Knackered after our walk we trudged the last hundred metres up the the springs when suddenly we were startled by a crazed mooing. Sarah was 10 metres behind us and charging straight up the hill towards her was a demented looking cow mooing manically and freely slavering from the muzzle. She looked pleadingly at us, unable to make her tired legs move fast enough to escape the crazed, rabid beast. Thankfully it suddenly stopped and went back to normal grass munching mode before it completed its murderous rampage.
The view from the hot springs was incredible, this was in the morning hanging out with a couple of Israeli lads:
But lets rewind to that very evening. Along the entire walk up a group of three young Indian men had stuck to us like limpets, stopping when we stopped, going again when we did, attempting random halting conversation in their few words of English. And staring... always staring and staring and staring.
I collapsed into the male side of the hot springs (the girls have to hunker in a wooden shed next door which isn't so good for the view, but great for protecting them from the boring eyes of undersexed Indian men).
If only I had the same protection. Five minutes after I arrived, our trio from the hike jumped in with me. There was staring, whispering and giggling. They blatantly leered as they lasciviously looked me up and down. I bravely ignored them and focussed on the soothing water and the gathering darkness of the mountains. So they would hiss "Australia. AUSTRALIA!" until I turned and said "WHAT?" at which point they would say "Nothing" and then all titter like schoolgirls. Enough, out I got. Immediately out they got too. Bucky with the buck teeth dried himself as close to me as possible and started to chat.
"You go back tomorrow?"
"No, I think we'll stay a while"
"If you go back tomorrow, we go together."
"Uh, ok."
"You are staying here alone?"
"No no, I'm with my two friends."
He leaned in suggestively, "If you are alone, WE will keep you company."
"Gee, thanks. Um I gotta go."
I went to the girls for support and (supportively) they laughed and laughed. And told me I was probably misunderstanding, they were just being friendly and didn't speak English so well. But I know body language. Now I have no problem being chatted up by a trio of Indian lads, but all that dirty staring and whispering and giggling is just unsettling. No worries, the girls deal with it all day every day, suck it up Mike.
Next morning I go up the hill for a pre-brekky dip and find a nice Israeli bloke to chat to. Then the three stooges arrive. There's about 5 of us in the pool already, but they only have eyes for me. The same story as last night, but I ignore them and chat with my new mate, sitting on the stairs. Until the tittering is interrupted by Bucky paddling right over to me, looking directly at me and then plonking himself down on the step below me, his bottom snuggled right up against my feet.
So you guys know that age-old move that teenagers in movie theatres always try? The old "fake yawn" and stretching your arms out, then resting one on the shoulders of the prospective love-interest beside you. Imagine that with a guy sitting on the step below you. Yep the arm went right over my legs and the hand right onto my tackle. Kind of hard to carry on a conversation that way.
I pushed him away and told him to piss off and he splashed back, giggling, to his mates. See girls I told you so! You're not the only ones to get sexually harassed in India. Finally all that working out pays off.
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