At first it was just several men and one woman, but within minutes I was surrounded by a small group, including kids and several really mangy dogs.  Their fears and suspicions disappeared almost instantly as one of the dogs allowed me to pat its head.  Being a frequent traveler, has brought me to the conclusion that make friends with a man's dog, and get treated like a lost son.  But do not makes friends, and only luck will get you past the front door.

Awkward?  Yes, but within minutes everyone was laughing and acting silly and we became friends.  Showing them how the bike worked, they appeared truly amazed. They also enjoyed touching my hair as it was nothing like theirs.  And my shoes were a big hit as well.  They didn't mind getting their hands dirty rubbing the rubber soles as I balanced on one foot as long as I could.  Talking was useless.  Trying English, Spanish and Chinese, I got no reaction.  Their language seemed just as foreign and funny to me, sounding like nothing I had ever heard before.

Once the novelty had died down some, I acted out a few hand gestures of shoveling food into my mouth, smacking my lips, and even voicing a couple "mmm-mmm's".  It wasn't difficult to get the message across that I was hungry.  'Heaven Hallelujah,' I thought, until what followed!