US doing something like that.

We got to Delhi at around 9:30am and drove to Agra. We have a driver to drive us around, and the traffic in Delhi is insane. And so is the pollution! Getting through Delhi took forever, but we finally did and mad it onto a highway system that someone resembled what we have in the US. I think it took maybe 3.5 hours to get to Agra and then we checked into our hotel. I have basically no phone service in Agra, and I'm not sure why. After checking into the hotel and relaxing for a bit, we went to the Taj Mahal. Before we went, I found out that our driver had taken it upon himself to call a friend and ask him to be our guide... at the low, low cost of 5000 Rupees(~75 USD). Apparently, once the driver saw an American was in the group, he saw it as a money-making opportunity. I was warned this would happen a lot, and it has. Jay ultimately had the driver call that "guide" friend and tell him not to come because we do not want a guide. For foreigners to get in to the Taj Mahal, it costs 1000 Rupees (~15 USD)! That is absurd. Especially since it costs only 30 Rupees (.45 USD) for Indians to get in. The entrance to the Taj Mahal is about 500 meters away from the ticket booth. We started walking, and were immediately approached by seemingly everyone trying to sell us a guide. Once we were walking for a bit we saw a horse buggy and thought it would be a good idea to take the horse buggy to the entrance. It was kind of fun, I have to admit, but the poor horse looked malnourished. Once we got to the entrance, we had to go through strict security. Maybe it's normal, or maybe it's because of the possible terrorist attack, who knows. It kind of made me feel at ease.

Once we got in, there was a bit of a walk to get to the garden of the Taj Mahal. Once we stepped through the gate, you could see the Taj for all its magnificence. I heard it glows white when it's hit by the sun, and it really does. It's a bit of a hike through the garden before you actually get to the Taj. And along the way, everyone is stopping to take their pictures. I am guilty of this, too. I don't know if you've ever played those Pokemon games for Gameboy where you can't walk through grass without encountering some annoying and worthless Pokemon, but that's how I felt whenever I took a step through the garden. You will constantly be held up by people taking their million pictures with their countless poses. I don't really blame them, but just get the hell out of my way! ...so I can stop and take pictures as well! It was hard to get good pictures with the Taj in the background. The sun was too bright and I had a rough time keeping my eyes open or non-squinted. Plus, I think my camera was broken... it was making me look ugly. Haha. So after going through the garden and taking lots of pictures and checking out all the gorgeous Indian women, I finally made it to the Taj. You either have to take off your shoes and socks, or buy shoe coverings for 10 Rupees. I've seen enough Slumdog Millionaire not to trust taking off my shoes, so I bought shoe coverings for 10 Rupees. The line to get to the actual line is insane. This is where my American privilege came in. I was able to get expedited past the pre-line and go straight to the line because I'm American! The actual line was still pretty long though. I'm not really sure how long we waited, but it was a good chance to get some nice pictures of the Taj up-close.

I can't count the number of people (usually Indians) who just cut in the line. I was getting pretty worked up about it, and Jay had to remind me that this isn't my home territory and things operate differently here. Once you finally make it into the Taj after waiting in line for so long, you can't even really enjoy it. It's kept super dark and you are literally pushed through it. I definitely lost my cool inside there. I absolutely snapped at a few people. At one point, while going through a corridor, I literally could not move forward any further because I was stuck behind other people, but this jackass Indian guy behind me still kept pushing me. I finally lost it and said something to the tone of, "If I could fucking move forward, I would. So stop fucking pushing me. Otherwise I will get fucking angry, and bad things happen when I get angry." It seemed to work, because the one guy stopped. But then a few minutes later, I was being pushed by yet another Indian guy. I had to tell him that he'd get his ass kicked doing that from where I'm from. I don't think he understood me though, so I said in a kind, but angry way, "Please. Don't push me.". Anyway, now that I got my blood boiling again, it was really difficult to enjoy and appreciate the inside of the Taj. I didn't get a single picture from inside and feel like I saw nothing in there. Once we exited, I took a walk around to get a few more pictures. By this time, the mosquitoes were horrible. I'm worried I could get malaria from all the bites I had. I had to leave my bug spray in my backpack, which was left back with the driver, because you can't bring in big packs to the Taj.

Once we exited the Taj, we stopped at some nearby shops for souvenirs. I got to try out my bargaining skills. I found a really nice small sculpture of the Taj that was pretty detailed. The guy wanted nearly 2000 Rupees (~30 USD) for it, and after thinking about it for a while I told him I'd give him 25 USD (~1667 Rupees) for it. He accepted and I was proud for getting such a deal. By now, you're probably realizing I did not actually get a deal. Not a minute later he asked if I wanted to buy another, to perhaps give to my girlfriend or wife (neither of which I have, obviously). I told him the max I'd pay is 1000 Rupees (~15 USD). He said deal. I was mad at myself for that point because I just waaaay overpaid on the first one. I changed my mind and didn't buy the second one. But later on, Jay's dad bought it for me (at the 1000 Rupee price I negotiated!) as a gift from his family. He told me to give the one I bought to the woman I marry. Haha, we'll see if I ever find someone.

In other news, remember how I said I was on Tinder in India? I still suck and have only one match (I guess that means I'm ugly), but I've been chatting with that one match. She's in Chennai and I asked to meet up with her for coffee or chai when I get back on Wednesday, November 9th. I asked her that completely expecting her to say "no", but she said "yes". Needless to say, I was pretty excited. But my friends back home and my brother are telling me not to go because I can't really be sure this isn't a scam or a possible robbery. Now I'm full of doubts. Perhaps I can have Jay and a friend or two of his come and sit at an adjacent table. I already picked the place when I asked her and she said that sounded good. But who knows, though. I'll figure it out.

In other, other news, my hotel in Agra has a potty shower. In case you aren't aware, toilet paper is not typically used in India. Instead, they typically have what looks like a small nozzle and they spray and clean with their left hand. My hotel in Chennai had toilet paper. The one in Agra does not. This did not go over well...

Finally, some calm

gpcuriel — Tue, 1 Nov 2016 07:03:00 GMT

Monday, October 31, 2016

It's Halloween and I didn't even realize it until I just wrote the date. I was awoken very early in the morning to stomach pains. I've been very careful, so I'm not sure what could have caused me to get sick. I started taking some medicine right away and haven't really felt sick after the initial few hours. I went back to sleep for a long time after that, so maybe it helped.

After the anxiety and experiences of the first few days, I thought I would take it easy today. I'm still not used to the environment and chaos here. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it. Life back in the US is so calm and easy compared to India. I'm learning to really be thankful and appreciative of what I have back home. After sleeping in extra, I got ready and took an Uber to Phoenix Market City. It's a really huge and modern mall. I shopped there for nearly three hours. I bought a gift for my nephew, an Indian cricket jersey, and a couple Indian-made button-up shirts. I was surprised to see a Dunkin Donuts in the mall. I went in there to wait in line, and then I realized we have those back home and there probably isn't any difference between them. After I walked away, it occurred to me that there probably is a bit of a selection and flavor difference. Oh well. There were lots and lots of cute women at the mall. I didn't exactly try the hardest, but I said hi to a few and didn't get much of a response in return. I wonder if it's a communication barrier, or if I'm really just that bad with women?

After the mall, I met up with Jay and we went to Kapaleeshwarar Temple. You are not allowed to wear shoes in temples, so I had to go in barefoot. I've been wearing shoes my entire life and my feet were feeling every spec of dust and dirt I walked on. You also can't take pictures of the Hindu gods, I guess. So I just followed Jay's direction. I basically followed him around that temple like a lost dog. As part of his prayers there, he would walk in a circle around all the monuments to each god. It took me a while to figure out he was doing that. I really was just following him like a lost dog. He would explain a bit about each god or saint as he walked a circle around their monument. It was a lot of info and I don't remember much of it.

After the temple, we went to a mall called Citi Centre. I realized I was mostly out of cash, so I exchanged some USD for INR (Indian Rupee) at a money exchange there. I bought some cookies, and for some reason the minimum you had to buy was 20 cookies. Maybe I was scammed, who knows, but Jay didn't say anything. I was trying to play cute with the woman at the cookie stand, but she was resilient to my charm. I'm beginning to see a pattern here with talking to women... Anyway, we met up with one of Jay's friends whom he hadn't seen in over 3 years. Jay's friend, whose name I won't attempt to spell, was fascinated with my interest in Indian women. We went to the rooftop of the mall and "enjoyed" the cookies. I say "enjoyed" because the few cookies I had were like eating rocks. 240 Rupees down the drain. We stayed up there and chatted for a while then headed to that guy's house. He owned a few cows and had them outside the stairs to the entrance of his house. The guy had a wife and an eight-month-old daughter. What really surprised me the most about this guy's house was that it was barely big enough to fit a bed. Maybe I just don't understand how houses work in India, and there was more to it somewhere.

We later went to the home of another of Jay's friends. His house was pretty small, too. It was bigger than the other friend's, but still so compact. My apartment back in Indianapolis may seem like a mansion compared to these homes. I wonder if most of Chennai or India is like that?

That is pretty much it. Nothing too exciting today. Kind of a relief from the past few days. Oh, I did install and set up Tinder to try meeting women here! I haven't had much luck. Only one match so far, unfortunately. However, I have a feeling lots of these profiles are fake because I keep seeing lots and lot of repeats.

Rolling Solo

gpcuriel — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 06:41:00 GMT

Sunday, October 30, 2016

My second full day, and what a day it was. It was to be my first day alone, and the way it started should have been a sign to how the day was going to go. So the previous day (Saturday), housekeeping at my hotel had left me three Diwali treats. I didn't eat them that day and they sat over night. I went to eat them in the morning and something did not taste right. I'm not sure how they were supposed to taste, but I didn't like any of them. I thought it would be rude to throw them in the trash in case house keeping noticed, so I thought it would be a great idea to flush them down the toilet. The two smaller treats flushed no problem. The third one was... problematic. It seems the third one was too big to be flushed down the toilet. It just wouldn't go down, no matter how many times I flushed. I was at an impasse because I did not want to call room service about this, and I was not about to stick my hands in the toilet. Then after about 15 minutes of pondering my ordeal and thinking of how I was going to explain this to room service, I remembered I had brought some plastic spoons with me! Why? I have no idea, but I am sure glad I did. So I get out one of these plastic spoons and scoop this Diwali treat partially out of the toilet - enough to where I can start cutting it into pieces with the spoon. Thankfully, the toilet was not very deep and my hand did not touch the water at all. I ended up cutting the treat into three or four pieces to get it to flush. My day was off to a great start.

I wore my passport holder under my shirt today. I feel really stupid wearing it. And it sticks out through my shirt, so it's obvious I'm wearing something. It also makes me look like I have a belly. After getting ready, I decided to call an Uber, instead of taking a cab this time, and head out to San Thome Cathedral. Even with Google Maps, my driver got lost! What should have been a 4.3 kilometer (2.67 miles) drive, ended up being just over a 7 kilometer (4.36 miles) drive! To top it off, he dropped me off in the wrong place. He only spoke a few phrases in English. He must have said, "Uber good, no cash" five or six times. When I would say something, he would just smile and nod and say, "yes". So after being dropped in the wrong place, maybe a block or two away from where I needed to be, I got to play frogger by crossing the streets. I mentioned previously how traffic does not stop, and it really doesn't. I probably waited for five minutes before I saw what I felt was a comfortable gap between cars and motorcycles for me to cross. I thought I was going to have a panic attack because my heart was beating so fast. I finally make it to this Cathedral and it is nothing like what I expected. I thought it would be a bit secluded from traffic and be somewhat quiet. But nope, it wasn't at all. I was a bit timid to go in the Cathedral at first. Especially since I thought I would have to take off my shoes. I walked around it a few times before I stopped a younger Indian couple and asked them if I have to take off my shoes. They told me only in certain places. So I finally go in and just sit there and pray and get lost in my thoughts for a while. When I was ready to go, I saw another younger Indian couple and tried to talk to them. I must have freaked them out because they looked super scared. It freaked me out that I freaked them out. I think I approached too fast because I was nervous. Who knows. I Just won't do that again. After some small talk, I tried asking them some places they recommend checking out (I was just trying to get a conversation going), and they said "no, we have plans". I think they thought I was asking them to come with me?

I didn't have cell service at the Cathedral so I couldn't request an Uber. I hailed an auto and took it to Marina Beach. I think the fare was around 70 Rupees, and I only had a 100 Rupee bill readily available. I would have had to dig deep in my pockets and count a lot of bills to get exact cash. I asked him if he had change for the 100 and he told me "no change". I ended up just giving him the 100. The extra 30 Rupees comes out to like 45 cents, and just wasn't worth my time to argue with him. Once I got to Marina Beach, it felt like all eyes were on me. I was getting a lot of looks and they weren't friendly looks. The bright side is that even the women were looking at me. The darker side of that bright side is that they seemed to be taken. The way the guys looked at me seems to be very aggressive. Even when I smiled and said hi to them, they didn't reciprocate. The women usually did reciprocate. I just walked the entire length of the beach and it's a super long beach. One of the world's largest, I think. I felt like I was walking the gallows or something with the looks I was getting. A couple people came up to me on my walk. Two young boys came and asked where I was from and said they were collecting foreign coins and asked if I had any to give them. I didn't, but they were probably lying anyway. Some homeless people came up to me as well and they weren't speaking in English. I would just say "no" and keep walking. I eventually found a bit of a secluded bench area near a police watch station. I sat there for a while and just took in all the sights. I felt I would be left alone if I sat near the police, and I was. The beach is pretty chaotic. It also kind of smelled like human waste.

After the beach, I requested an Uber and headed to Fort St George. I was again dropped in a bit of a wrong place, but I lucked out this time. It was kind of secluded and there was a white couple who looked lost and were standing on the sidewalk near where I was dropped off. I asked if they spoke English and it turns out they were from England. I can't remember the city they were from, but their names were Alex and Caroline. They didn't know where the entrance to the fort was either. There was what looked like a military guard post about a hundred feet away, so I approached the post very cautiously and asked where the entrance to the fort was. They told me the fort was off limits but I can go the museum down the road. I walked to the museum with the English couple and got to know them a bit. They were doing a tour of south India. Once we got to the museum, I was in heaven. There must have been nearly 20 women police officers guarding the entrance! All were so gorgeous! Maybe it's because my eyes were wide open, but they were all friendly and smiley with me. I should have talked to them and maybe gotten a picture with them, but I didn't. I still had to go through security and pay 200 Rupees to enter. I guess my privilege had run out. The fort was actually kind of boring and small, but I still took the time to read everything there.

After leaving the fort, I again played frogger to cross the street to what looked like a park. There was a fountain and a walking path. It looked tranquil. Once I crossed the street and got to the fountain, I decided to take a picture of it. As I'm taking a picture, I just happened to turn around and there was a guy standing directly behind me, despite there being lots of open space. My adrenaline starts pumping and I'm ready to defend myself if needed. Nothing happened, but I think the guy was trying to open my backpack. I told him to watch it and then I kept walking. I went for a walk on the walking paths and came across more women police officers. Again, they were all friendly and smiley with me. And again, I didn't really talk to them. I also saw a younger couple staring at me, but not aggressively. It seemed to be more out of curiosity. I think they had never seen a white person before. I said hi to them and they said hi back. I probably should have tried talking to them, but I didn't want to have another bad encounter. By this time, it's already after 5pm and not long until it gets dark outside. I notice my cell phone battery has about 8 percent left because I've been without service a lot of the day. So I'm walking around trying to find service and I think I stumbled into the edge of a slum. Right away everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. There were some kids lighting off fireworks and shooting them at each other, too. I'm talking the stuff that goes boom. Some kids approached me, but none were aggressive. I saw a group of guys heading my way and they looked aggressive. So I turned around and started walking the way I came. I ended up walking basically back to the fort before I finally found cell service. I requested an Uber, but I kept losing cell service. I had no idea where he was and I started to worry. Finally I saw a car pulled over on the other side of the street. He looked at me and probably assumed I was the one he as looking for. He rolled down his window and put out his index finger, which I understood to mean "wait one minute". He was kind enough to pull a U-turn so I wouldn't have to cross the street through all that traffic. He spoke English somewhat well - enough to converse a bit. I decided to go back to my hotel before it got dark and before my phone died. My phone was at 1 percent by the time I reached the hotel! My senses were completely overwhelmed today and I passed out for a few hours within a few minutes of getting back.

My first 24 hours in India

gpcuriel — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 05:45:00 GMT

I have now been in India just over 24 hours. I landed in Chennai at around 8pm India time on October 28, 2016. Clearing customs and entering the country was super simple and hassle-free. Security just let me on through without questioning me or checking me. My friend told me it's because I have white skin and I am American.

My hotel had send a driver to pick me up from the airport. The drive to the hotel gave me a welcome I never expected. Firstly, the roads here are chaotic. It doesn't appear anyone follows any rules or organization. Cars will drive the wrong way down the street, everyone beeps their horns at one another, people will walk right through traffic while traffic weaves around them, etc. But I digress. The main thing I wanted to point out is that my driver made a personal stop to "see his brother" in what seemed like a shady area. Internally, I was experiencing a major freak out. He just pulled into some alley on the side of the road and said he needs to go see his brother and that he will be right back. I was pretty sure I was about to be mugged and/or killed. I was obviously overreacting, though. Once I got to my hotel, I spent a long time trying to get my cell phone service to work. I use Google's Project Fi, which supposedly has coverage here. I ended up having to manually pick a network to connect to, which is Airtel India. Cell service comes and goes...

The next day, Saturday, October 29, 2016, was my first complete day in India. I slept in, and called my friend Jay after I woke up and ate breakfast. I took a cab to his place, which was only about 1.5 miles away, and it ended up costing me 1800 Rupees! That is about 27 USD... for a 1.5 mile cab ride. I was clearly scammed. It should have cost me maybe 200 or 300 Rupees. That wasn't even the worst part. The cab driver asked me if the address I was going to is an Indian family's home. I told him it was and he asked if I had a gift for them for Diwali. I did not have a gift and he told me in Indian culture it would be rude to show up to an Indian family's home on Diwali without a gift. So, without asking me, he pulled up into a shop somewhere. Looking back, it seems he had this planned. So he pulled into this shop and all of a sudden he speaks terrible English and insists I go in and have a look and reminds me that it would be rude to show up at my friend's home without a gift. The owner of the shop shows me some hand-crafted items and points out one in the shape of an elephant and tells me it represents some Indian god who brings happiness and good fortune, or something. Not really sure what he was saying because I couldn't really understand him. So I buy this hand-crafted elephant just so I can get out of there. He asks for 2400 Rupees. I've never had to negotiate on a price before, and I failed miserably. I told him 1000 Rupees and he told me no and that this was crafted completely by hand and it took someone weeks to make, and insisted it was worth 2400 Rupees. I gave in and just payed the 2400 Rupees. That's about 36 USD and not worth my time.

I finally make it to Jay's and I couldn't seem to shake this cab driver. Jay came down and got him to leave somehow. Jay took me into meet his mom, dad, and sister. All were super nice and welcoming, but I didn't know how to act or what to say. I am a super awkward person, and especially so when I am uncomfortable, and I am uncomfortable around new people. So you can only imagine how it went. Jay's mom gave me some Indian food and I couldn't refuse it. So I ate it and it was pretty good. I think it was a sweet. Tasted like a donut coated with some sugary syrup. Jay got ready and called an auto (an auto rickshaw), and we went to a mall called Express Avenue. It was surprisingly modern and Western. I was hoping to get attention and looks from all the Indian women, but none seemed to give me any! The guys did, unfortunately. The guys would stare me down and I would just stare back and eventually say something like, "Hey, how's it going?" and they would look away. Guys giving me attention came in handy for me when we would go into a store and I did not have to get checked by security or hand them my bags to hold on to. Jay had to get checked and hand over his bags. The security guards would just let me through, no problem. Jay told me it's because my skin is white and I am American.

After the mall, we stopped at a medical store so I could buy water before going back to Jay's. When I was at the cashier buying my water, I was doing my best not to make things awkward because I thought the cashier was cute. So I ended up knocking over my water on her out of nervousness. No big deal, right? At Jay's, I met 8 of his cousins who were in town for Diwali and we went to their roof to light off fireworks. I mostly just watched and tried not to get bit by any mosquitoes. I don't want to get malaria! I got an auto to take me back to my hotel at the end of the night. There's no way in hell I'm paying 1800 Rupees for another cab ride!