Celebrity or Freak Show?

(Excerpt from Alex's Journal)
"An oppressive wave of hot, humid, stale air hits my face.  Taxis, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, motorbikes, buses, and cars are honking constantly.  People are yelling. Women are dressed in the most brilliantly vibrant saris and kurtas and scarves.  And everyone is jammed against everyone else.  These are my first impressions of Delhi and, consequently, India.  Everything I've heard and read is true and yet it still comes as a shock to my senses."

As we walk down the overly crowded sidewalk (full of almost all men) on our first venture out I realize that I'm being stared at by every single person.  Without exception.  Chris and I change spots so that he can walk ahead of me hoping that this will "shield" me a bit from the ogling.  I put on my sunglasses to avoid the looks.  It doesn't help.  It's incredibly uncomfortable and I feel so self-conscious.  People will literally come up and take pictures of me.  I think to myself that this is what it must feel like to be a celebrity...or a freak.  I'm not sure which one I am.  But I do know that I'm not only the only white woman on the street but I'm the only one in a t-shirt.  It's not low-cut but it is apparently too much for these men because you can actually see the outline of a body.  After one day of this I go out the next day with my scarf draped over my front.  That helps a lot.  I also buy a kurta (tunic) and this helps even more.  The next two weeks this red kurta is going to see a lot of action.  On the bright side I now feel a little closer to the people here and I'm in love with the bright patches of color that the women provide in a place that is often so worn-out looking.
--Alex

 At the Ba'hai Temple (only 1 of 7 in the world) shaped like a lotus flower

(Notice the scarf carefully draped to cover my chest)