It’s a takeover! The
place is full of Great White Explorers with the emphasis on the Great. Yesterday I met one while walking up one of
the main streets. Its a steep uphill, with shops, tea stalls, clutter,
stuff spilling out onto the street, people sitting, dogs, cows, people selling
veg and monkeys stealing veg – the road is mostly just about wide enough for a
car and there is a constant stream of people walking up and down, cars,
motorbikes – you get the drift. Pavements
are unheard of. There I was quietly
walking up, keeping in to the side and came face to face with a very large man bearing
down towards me. Because of the traffic there
wasn’t space to pass so I waited, tucked into the nearest shop front. If he had taken the tiniest step to one side
he would have easily passed me (I really don’t take up much space). But no. He
loomed over me, glared down at me and said loudly “we always pass on the left here”. Which meant I had to step right across him,
into the road so he could walk where he wanted. Today there he was again taking up an
inordinate amount of space on a corner so I walked round him, without looking up at him, saying, clearly, “bully".
I am pleased to report he was not British.
I have stopped going into cafes, eating in the Indian Dhabas
where you get excellent food for around 50p a go, so have incidentally slashed
my food budget. Unfortunately some of this
influx of people also find their way to these places. Today I shared a table with an earnest
self-developer reading a tome on Buddhist philosophy while I watched fascinated
as a young Indian boy cooked me the most delicious deep fried chapatti stuffed
with cheese and tomato. He had no work surface,
one gas ring and a “kitchen” about the size of, say, a small wardrobe. I have seen him feed 10 of us, quickly, efficiently
and cheerfully.
(and yes, I know I’m a tourist too)
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