Minority on a Bus

Much against the advice of an Indian friend of mine, I took the bus from the area of the city my family friends live in to the city center. My friend’s sister dropped me at the bus stop and they had prepared me with directions. The ride there was simple. I said I wanted a return ticket, there and back and handed the bus conductor (who walks to each person, you don’t pay the driver like in the US) 20 Rupees (44cents). The bus was fairly clear. I didn’t have to share the seat with anyone. I did notice however, the ratio of men to women was around 10 to 1. The ride there was uneventful.
Waiting for the bus on the way back was a little more exciting. I was at the bus stop, sitting on the railing marking the off the queue, when a group of three girls sitting on the railing in front of me glanced back. First one looked over her shoulder and whispered to the other two who looked back as well. Then the real starring began. They would look back and just stare, looking me up and down over and over, as though I was really an alien from another planet, not just another country. After more whispering, one of the girls got the nerve to ask if they could take a picture with me. I was waiting like them, so I thought, sure, why not. Well one picture turned into 6. They wanted a group picture, a picture with each of them individually with me, smiling, and straight faced. None of them spoke English. But we managed to communicate through the small amount of Hindi I know and many gestures. They were so curious about me, I’m sure if I spoke the language properly they would have asked a thousand questions. They also offered to buy me a new bottle of water after I took pictures with them, as mine was almost empty. But I told them it wasn’t necessary. After our main interaction concluded, there was still a long wait for the bus during which they would constantly peek back at me.