India (Day 1 part 4)

On our way back to the bus, we got to check out the fishing vendors.  This guy had tons of enormous fish and was really excited to show us the different kinds.  He showed us a giant pink fish with a nasty looking tongue which was his favorite to eat.  Snapper I think?

The next one he held up looked like a mini great white.  Turns out, he said it was a baby great white shark!  I was horrified and enthusiastically interested at the same time.  Sharks, especially baby sharks, especially baby great white sharks are something I think should be protected rather than eaten.  But here was this guy being so nice and proud of his catch.  It was a moral confliciton.  (yes, I made that word up.)  In true bio nerd fashion, I asked if I could hold the baby shark and check it out.  It felt really different than I expected.  It looked smooth and rubbery like a dolphin, but it was actually more rough like sandpaper.  People started snapping pictures as I was inspecting it, and I think my face accurately conveys my combination of interest and discomfort.   Any bio people know if this really is a baby great white?  

I got back to the ship, just in time to change and head back out to a welcome party with local university students.  The night kind of turned out to be a bust though.  We got rained out and not many Indian students were there.  Still, the food was excellent and I had fun trying to wheel my chair over uneven grass.  (That is not sarcasm by the way.  I do enjoy a good off-roading challenge.)  And Hannah and I got some henna tattoos.  I was really excited as I saw the beautiful designs other people were getting.  Hannah and I were the last ones to get the tattoo and I guess the artist were over it by that point because it turned out like this:

It looks like I either cut my hand or had an accident with some Hershey's syrup.  haha  We had fun with it though.  Maybe I'll find some other henna artist to fix the design before I leave.  Or, I can tell people I had an epic silver nitrate accident until it fades a way.  It's a win win really.  :0P

I hung out with Hannah and Andrea for a bit back at the ship and then with the roomie and friends until way too late.  It was fun though!