Tomorrow morning we leave India, after 24 days of travelling in Kerala (SW), Tamil Nardu (SE), Rajasthan (North) and Andra Pradesh (SE). I have relished every minute and feel incredibly privileged to have had this experience. Here are a few comments gleaned from our experiences, or as a result of conversations with guides: - Indians were very warm towards us. We were made to feel really welcome wherever we travelled. They were also very willing to talk openly about themselves and their country. - Indians seem to be very industrious and entrepreneurial people, both men and women, and are always looking for opportunities to either sell us something, or service our needs in return for a tip. - Tipping, however, is tiny compared with what is expected in the USA, eg 200/- equals approx USD4 and seemed to be a generous tip for a waiter. - Indians approached us, frequently, to be photographed with us. And they seemed to love being photographed by us, and always said Thank-you when we took their photo. - There are far fewer tourists in India than we have encountered in our other travels. - Many Indians speak English, though the clarity of their spoken English varied considerably. However, it made India much easier for us to travel in than, say, South America. - Almost everyone we met: hotel staff, drivers, guides, and other Indian travellers had 2, or fewer, children. The time of large Indian families seemed to be a thing of the past. - There is a huge respect for education, and perfectly outfitted school children were seen everywhere we went. In fact, making sure the children received a good education was the reason most gave for limiting their family size. - We read one disturbing comment about attitudes to girls. There is a village where, apparently, no girls have been born over many years. We did note that every person we talked to about their family had either 2 sons, or a son and a daughter. No one seemed to have a daughter first, or two daughters. This may just be a coincidence relating to those to whom we spoke. - Everywhere we went, we saw that people had swept the area in front of their house or shop. However, we couldnt see any place for people to dispose of their garbage. Litter seemed to remain just out of the reach of their premises. PM Modi has challenged people to clean up their towns, and some towns and cities were much cleaner than others. - Generally the smell, that tourists have complained about, was not frequent. - However, Indian men, even those very well dressed, commonly urinate on any available wall. There is an attempt to stop this, but apparently this is seen as an Indian mans right. - Many Indian houses dont have toilets or bathrooms. Women are being encouraged to refuse to marry men whose families dont have bathrooms. This could be an interesting force for change. - Regardless of how poor women were, they always had beautifully combed hair (often bedecked with flowers), colourful saris and jewellery. Self-care seems almost universal. - We saw no tension between Hindus and Moslems who seem to live peacefully together, though one of our Hindu drivers expressed fear of Moslems increasing in population size. Often Mosques and Temples were built close by each other. - Indian has an extraordinary legacy of historical masterpieces! We couldnt get over how little we knew of these previously! Wherever we went, there were wonderful buildings to see, structures and sculptures to ooh and aah over. The countryside varies enormously, as does the variety of customs, cuisines, and people. It is, afterall, a sub-continent! - India is a confronting, chaotic, and challenging place to visit. However, for every minute we have been here, we have been thrilled by the variety of colours, tastes, sceneries, sounds .... It will never be a place where you feel bored if you are open to new experiences!
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 12:53:11 +0000
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