The world tour continues, and I couldn't be happier. I'm working harder than
ever and getting to see more than I ever expected. The day started early
with a lot e-mails, followed by a great appointment with an almost-certain
applicant, and then it was time for a tour. And what a tour it was!
Ramsingh was my guide. He's probably about my age. He's Hindu and has a
daughter that is 11 months old.
hotel, we passed by the Mumbai University Building, Victoria Train Terminal
(Wow!), and across Marine Drive (amazing view!). We stopped a Jain Temple,
then the Hanging Garden, and Dhobu Ghat (an open laundry - another wow) and
then to Gandhi's home. On the way back, we even saw a bride on a horse ready
to ride into her wedding. (That's my kind of wedding!) That was all good and interesting, but talking to Ramsingh was the best.
He's my favorite tour guide. Ever. You see, Ramsingh likes things to be proper. And over the course of 2-1/2
hours, he explained to me what is proper and what is not. For example, he explained to me that traditional Indian taxis are dirty. The
drivers do not take a bath. The inside of the car is dirty. And they do not
wash the outside properly. The drivers eat and spit too much. Too much
spitting, Ramsingh said. Not proper, you see. McDonald's also isn't proper. Then he explained to me about cheater people. (This as a lady and her baby
were tapping on the window asking me for money. The light was red for about
five minutes. I swear. She tapped and tapped and stuck her face to the
glass.) Ramsingh said she is a cheater people. He said every year she "make one
children." A professional cheater. Too lazy to work. And it is not proper to
ask people for money in this way. Then Ramsingh tried to teach me how to tell if a person in Punjabi.
Apparently the women wear a certain kind of bracelet and clothing and the
men are heavier and sometimes wear a turban. I still don't understand. But
it became a game for us. And a fun one. "Ramsingh, is that a Punjabi?" I asked. "No sir, that is not Punjabi." And he laughed. "Explain it again?" And he laughed. "Mr. Josh, I just know Punjabi." Then the second game we played was "Proper Sari." (The sari is the
traditional Indian dress for women.) Ramsingh gets very upset when women don't wear proper sari. He said they
don't know how to wrap it on their body. It is not proper. It is wrong.
Basically, Ramsingh likes a well dressed lady. It took me a while, but I was
better at this game. "Ramsingh! That's a proper sari?" He laughed. "Yes, Mr. Josh. You know proper sari." Ramsingh is taking me to the airport in the morning.
What will I learn then?