THE Lowly Peon

A Walk in Vadodara 
01 December 2009, 12:13pm

I'm tired. haven't slept in almost 36 hours. but my belly is satisfied, and I don't want to go to sleep just yet. so I decided to wander.

well. I went out for a meager half an hour. and I'm a bit depressed about the results. I was excited. I told myself to forget how tired I am, got all dressed up (not fancy — I already stand out too much) and was excited to feel this small part of India. the sun was going down, and I wasn't in the mood to get lost or into trouble, so I decided to stay on the road my hotel is on. head east, toward the rising full moon, maybe down some side roads, and then cut back when I had had enough. 

it didn't take long for me to feel it. I walked out of my hotel — a modest one, may I add. clearly no hyatt — and immediately felt the bustle of Vadodara. tuk-tuks everywhere, cars tooting their horns politely. street vendors everywhere. 

I looked east and saw an amazing contrast of blue-ish dusk sky and a building that seems only minutes from falling. I took a picture with my iPhone and immediately regretted pulling it out of my pockets. I felt stares from all directions. I put it away, kept my hands in my pockets, and walked on. 

there are some neat malls around here that are nothing like I've seen before. tall, U-shaped structures with shallow shops enough to outnumber and of the malls hong kong boasts. (except the shops are all either men's shirts, womens saris (sp?), or weird incense/hippy shops.)

the fumes from the cars started to bother me a bit, so i turned onto a smaller road. I'm alone, weak, and carrying valuables, so I didn't wander too far into darkness. and within ten seconds I got my first pack of beggars. first a young kid offering a shoe shine. kept calling me friend. I didn't cave, but he was quite effective at laying on the guilt. then a young beautiful mother with her baby son in her arms. oddly, or maybe not, she seemed very happy. then a fat old woman threatening to burst into tears. 

I turned around and walked faster. got back on the main drag. the street food smelled delicious. I'm not sure what half of it is, or how to eat it. in fact, I'm fairly certain a lot of what I saw were more spice stands than street food. 

then more beggars. and more fumes. 

I turned off to get away from the fumes and the tuk-tuk/car combos that kept tempting fate. but then more beggars and weird unidentifiable smells coming from unidentifiable substances that dogs were licking. 

so I headed back prematurely. I saw the cool old guy I saw on my way out, and smiled. kind of made it all worth it. but all told, I'm disappointed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I was hoping to just feel a bit more comfortable. Thailand and Cambodia had beggars and whores and weird smells, but I never felt threatened there as I do here. I'm sure it's all in my head. but that's the only lens I've got to look through. 

I'm looking forward to eating tomorrow, though! the food so far has been amazing!

update
[01 December 2009, 12:39pm]