Free Hugs & CrazyTrain

We went to a couchsurf meet up in Bandra where we held up signs for free hugs in a very bustling part of the promenade. It's exactly what it sounds like (and if you want to laugh and call us hippies... well, yeah okay, it's true). There were about 10-15 Couchsurfer's (including Aparna, our host, who organized the event), 1 woman from Zurich, and us. We hugged men, women, children, and dogs! My favorite were these tiny boys who just kept running up to us, hugging us, laughing, and pushing their friends up to us. There was also a young woman who pushed her mother towards me, this beautiful older woman dressed in an incredible white sari, and she hugged me and we posed for a picture for her daughter. A lot of people just smiled and walked by, a few avoided all eye contact and sped past, but most people were really happy and gave us hugs! Reminded me of the free flower handout in Union Square earlier this month. Why not give out some old fashionedlove and kindness in the city?

Also rode the train for the first time today. I was the only woman in the car (as most, or possibly all women ride the female cart). It was incredibly crowded, and kind of surreal. Even worse than NJ transit or the 6 train at Rush hour. But at Rs. 6 for the hour long trip from Bandra to Churchgate (that's with an exchange rate of about Rs. 44 to US$1), it's okay I suppose.

Funny thing about chain stores... There's a Gold's Gym, lots of McDonalds, KFC, & TCBY in Mumbai... Apparently people go to the Gold's Gym to get "spotted" by talent scouts as that is where all of the Bollywood stars go. I'm ready to get out of Mumbai. Next up is a farm in Nasik, a town that's about 4 hours north of here.

Finally: The world is so small I can't stand it. My wonderful father is in China right now for a three week trip with our friend Doug. Before leaving I asked him to buy a backpacker a drink or some dinner sometime during his vacation. He didn't think he'd find many backpackers, but he just wrote me to tell me he did meet one on the Great Wall, and ended up buying him a beer. Thing is, the backpacker he bought a drink for is Gil Wasserman from Vassar who is studying abroad in Beijing right now. Are you kidding me?! Small, small world.