India. Mumbai.
we've hung out with Simul, and she's been showing us around, and we've been looking around by ourselves as well...

right now, F is ill. really bad fever i guess, hugging him is like we were in a sauna. serious. and thats after a few painkillers which should lower the fever. if hes not okay or better in the morning, i think ill get a doctor or a hospital. god knows what the fuck it could be. or would if he existed. anyway he is abnormally hot :( we've been eating and drinking the same stuff so its a mystery, but i think i do have a better resistance to diseases and stuff.

i am obsessed in going to see the slum. Simul is not so excited about the idea. for me... thats the one fuckin thing we dont get in finland, or europe, i've seen it on TV, and i want to see it in REAL. F is not that interested. i dont think its THAT dangerous out there, theyre just poor people. and there are beggars in the city as well... (you just have to ignore them). i would want to see the slum for real and know what it makes me feel like. its a totally new perspective! the poverty and whatnot is something ive never really come across, unless perhaps in mexico city. on our way to the hotel, from the airport, the roadside was all slum... people washing themselves outside the shed they live in....all that life right before our eyes. and cows walking in the streets.

arranged marriages are still common thing btw, even with higher class or cast or whatever. seems weird but it is true. as a girl, you might have a say, like who you prefer, but thats it. and if someone dated 1 guy per year, she'd be a slut.

the hotel is good for 2-3 stars. tv, shower and air conditioning and all... we were really aiming to see the shitty hotels, but its like there werent any? we were in a fancy restaurant today tho (6.5 euros for a buffet) and there was a cockroach walking behind my back on the couch. huge, top. i've never seen one in my life so it was fascinationg. just the thing id been looking for. later i got a photo of one on the street.

everything is about bargain. shoes (in a shoestore), alcohol... not to mention the stuff on the streets of course, you have to bargain about everything, the price always depends, its not fixed. bad thing is, us finns arent very good at bargaining.

also what you wear is important. we get weird looks anyway. we've only seen a few white/western people here (downtown mumbai!) and the rest are indian and they STARE at us, especially me. most people we see are men, perhaps 80%, or more. the women are home, housewives i guess. but the staring is obvious. i dont mind, its merely interesting, to be that special. anyway short skirts are bad... not that i care much. big V-necks are a no no as well. ive had to change my clothing a couple times due to Simul's orders, she didnt want me to get those bad looks.

the poverty and misery is obvious at times... its a very different world, but id like to see the extreme of it, but if its up to the others, i wont be allowed because its so dangerous...? we'll see.

1 litre of vodkaa cost 4.5 euros, 42,8%. decent.

on saturday we're flying to Kuala Lumpur.