Incredible India

I've just gotten back from another run into town - Jannie and I (one of the other volunteers) were squished into the back of a tempo (which is a bigger version of a rickshaw, and is essentially a public transportation vehicle). These tuk-tuks should legally be only allowed to hold about 10 people, but in the late afternoon when it's particularly busy, you can easily pack in at least 16 people in one tempo, which usually means 4 or 5 people on each bench (which only hold 3 comfortably), 4 in the front including the driver, 2 or 3sitting on the floor behind, and sometimes one standing on the outside step, holding on for dear life.

Anyways, imagine that scene in your head, with two foreign girls squished into the sides. We were instantly an attraction (not unusual about that) and pretty soon the one English speaker was firing questions at us as directed by all the other passengers about who we are, what we're doing in Udaipur, do we like India? etc etc.
At one point we were asked, "Does Indian food give you digestive problems?" In retrospect, I should have felt at least a smidgen of surprise or embarassment, but at the time it seemed like a perfectly normal question to ask a complete stranger, and responded that yes, sometimes Indian food did not go down as well as I would like. This was greeted by a chorus of responses and spirited answers (all in Hindi, unfortunately - I would have loved to know what they thought), and one or two more questions asking, "Is is the spicyness?", "Do you eat alot of bread?" etc etc.

Apparently, this discussion of digestive problems did nothing to make us less attractive to the younger men, who asked the English speaker to ask us if we were married, and if not, did we like the idea of marrying Indians? To which I replied, VERY promptly, that at this point, no, we are not looking to marry ANYONE. Period.

Jannie and I laughed the entire walk home from the tuk-tuk. Another priceless experience - the idea of anything like that happening back home is ludicrous, unthinkable. If anyone had asked me those questions at home I would probably have been appalled and shocked. But here, it seems normal. Or at least acceptable. It's a perfect example of the "no privacy" rule that is so ingrained in Indian culture, and which I love so much.
Only in India!