In Hubli

I forgot to mention that back in Mumbai I ran into the "tourist guide" who made me get lost a couple days before. I trace the moment I met him to the exact point when everything went downhill for me Friday night. When I saw him again, it was as if he had raped my soul. He said, "Where are you from?" I turned around, became flustered, and he said, "Oh, I think we may have already met. Where are you going friend?" I mumbled and walked away fast.

Later in Mumbai an old man walked up to me and started talking. I was happy, because no one has just talked to me without asking for money. We talked for about 10 minutes and it was nice. Then he asked for money and my heart sank.
"Please, I'm an old man. I can't work. Can you give me 40 rupees?"
"If I give to you, then I should give to everyone who needs money and I won't have any left."
"No. I'm an old man, like your father. Please can you give me some money?" That was the wrong thing for him to say.
"My father's not alive, so you're not like my father. You're luckier than my father." A bad way to beg is to make yourself seem luckier than other people. He never had a chance, but that sealed his fate.

The train ride to Hubli was fine. I was in the best class available and it wasn't all that great. It made me miss the luxury of a slow Polish commuter train. But it was fine. The train even had a sit-down toilet. There are toilet's everywhere, which is much different than China.

You won't find Hubli on a map. Wait, you say you did? You say you have a detailed map of Karnataka? I stand corrected. It's a city of about 700,000 people and is a transfer point between Mumbai and Bangalore. It's very dirty. Walking during the evening, I could hardly open my eyes, much like China. Many people gawk at me (presumably because they are curious to see a foreigner and not because I'm extremely attractive- even though I am), much like China. But I have a huge room with a private bathroom and flush toilet and tv with ESPN! It's ESPN world, but it's better than nothing. And all for about $9! I've also had a couple of very good mango milkshakes. I'm hoping to get to Hampi tomorrow, but the train and bus stations in India are daunting.