15. Continuing the Great Tradition of Following White Rabbits

Fig 15-1: Electronic Rabbit Photohunt (Leopold Cafe, Mumbai)

TOWARDS A NEW TERMINOLOGY IN TRAVEL:

• White Rab•bit (hwIt 'ra-b&t) noun:
  1. a fellow tourist in India, often distinguishable by the paleness of their skin.
  2. a useful reference point when trying to navigate between locations generally frequented by tourists.

Alice followed one into Wonderland, Keanu Reeves followed one out of The Matrix, and while traveling in India, we follow them when we don't know where to go.

The fact is that there are only so many white people in this country, so odds are good that any given white person that you see is a tourist. Likewise, there are only so many places in this country that tourists go, so if you're ever feeling lost, the presence of fellow tourists is not only of particular comfort, it also happens to be very useful: if you don't know the exact name of the exact town in which you're supposed to get off of a bus or train (typically this happens when the towns are very small, and it's necessary to stop there to switch to another bus or train), all you have to do is follow any white rabbits that might be around.

At best, the result is wonderland, at worst, you learn the truth about reality and that you are the only one who can save humanity from its evil robot captors, although most of the time it simply means that you get where you're going without too much hassle or second guessing.