Suddenly, we heard the sound of a camera click and my anger reached boiling point. I jumped to my feet, my arms waving madly and chased the men a short distance away. They continued to stare but at a safe distance. Now two more busloads of men had descended onto the beach and the gathering crowd grew bigger and bigger. Giving up we got back on our bicycles, the crowd following our departure.
Menstruation is seen as unclean and women are often barred from certain activities each month.
In some homes women are requested not to cook, they cannot go to school, work or the temple. They cannot say their prayers or come in contact with men for fear of tainting others. I had left my hotel at 5 am to make the climb of 4000 steps to reach these temples. Barefoot in the dark I had pushed myself upwards before the heat of the day. Now as the sun was just breaking over the mountain, I was hardly going to turn around because I was considered unclean.