Young hearts...run free

Had a near-marriage proposal yesterday from a 24 yo Indian guy at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It would seem that Amritsar do not get nearly as many western tourists as other parts of India, based on the number of glances/giggles/stares that Nadia, Kester & I got as we sat around the pool taking it all in.

We were sitting by the wall, people watching & reflecting, when the proposer approached Kester and struck up a conversation with him (it's SO different travelling with a guy, suddenly I am getting completely overlooked and talked over). It started innocently enough but soon turned to how we were all related, so it was established for Nitan, and his friend who later joined us, that Nadia & Kester were married and I was Nadia's friend.

At this point we should have introduced the fake husband (refer blog post on 'lying')...but failed to do so.

They continued to talk to Kester for a while, as Nadia & I tuned out a bit...and then Nitan came to sit next to me.

"You're very pretty"

"Thank you"

"I love your scarf"

"Sorry, did you say you like my scarf?"

"I love your scarf... your t-shirt... your pants..."

"Er, thank you"

"What are your hobbies?"

"Um, cooking, photography, walking, yoga"

"Ah, yoga. Yoga is very good, that's why you have such a good figure"

"Um, thank you"

<pause>

"I like your hair"

"Thanks"

"And you have very pretty skin"

"That's nice of you to say"

<pause>

"Who's your favourite actor?"

"Ummmm I don't really have one"

"Oh. Mine's Jennifer Lopez"

"Riiiiight"

<pause>

"Do you want to go to the movies with me?"

"Sorry, we have to go soon"

"Oh, haha, that's ok I was just kidding"

"Uh-huh"

<few minutes later>

"Do you want to go have something to eat?"

"Sorry we have to get to the train station and leave soon"

"Oh, haha, I was just kidding"

...and so on...are we 12????

We couldn't lose them for about an hour or so but finally managed, particularly after Kester had to admonish them to "show some respect" after they tried to take the conversation in a more lewd direction. We will establish my fake husband and family much earlier on in the piece next time - Nitan didn't believe I was married. Though he reckoned my fake daughter must have been just as pretty as I was. ("Do you have a photo of her?" "Ohhhh...ummmm...it's in my bag that I checked at the front")

We found out later that Nitan was quizzing Kester relentlessly on the sexual habits of Western women. He was very open with Kester about just WHY he wanted a foreign wife, as Nitan confessed that he spent a lot of time on something like www.livepornchat.com and had certain...impressions...of what white women were like. Kester was bombarded with questions about their sex life, which he sought to confirm with Kester. Kester tried to assure him that Western men have just as much trouble as Indian men do.

And Nitan confessed to Kester that he thought I looked like Jennifer Lopez.

J-Lo, people!

I've had Molly Ringwald before, and Elizabeth Shue (??? yeah me neither), but...J-Lo??

Signing off, and still most definitely single,

Sarah from the Block