India deserves its own thread!

[Guest]

Hi fellow travelers,

Despite the hassles of aggressive men and the chaos of Calcutta I love India! Great food, very cheap travel, exotic, and in the two main cities of Bombay and Calcutta a decent hooker scene.

My challenge is only one...

*where to take all-nighters?*

In my limited expereince (two trips) Indian hoteliers have a problem with working girls -- totally unlike even Muslim Indonesia. Thank the gods for the Southeast Asian mentality! I have had numerous opportunites with very attractive Indian minority girls, who although not professionals were keen to make some money easily, yet I had nowhere to take them? Same-same for hookers.

Anyone have any experinece solving this?

[tarmen]

where are women available in new delhi ? i go there often on work but the quality seems very low down and cheap .. any ideas

[Guest]

Only can confirm your findings: none of the middle -to-upmarket hotels will let in a working girl. And you can spot them easily. There are hardly any girls around in this hotels anyway and if - then they are ole ladies with their families.

Just stick to the whorehouses, be it in Calcutta or Mumbay - and in your room to self-service. Prostitution in India either extremely low-class dirty or Bollywood-up-in-the-sky.

[Guest]

True, true. In most Indian hotels you will be regarded as the scum of the universe if you try to bring a short-/long-timer in; most hotels don't allow it all. This seems a bit strange as in Sri Lanka for example, morally no less lofty, there are numerous short-time hotels and motels.

I haven't been in Calcutta, now officially called Kolkata, in several years, but I know that Bombay/Mumbai is no problem.

In Colaba, the road which leads from a place called Radio Club (every taxi driver knows it) to Colaba Causeway is full of run-down hotels which provide just to what you are looking for. The hotels are pretty dingy and overpriced (like all hotels in Bombay), and many of the guests are sex-deprived Arabs. You'll find many street-walkers in that area at night. They also know which hotels to go to, but I reckon they get a commission on the room rate that you pay.

Sea Palace Hotel, across from Radio Club on 26 P.J. Ramchandani Marg, overlooking the sea, usually gives out rooms for short-time; so then long-time should be no problem either. They don't advertise the fact, so ask discreetly. A double room should cost around 2400 Rs. - not cheap, but the rooms are pretty good by Bombay standards. You may be able to bargain a bit.

Many hotels around V.T. Station (now renamed Chhetrapati Shivaji Terminus) also cater to short-/long-timers. But be careful at night, as there are many heroin addicts in the area. There are also some in Colaba, but as it's a tourist area, and due to the nearby, VIP-packed Taj Mahal Hotel, there's a strong police presence.

From about 5. p.m. onwards there are plenty of street-walkers on the road opposite the southern side of V.T. Station. They're out to catch the male office crowd before they head home to the suburbs.

Masti karo (have fun), SB

[ June 20, 2001: Message edited by: Scum_Baggio ]

[Guest]

quote:

---

Originally posted by tarmen:

where are women available in new delhi ? i go there often on work but the quality seems very low down and cheap .. any ideas

---

I have looked for commercial sex only once in New Delhi and I also was disappointed. On MG Road is a strip of automotive parts shops and above them brothels. This is a block or three near a gate, the name of which I forget (someone please clarify name)

I went at night twice in 1999. You walk up two or three flights up messy concrete stairways. There were a few tasty looking 19-23 year olds but mostly older and fatter. The cops gave me a hard time. Indian police can be real brutes (they beat the shit out of people with sticks) They looked real unhappy that I was there and got on my case for flirting with the working girls. They told me to either hire their services or bugger off. I presume they are in the employ of the 'masis' (mama-sans). I couldn't decide fast because the selection was marginal. Once I did find a pretty girl she did a bait and switch on me.

Except for Sona Gachi in Calcutta and Co-op in Bombay I have always found the quality of services in India to be poor (and even there it cannot compare to Thailand and Cambodia, even Indonesia is a lot better) The smaller city brothels such as in Pune and Nagpur were the worst -- really bitchy whores. And in Falkland Road (closed down) they are thieves.

If anyone finds a better place in Delhi please advise. I think the potential for hooking up (so to speak) with a poor woman are very good in India but I have no experience. WWhenever I tried to arrange a rendezvous I never got beyond the flirting stage becuase Indian men were in my face interfering. For example once in Pune while staying at the National Hotel a gorgeous teenage girl came by selling incense door-to-door. I could tell by her eyes that she was interested. I sure was. But the frontdesk man shooed her away.

I think that besides the two metroplises the best bets are with tribal girls in Orissa. They are very unlike Hindu/Muslim women. I also hear (no firsthand experience) that Goan women are more sexually liberal. I will investigate.

My favorite erotic activity in India is girl watching/flirting with tribal women at construction sites in Bombay etc. They are awesome.

[Guest]

Scum Baggio wrote...

"In Colaba, the road which leads from a place called Radio Club (every taxi driver knows it) to Colaba Causeway is full of run-down hotels which provide just to what you are looking for. The hotels are pretty dingy and overpriced (like all hotels in Bombay), "

Yeah, I rented a room there last time I explored India with my buddies. It looked like I could have taken a working girl there. And my experience echoes yours -- overpriced plus I would add small. Bombay is the only place in India where accommodation is hard to find and expensive. Next time I go I am even thinking of doing a home stay with a family if they don't object to my dissappearing for days and coming 'home' late.

Any experience renting an apartment in Bombay and environs? I will be looking into newsgroups for (s)expats in Bombay

"and many of the guests are sex-deprived Arabs."

That's what I like about the neighborhood! Since I am an afficianado of fragrance I buy natural perfumes (often fake) there. Plus despite not being Muslim I like the cultural influence.

"You'll find many street-walkers in that area at night."

God I can estimate the pounds through their saris...

"They also know which hotels to go to, but I reckon they get a commission on the room rate that you pay."

Worthwhile to find out which are best.

"Sea Palace Hotel, across from Radio Club on 26 P.J. Ramchandani Marg, overlooking the sea, usually gives out rooms for short-time;"

Good to know, thanks. I used to stay at Seashore, probably in the same building, but the wall dividers are plywood and the rooms corridor-like. Nice limited sea views though. I'm told the manager doesn't allow working girls. I'm fed up with the small space and my traveling buddy is afraid of the ghosts there. So I am researching better places for next trip.

"Many hotels around V.T. Station (now renamed Chhetrapati Shivaji Terminus)"

Unless things have changed a lot nobody slavishly follows these Shiv Sena/BHP (?) politcally correct new names. I'm looking for a T-shirt (not to wear in Bombay) that reads 'Shiv insane' with a rabid dog instead of a tiger.

A tangent... In a small largely Muslim state capital a little kid of maybe 9 years looked at me, stuck her thumb down and said in English 'USA no good. Pakistan'(obviously referring to the US's trade/political preference with Pakistan over India). Little did she know I'm not American... In another small city a seemingly reasonable Hindu man invited me to his family home to have me over for dinner and to help his children with English, and he tells them/us nonsense: "The first word in the Koran is 'kill everyone'" The communal violence in India is under the surface.

Caste tensions too such as when the Brahmin (highest caste) man in a village hands over some money to a tribal by dropping it in her hand lest her touch her. Read the paper for widow burning murders and dowry killings. India has both wonderful and disgusting aspects, so newbies -- expect to be shocked if you're used to mellow SE ASia. A reliefI suppose if you're coming from Kabul where Hindus are now required to wear identifying markers.

Sorry, back to topic...

"From about 5. p.m. onwards there are plenty of street-walkers on the road opposite the southern side of V.T. Station. They're out to catch the male office crowd before they head home to the suburbs."

Have you ever found any decent looking ones? What do they charge and when? I am reminded of a guide (who turned out to steal from me) in Bombay who went around the city with me. I was pointing out slender beautiful (to me) girls and women and his anwwer was the same every time, "underclass". Like I care! (actually I do, better chances to arrange something.) Fat is beautiful in class-conscious India. Skinny means poor.

Telegu working class women are remarkable. They can be forty and still slender.

[Guest]

Originally posted by winston james:

 

"Next time I go I am even thinking of doing a home stay with a family if they don't object to my dissappearing for days and coming 'home' late."

The disappearing for several days won't be so bad, coming back late may be tolerated, but if you should appear with a female, they'll probably beat you with their slippers (a popular Indian way to shame or spite somebody).

"Any experience renting an apartment in Bombay and environs?"

I've never come across apartments which could be rented "short-time". And if there are, they'd be darned expensive too. I once visited the Thai consul's apartment in Breach Candy; it had about 4 or 5 rooms and it cost over 100,000 Rs. a month.

"I'm looking for a T-shirt (not to wear in Bombay) that reads 'Shiv insane' with a rabid dog instead of a tiger."

They might give you a good hiding with lathis for wearing that T-shirt. An insult to Lord Shiva, they'll say. Of course hardly any Hindu fundamentalist will know that the Sanskrit term for insane, "divana", is the root of "divine" - so madness and godliness are pretty close relatives.

The dog ain't too bad either, as it was once the accompaying animal of Khandoba, one of the most revered gods in Maharashtra. Khandoba was first regarded as a manifestation of Shiva (who is sometimes depicted with a mad, biting dog), in later times he was associated with Vishnu. But I reckon the Hindu fundamendalists haven't got a clue about these finer points of Hindu culture ...

"Have you ever found any decent looking (street walkers at V.T.Station)? What do they charge and when?"

They look so-so, some are good. Many look Tamil to me, some Telugu. I don't know about the rate, but I reckon 300-500 Rs. for short-time should be enough.

Incidentally, have a look around the corner, on the main road which leads to Colaba - plenty of stalls selling porn movies (VCDs), Indian and foreign. If you haven't seen an Indian porn movie, go for it. They're so amateurishly produced, with ungainly, flabby actors/actresses, and the guys often can hardly keep it up. Depending on your disposition you'll either have a good laugh, or fall asleep.

"Telegu working class women are remarkable. They can be forty and still slender."

Same for the ones in Karnataka - sinewy, slender and sensuous. In the 1980s, there used to be some Karnataka women (from Dharwar or Hubli) selling fruit on the beaches; some of them were also known to shag with "angrez" (farang). In those days the beaches were fairly empty and the short-timers disappeared into little fishermen's huts for the deed. Now it may be difficult, because the beaches are much more populated and built-up.

In a former post you mention the word "masi". Actually, it means "aunt". It's a respectful way to address an older female person, just short of calling her "maa", "mother" (which denotes even more closeness and intimacy).

Namaste, SB

[ June 22, 2001: Message edited by: Scum_Baggio ]

[Guest]

Scum_Baggio wrote:

 

"Same for the ones in Karnataka - sinewy, slender and sensuous. In the 1980s, there used to be some Karnataka women (from Dharwar or Hubli) selling fruit on the beaches; some of them were also known to shag with "angrez" (farang). In those days the beaches were fairly empty and the short-timers disappeared into little fishermen's huts for the deed. Now it may be difficult, because the beaches are much more populated and built-up."

Just a few years ago a buddy commented on a mature Lombadi woman's figure and she invited him into the bushes for some short-time fun -- no money involved. He said she just appreciated being appreciated. That was in Goa.

"In a former post you mention the word "masi". Actually, it means "aunt". It's a respectful way to address an older female"

Who isn't neccessarily respectable at all. In Sona Gachi the same fellow mentioned above and I were exploring. I had brought a short-time Indian cotton bed-cover (great value ethnic design natural fabric everything in India!) to keep cleaner. I lent it to him for his liasion and there was some dispute and as he tried to leave with it the 'masi' pulled a knife on him demanding he leave it.

The strange thing I find about Indian brothels is that very unlike South-East Asian ones where the managers are business people and the workers service professionals (generally), in India they can easily be ruffians and thieves respectively. Perhaps that epitomizes the non conflict-avoidance of India in general. I also find the attitudes very different. Indian men, although some do go to brothels, tend to be drunks and low-lifes (painting with a very broad brush here), whereas in Thailand and Cambodia it's regular guys who go get laid. There seems to be a great amount of shame and guilt about sex in India. Same goes for liquor stores. Whenever I would go buy a mickey of Old Monk rum (pretty good by the way) the clienetel appeared to be bingers and other persons on the margin of society. 'Vices' just aren't tolerated in India the same way they are in Buddhist countries -- which is why I am keen on Sri Lanka...

[Guest]

Originally posted by winston james:

"The strange thing I find about Indian brothels is that very unlike South-East Asian ones where the managers are business people and the workers service professionals (generally), in India they can easily be ruffians and thieves respectively.

... I also find the attitudes very different. Indian men,although some do go to brothels, tend to be drunks and low-lifes ..."

Indians often think that their culture is the morally most superior in the world, and in this world view there is no space for extra-marital sex, brothels or drinking binges.

Yes, by going to a brothel or to a liquor shop you place yourself on the lowest rung of society in India. And this is the land which gave the world the Kama Sutra and whose scriptures sang the praises of the sacred, intoxicating Soma drink! A strange turn-around indeed.

Prevailing attitudes can be attributed to the priestly class who (as almost everywhere else, too) succeeded in instilling a sense of guilt in the population, so as to extort money or other material goods from the public. In India, when someone committed a crime or a "sin", the person often got away with bestowing a gift on the Brahmins (say, of some cows, a few kilos of ghee, or/and some money).

On top, just to keep up religious pretence, the culprit would also also, say, have to circle a particular temple 108 times, or go through some other basically nonsensical ritual.

Overall, the Brahmins manipulated Hindu society in a very cunning way. Indians are prone to claim that the British applied a "Divide and Rule" policy on India, playing out her citizens against each other so that the foreigners could rule them with ease; yet in fact, the Brahmins were the original inventors of this policy, having divided Hindu society into thousands of castes and sub-castes, which held each other in check. Furthermore, the Brahmins clearly divided human behaviour into moral/religious or "sinful". Even the kind of foodstuffs one ate were divided into pure/godly, halfway between pure and impure, and impure or "demonic". No space to just relax and enjoy!

With that heavy burdon on her shoulders, India will take a long time to become a morally/sexually liberal society. But then it won't be India anymore, will it?

[ June 24, 2001: Message edited by: Scum_Baggio ]

[Guest]

Scum Baggio wrote...

"Yes, by going to a brothel or to a liquor shop you place yourself on the lowest rung of society in India."

One of the things I like about India is that, aside from a small number of homosexual men who prefer boys (when the temple roof in Puri fell in that calamity was blamed on divine retribution) and western/Japanese female tourists who also do the same [now *there's* a thread!] India doesn't attract sex tourists. And that's fine by me.