18 January - Disrobing & Swimming

Considering the dress restrictions for women in India, and as a responsible tourist I try to blend in and wear my long skirts or trousers under skirts (remember the contours of your ass as displayed in trousers are tantamount to showing your underwear), it’s pretty hypocritical of Asian MTV to show Indian women in various stages of undress/short dress – I notice the pop promos are filmed in the streets of London though or even some Bavarian town I kid you not, so perhaps the crew and stars would be stoned if they filmed locally.
In some of the film/music magazines I buy, it’s the same thing. Sultry, stunning women in skimpy party outfits and they’re all very light skinned contrary to their sisters on the streets. One of those things that make me risk saying very non PC stuff. Who controls the media? Why do they all get fed an 'I wanna be white' diet? Same thing for Latinos/south americans and so on. The emerging stars are always not a million miles away from caucasians looks wise.
After a while of course I crave some nudity of my own. It’s pretty stifling for us to wander about in ot weather unable to wear a boob tube for example. So I head for an open air hotel pool. Finally I can take it all off, mostly. A quick look around and we’re all tourists. I will spend two days here hardly moving away from the water and it’s just us foreigners. Wonder if the pool attendants think it's like working for a non stop soft porn channel as they view us westerners disrobed and sprawled on loungers or in the pool. And if their male friends envy them the job. I have yet to see an Indian in a pool. I guess they’re barred, even at 7am when no guests but me are here. Feel like going up to reception and say 'Would be very pleased to share pool water with you, Sir'. Or do they really not like swimming? Didn’t see many in the ocean a few hundred yards away either. You remember how many more women than men died in the tsunami because they are/were fishermen and swimmers whereas the women can’t learn because they’re only supposed to dunk themselves in the sea fully clothed which sort of restricts any movement.
Don’t you just hate men and their stupid, medieval rules? Don’t even argue with me, of course somewhere in apparently tolerant India there’s some codified tradition in all the faiths: muslim, Christian, hindu, that says ‘women must be covered up and certainly not enjoy one of the few sports in the world that costs zilch ie. Swimming’. And there’s another top tip for travel. One thing you should bring with in several variations is bikinis as they don’t sell those here. Nor do they sell decent underwear. I know because I left it all at home bar what I travelled out with and eventually had to do without as I object to wearing my granny’s pants, which is all I ever saw on offer. I have a deep suspicion that somewhere there is a special kind of store that sells amazing undies to complement the amazing saris, but I couldn’t find it. Though maybe lacey stuff is not great for sweaty weather but who knows. Talking of saris... I think it's just the fabrics that change, update the clothes. The style and way in which they are draped seems to be the same since.... Indira Gandhi or those old movies like Pater Panchali. That's weird. Could this be the only 'dress' that is impervious to fashion? Do rich women here buy their Chanels and just stare at them hanging in wardrobes? Ok so in Bombay it's different but how come nobody wants to try something else apart from that schoolgirlie style salwar kameez combo?