My First Indian Theater Experience

My 40hr trip to Diu ended up not being so bad. Mama-Ji packed me a goodbye dinner of palak paneer, rice and dried fruit and nut paratha. I would feel the consequences this meal later. I also happened to run into a woman I had recognized in Bundi who was going to Diu as well so I had a buddy.

The only bad/funny things that happened began with almost getting on the wrong train. I saw Ahmedabad on the train but didn't see where it was coming from so I bolted on only to be stopped by an Indian man I was talking to. He noticed it was the wrong train and saved me a lot of grief. Next, since I had an Taktal (emergency) ticket, my seats were bound to be terrible. I ended up having a small size sleeper bed directly next to the bathrooms so I was getting the wonderful aroma of stale piss and shit on night. On top of it all, a family got on the train at 3 am to find that they were booked for our cabin and every seat was occupied. Aside from the arguing and movement that I could not avoid hearing, one of the daughters has some mental disability and was screaming the entire time. It took them almost a hour to settle down and settle in. By this time I was wide awake and restless.

When we finally got into Ahmedabad, we were able to get some food, drop off our bags, and finally walk around. We tagged up with a Polish girl who was also waiting for her next train that evening. Everywhere we went, we found to be closed so our options were limited. I decided my new mission as to find an English theater and see Avatar.

I have been wanted to see a movie in India because I heard its a trip, and it was. The first showing we could see was sold out and the girls decided they didn't want to wait to till the next showing, so I stuck around and saw the film on my own. First of all Avatar was EPIC! I loved it! My Indian theater experience began when I had to check my bag in and then before entering the theater, I had my choice of cheese, salt, or chat masala popcorn; I chose cheese. Seats in the Indian theaters are comfortable, recline back very far, and there is assigned seating which every theater should endorse. Throughout the film, I could hear kids talking, adults answering their cell phones and talking, and occasionally someone would yell something out and everyone would laugh and cheer. This behavior would get you thrown out in the States. About half way through they had an intermission and everyone left which I thought was very interesting. During the intermission the brand Vicco aired about 8 commercials for their products of skin creams and tooth pastes. I sat there laughing to myself the entire time.

After the film I went back to the train station to grab a small bite and boarded for Veravala. I took a Nyquil this time to ensure myself a good sleep. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this wasn't a very long overnight train so when I woke at 4am and I was unbelievably groggy and disoriented. From there I took a 3 1/2 hr bus to Diu where the next week presented nothing but beaches, seafood, and motorcycle cruising.