the seaface
| January 12, 2008 | Posted by caroline under humour, on identity, on indian roots, storytelling, travels, Uncategorized |
so it’s saturday…story time..
some of the things i’ve been doing here?
well..i’ve gone to town a few times on my own, by train..
i’ve gone to a few of the clubs here in bandra, with my cousin and some random friends through the fam..
done a lot of eating..hit up the best restaurants, apparently? everything tastes good to me, here
done a shitload of shopping..(NO MORRRRRRE SHOPPPPPPPING!!!!)
walked A LOT through the bandra west area..and taken lots of rickshaws..
i’ve hung out at the worli seaface, carter road, and chilled on the queen’s neckline, just about where her necklace hits the nape…
taken a bunch of drives through the night, past the gateway (which is under construction), malabar hill “the most poshy poshy” hood in mumbai..st michael’s church..
visited a lot of bathrooms, including those on the way to goa..had a bit of a shocking run in with a man in a bathroom on the way to goa..but ask me about that in private..
i’ve been tempted to flirt with the hijras..really really tempted..but i’m afraid they’ll punk me…some of them are SO FREAKIN PRETTY…and hot….slim arms (something i’m not blessed with), shapely or svelte in figure, naughty smiles, perfect makeup…dressed in fashionable salwar kamis or saris..devilish, carved eye brows…i’m attracted…so delicate, and lovely….
btw, hijras..for those who don’t know..are the eunuchs..’the third sex’..either with ambiguous genitalia, male genitalia, or sometimes castrated..they take on the female gender role and presentation, though..sigh..
after my first run in with the hijras, i raced home and looked them up online, a little thirsty for stories from others on their run-ins…one man tells a journalist of how he was put into some cult-like foresty environment,drugged, and taken advantage of…oooooh…umm creepy, but who knows if it’s true..
the first run in was on the train going to town..
the hijras were on the train to town asking for money..they were clapping in front of this one girl’s face, trying to get her attention and asking for money..she wouldn’t give them money..and then they pushed her head and she pushed their hands away..and they kept clapping..i was a little appalled, wondering what else they would do besides push her head..they slapped her, next!!
sitting across from her, i was like, ahhhhhhh pleeeease don’t come to me!! (saying this to myself, in my head)..i quickly concocted a plan..
in toronto, i sometimes make ugly faces on the late trains so people don’t pay attention to me..to the point that i am so repulsive that they can’t look at me..these are very natural ugly faces, mind you..
so in this case, i just looked back in a daze when they approached me..i was kinda scared..could they tell?….it’s very easy to give yourself a blank and vapid look..empty the eyes and stare back..they asked, and clapped..and i just stared back…little did they know, i was sorta shivering..a catch in my lungs..they left me alone;)
the other night, i was at one of the seafaces..there are so many here, i love it..a friday night can just be spent walking beside the water:)…and that’s enough..anyway these two lovely lasses came up to us..white salwars..and they kept giggling with each other…flirting with each other? i wanted to get in on it..they were holding hands, calling my friend salman khan and me aishwarya haha trying to charm their way into our pockets..i wanted to give them 100rps right there and then! but no, can’t..i wish they’d stayed a little longer..
sigh..
anyway yeah apparently the hijras are invited to weddings cause apparently they’re good luck..or it’s just bad luck to mess with them..they can curse you..sometimes they come uninvited and ask for money..and you have to give it out of fear of them cursing you..but there are generally no negative stories regarding them..
i’ve also been to some of the clubs and little restaurants here..there are definitely some cute places here…i wouldn’t mind living in mumbai, so long as it’s not out of a suitcase. hmmmmmm…and don’t get me started on how hot some of the guys are..! i still haven’t decided whether i think the indian girls are more attractive here or in canada..the hijras here are definitely pretty;)
