**Disclaimer: The opening of this story is loosely inspired by Prince and Sophia Petrillo.
Dig if you will a picture:
The year: 2011. The setting: The hills of India. A young, beautiful girl at the ripe age of 23 dons her most conveniently reached from one open suitcase rain gear: A United Planet T-shirt, one-size-fits-all ethnic Khmer (Cambodian) pants, Sperry boating shoes, and a clear Dollywood poncho. Oh, and did I mention the EastSport--not quite JanSport--fanny pack that held the whole look together?! (Wouldn't Tim Gunn be so proud!) ...She's ready for a trip down the mountain to the city of Kalimpong on Market Day. Unbeknownst to her when she agreed to the trip, they will not be taking the Jeep. Instead, they (her and Sam, the father of the family she is living with) hop on the back of a motorcycle* and take off. What a panic-induced exciting ride! Narrow roads. Swerving around pedestrians. Blind curves. Narrowly squeezing by oncoming traffic. Pot holes--though "holes" is a grave understatement. Wet pavement. Swerving to avoid neighborhood animals--consisting of, but not limited to: dogs, cats, pigs, goats... Finally, she reaches the bottom of the mountain and find herself in Kalimpong, only to be greeted with more terror excitment. A city center thronged with cars, trucks--we're talking the equivalent of Indian semis--motorbikes, people, animals, vendors... Everything you can imagine cramming together in one city (amongst the landscape of trash and never-ending grime).
*To put my feelings about motorcycle rides simply: They scare the living shiz out of me. Just ask my bf if you want full details...
...A day full of sheer anxiety adventure in the Indian state of Bengali!
And to think, I only got ran over once!
(No seriously, I was standing with Sam by a roadside vendor when I suddenly felt myself being pulled away. Turns out, there was a car right behind me making a sharp turn, and in doing so, it got all-too-close to the bag on my back, and took me along with it...)
What a way to be welcomed to the city on my first day out in Kalimpong!
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