Tatian, Tatan, Tatiana? - Mumbai Day 1

This is the first day when I said goodbye to my five star inter-continnental club room and ventured on to the streets of Mumbai. I was with my backpack charged with rolls of films, waiting to melt in the summer indian steam. 100 meters outside the hotel, I found a Rickshaw, successfully took me to the nearest train station.

Well, as soon as I got off the auto rickshaw, the steam mixed with rotten food filled my nose, my mouth and my entire head for the next 72 hours at least. This is not the kinda RER train stations which I am familiar with. After some effort, i located the entrance, but 5 long lines right in front of me, quequing to get tickets. You gotta be kidding me! No machines? Huh, there are machines, but how do they work. I looked 360 degrees around me trying to locate some friendly face, and english speaking friendly face...did not find one. hmmm... maybe the conceige had a point, as he strongly recommended me NOT to take the train.

There I saw a fair skin girl, eating breakfast...I tried with English and it worked. She took out her little carnet of tickets and gave 2 pieces of precious green paper, they had 8 RS face value, I offered to pay, she said no need. As we were walking towards the platform, i had a better look at the kind of jungle I was in. She seemed in command. She was wearing modern clothes and that she was going shopping with friends in Colaba Bay, near Taj Mahal Hotel.

She pointed me to the platform and said she would take the same train, I could not help my curiocity, "where are you from?"
"I am from here."
"here?"
"yes, here. you?"
"China."
"Singapore?"
"no, China."
after a few seconds of silence, I heard
"I am tibetan"
"Oh...you mean originally from ..."
"I am refugee here, as the Chinese occupied Tibet, my parents had nowhere to go, they came here."
I had chills in my necks, not sure what to say.
"I was born here though."
As the train was coming into the station, she started walking fast and almost running "we have to find the women's coach"
I could not quiet follow her "you mean women ride in a separate coach?"

Before I knew it, we were already on it, the women's coach, blue, yellow, green, red, pink, indian women in sarees...me with a big backpack and my new tibetan friend with her innocent eyes.

The scene completely took my breath away, i felt the heat as sweat just came off of my forehead like raindrops, they were so elegant, those indian women, every single one of them, and some smiled at me...

Just as I was focused on all the women and the hand rails in the women's coach, my tibetan friend said that she had to get off and wished me a happy journey.
"wait, what is your name?"
"Tatain" (maybe tatanian, tatian..) i heard something..
"me, Elsie..." i quickly took out a card and gave it to her, "email me please!"
few seconds later, she was gone with the crowd...

"email me"?! about what? so that she can tell me what really happened to her parents? Or that i can teach her about the history how Tibet has been part of China since Yuan Dynasty. Or that she comes to find me on the address given on the card in Paris, I take her shopping and meet French boys? Will she be more interested in Louis Vuitton than history of her origin? Was I more embarrassed about my inability in this mega city of India than my potential ignorance of past history I am about to find out from Tatian, Tatan or Tatiana???

Here my first 45 mins alone in Mumbai... the adventure continues...