Friday, February 27, 2009
Eyes On Us
"Never write about a place until you're away from it, because that gives you perspective."
-Ernest Hemingway
Eyes, so many eyes turned on us wherever we walked. We were in India, and I, wholly conscious of being a beacon in the crowd, attempted to dismiss the matter as an ordinary fact of life.
Sometimes, as we strolled around with our hefty backpacks, Spouse would discreetly point out a pair of eyes that seemed not to blink at all, so stunned was the owner at my presence in a remote village or on a crowded footpath in Calcutta.
And then one day, a significant span of time after we had arrived in India, Spouse stumbled upon something of note.
"No wonder they were all staring. I think we should take the tags off our backpacks," he said sagely.
Unbeknown to us we had been jaunting about the place with enormous, fluttering blue tags that said BRITISH AIRWAYS in bold, imposing, look-at-me-I'm-a-tourist letters.
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5 comments:
Ala Minnie Pearl. We played a concert when I was in the band in High School at the Verterans Home for the mentally disturbed. Our band director reminded us that while we were there we were the ones who were different. Sage advice. Inadvertantly advertising for the Airline you had grown to love and admire. Great stories as ususal. Pappy. By the way How's Mater?
I really don't like the construction of the first full sentence in my comment because it is ambiguous. It can sound like I went to High School at the Veterans Home for the mentally disturbed and might confirm what some folks have already been thinking. Pappy
ha! and maybe some of those same folks had suffered at the airlines' hands, too. Sounds like an amazing trip. What desire took you there?
Hilarious! Once I was going about my job at the gallery, discussing a painting with a prospective client. She said, "You know your skirt is hiked up in the back. WAY up. It was a full broom-stick pleated skirt I loved wearing. Only thing is I had gone to the bathroom and the hem was stuck in the top of my undies. At least you weren't traipsing around India with your skirt up around your waist.
Texican, I didn't think that. Really. ;)
But- great story.
Pauline, Spouse's family lives in India, and we visited them :) It was an amazing trip.
San, too funny :) I suppose, given that I did suffer a bit on my travels, that I ought to be glad for some mercies ;)
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