Cricket and Midgets

October 25
India Day 3

On the third day of India there were no field trips scheduled. Many people were on multiple day trips to the Taj Mahal and elsewhere so last night while I was hanging with some friends the ship seemed really empty. Four of us decided to go to the Citi Center mall tomorrow and try and see a movie or something. The next day after lunch we started walking from the port in the general direction of the Citi Center (I was really just tagging along so I didn’t know exactly what we were doing). Originally we were going to catch a taxi (not a rickshaw because there were four of us) but we ended up walking further than we intended. From the entrance to the port we were followed by 2 rickshaws. We walked outside the port area and along a park (still being followed by the rickshaws). We decided to walk through the park to try and lose them; however they just parked their rickshaws and followed on foot. In the park we saw some female guards taking a break under a tree. I think someone said 5% of the police force is female (we saw quite a few all over the city). Also while we were walking out of the park we came across a small pickup cricket game that some kids were playing.
We continued walking (with the rickshaws in hot pursuit) on the sidewalk where there were immense amounts of refuse and animal waste as well as what appeared to be human waste. We again thought we’d be clever by crossing the street so that the only way for them to get to us is by going against traffic. On the other side there was a large monument that we stopped to look at. When we took a picture of us a guard told us we weren’t allowed to and then welcomed us to the country. We continued walking along the street. Right as we were feeling confident that we lost the rickshaws, we saw a rickshaw a little ways up parked against traffic with the driver waiting for us. Our tactic thus far was to just ignore them and walk past. One thing we noticed while walking was the intense smell. It was probably one of the worst smells ever and when we crossed a bridge over water the smell intensified. The water looked absolutely dismal and there were all sorts of ungodly things floating in it and on its banks. On the other side of the street was the beach. We also passed a university whose buildings dated back to Britain’s occupation of India. We turned down a street we thought might take us closer to city center. We passed a gate where we saw a large field where an official game of cricket was being played (I don’t know if I said it in an earlier post, but cricket is absolutely huge here). We asked the guard if we could go in and watch the game and he said of course. We watched for a little bit and I realized that it might be more boring than baseball. While watching, the rickshaw drivers who were still following us came in and hassled us for a ride. They even showed us their credentials from past SAS students. We told them for the umpteenth time that we did not need a ride and surprisingly they listened. Up to the cricket field, we had already walked about 3-4 miles that day which meant they followed us that whole distance, starting back at the port entrance. Right next to the field was a train station where we saw 1 or 2 trains pass. We left after a short while and continued down the street where the street became lined with stores and a few stalls. We walked down here and saw a good glimpse of an average, non-residental, non-developed street. I really enjoyed just strolling down the street and looking at the various stores and observing the locals. When we reached the end of the street after about 45 mins. we turned and found a movie theater. We went inside where it was a little cooler and bought a soda. One thing I think I failed to mention was how hot it is here in India. They have an expression that the weather in India goes Hot, Hotter, Hottest. At no point (even at night) was it cool or cold. Whenever I would be outside for a field trip or just walking around, the weather was always insanely hot and I would be sweating like crazy. We left the theater (we didn’t see a movie) and decided to take a rickshaw the rest of the way (about 3 minutes) to Citi Center mall. When we got there we walked through all the levels and checked out most of the stores. When I was there with Aron the night before, we were very rushed and it was awkward because the 3 of them would just follow me and ask me if there was something I was looking for specifically (like I said, they didn’t know what browsing was). So we took our time and went through the various stores including one called Landmark which was like a mini Target. We went to the top floor and 2 of us had KFC outside of an Indian Chuck E. Cheese-type place with a little person dressed w/ a Donald Duck mask and a clown costume (extremely creepy).
After this the 4 of us caught a 2-passenger rickshaw back to the ship where we had dinner. Back in South Africa, my roommate bought a board game he’d played before called “Settlers of Catan”. We’ve been playing it almost every other day and that night we played in the Piano Lounge (just a normal lounge). The next day I was scheduled for a trip titled rural visit and cultural center. Almost all of my India posts are delayed by 2 or 3 days because when I came back to the ship in India, I’d be exhausted and writing 3 pages worth of blog was not a priority at the time. After I post this one, I’m going to start typing the next one (I say this like it’s a chore but it’s only because I’ve been sick). I’m writing this the second day after India and there’s a nasty cold going around which I’ve caught so I’m trying to lose it before Vietnam. Anyway, see you next post.