India in a nutshell...a really big nutshell.
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2009
1
16
39
Trip End
Aug 17, 2009
Delhi, India
Sunday, May 24, 2009
India is the land of extremes. Noise and silence, beauty and filth, serenity and stress, poverty and wealth, tenderness and aggressiveness....and let's not forget the wide range of Indian aromas.
I've never quite felt my race before, not like here. I felt very white and very different from everyone around me.
Vendors...I walked passed a market once and the owner shouted at me "which country is suffering without you?" I like that. I played shesh besh with a vendor in Kasol for hours. I had a clothing vendor in Delhi tell me outright that he doesn't have a mirror because when people see themselves in the clothes, they don't buy. He admitted that's "cheating". He then tried to totally rip me off. I appreciated his honesty about being dishonest. Honestly I did!
Vendors get foreigners to write reviews of their products in order to help sell to other foreigners. I had a vendor in Jodhpur once show me a written review of his product which happened to be.... scrambled eggs.
For some reason, if you look at a product in a shop, a vendor will always thrust another product in your face. Generally what they are shoving is the ugliest thing they have to offer. I must have something about me that screams bad taste......hmmmm....
I looked at a bracelet once and the vendor told me that it was "100% genuine steel". This begs the question, why is metal a selling point when it comes to jewelery?
My favorite vendors were in Mcload Gange (Dharamsala). The Tibetans are so laid back they would abandon their stalls and only after you've been looking at something for 5 minutes would they come running to greet you. The Tibetans were always honest and gave fair prices. They would also explain to you what the meaning of the symbol that is on your (insert product here).
The Kashmiri vendors I came across were not honest for the most part. Every shop would tell you that THIS is the REAL pashmina and/or cashmere and prices would vary widely. This is why, even though I was in Himalayas, with them goats all around, I did not buy a scarf.
I also got felt up by a vendor in Jaipur once. I walked away because I was so shocked but I really wish that I had punched him in the face.
Then there's the kid vendors. They hound you but often speak English better than everyone else and were just so damn cute and persuasive that often I would just buy a little something.
Vendors are always persistent, wherever you go. Many times they are in your face and are unrelenting.
Beggars/Homeless....are everywhere. On the street, on the roads, on the train. Beggars are men, women and children. Often these people are physically challenged in the most horrific ways I've ever seen in my life. At first, seeing many of these people was shocking to me. I would try to ignore, I would also try to absorb. There are lots of scams going on, people tell you. The bottom line is that they are poor and they need help. Instead of giving money after a while, I decided to give food which was accepted with joy. Always. I remember that little boy on the bus and how he clutched the little bag of nuts I gave him....the old lady that thanked G-D when I gave her some food....mostly I'll remember the way the mother fed the pistachios I gave her, one by one, to her son. It was done with such love. There's a fine line between getting used to such poverty and becoming jaded. My contributions to these people may have been a drop in the ocean but judging by the reactions I received, I did something good and that's good enough for me.
Tuk Tuk drivers..... They are no different here than anywhere else in Asia. In a word, I would describe them as pushy. I did have some nice ones though. In Amritsar I had a really nice cycle rickshaw driver. I liked him so much that I used him several times even though when we went uphill I had to get off and walk. Also, his pants were too big and I had a fab view of his "plumber's butt" the whole time. He was the exception though, most times they would harrass you to the point of total despair. By the end of my trip I really wanted to get a T-shirt printed that said "No, I don't want a F$%^ Tuk Tuk!" in five languages. However it is worth mentioning that tuk tuks are super cheap and without them, travel within the cities and towns would have been extremely difficult if not impossible. Plus I actually love riding in them, they weave through traffic in a way that no regular car can and since everything is open, you can really experience your surroundings.
Locals....are curious. Remember when you were a kid and you just wanted to see something or know something and you wouldn't be shy about it? That's Indians for you generally speaking. If I was looking at some pictures on my camera, you could bet that that there's a person looking with me over my shoulder. Once I was reading the LP to Barbara out loud on a train and the guy next to me motions with his hand "one moment" and takes the book away from me and proceeds to read it to his friend for half an hour.
And let's not forget the stares. One Swiss guy said to me that being in India is like "coming to a zoo and you are the animal". I couldn't say it any better. Especially if I'm smoking. Women don't smoke in India and certainly not in public so I would always have to hide it.
They would also wave, shout at you "hello! hello!", ask you to take pictures of them or to take pictures with them or just to take a picture of you, they also chat you up randomly.
During a stop at a train station a very poor man starting chatting to Barbara through the bars on the window. He insisted that she look at a picture he had of himself with an Aussie couple. Then the train took off and we wondered why it was so important to him that she see it. I think for him, it gave him some legitimacy.
Locals also ask you very personal questions like "where is your husband?" "How much do you earn?" but mostly and always you would get "which country are you from?" I was once on a tuk tuk that was just about to drive off when a guy popped his head in and asked that question.
I cannot forget my dear friends that I met in Kasol, Shawn and Kad. The lovely souls that gave me insight into the new generation of Indians and how they cope in a society where their culture and traditions can hold them back but also make them proud. They make their own rules as to how they want to live their lives and pursue their dreams. They are just so damn cool.
Cows.....there's lots of them. Hindus consider them holy, people feed and take of them. I never figured out if they belong to anyone, I'm sure some did. Cows have a good life in India, they're always fat and happy looking. They roam without fear and often have attitude. They look at you like you're a peasant...a mere mortal. Really, they do. They also relieve themselves everywhere. A cousin of mine described India as "shit! there's shit everywhere!" Well I would say that that is true....at least 80%.
Trains....I won't lie, was petrified of Indian trains before I arrived. There is so much information about them on blogs, message boards and guide books. It all seemed very confusing and dangerous. It really isn't bad. If you're going to India, I would recommend that you use a travel agent (just check the actual rates online before you do), make sure to get there on time, be prepared for loooooong delays, hang on to your valuables, get a window seat, hold your bladder, make friends with your fellow passengers, bring food with you and always, always, always get some Chai from the Chai wallah at 5am.
The best thing about trains is the locals you get to interact with. One of my absolute favorite moments in India was when I woke up on the train and went to wash my face. I stepped out of the bathroom and caught my breath. There before me was the most strikingly beautiful woman. She looked like a vision. She was wearing a bright colourful saree and she was gently brushing her long, shining hair. "You are so beautiful" I say, without actually meaning to speak. She smiles at me, a big confident smile that lights up her face "you beautiful too" she says. She lied. I happened to look in the mirror while washing my face and I looked like a dirty backpacker. I said "no no" to the woman, I smiled back and then went to my seat.
Palaces, monuments, ashrams, gardens, temples, mountains etc........when I researched India before my trip there was little written about all of the aforementioned. Much much more was written about the dangers, the dirt, the scams and such. It made me really nervous. More should be said because all of these things are so wonderful, so beautiful, so breathtaking, I would even say Magical. Words actually fail me, my vocabulary is too limited for me to accurately describe all of these things. It is the combination of them and the culture that makes India so fabulous.
It's ironic I guess that I too am writing little about all of these things in this here summary.
I read once that Indians make the short list of the happiest people on earth. While on a bus in the Himalayas, I saw a man sitting in his little shop high up on a mountain. There was nothing really around but more mountains. I only got a a quick look at him as we drove passed but what struck me about him was the smile on his face. It was a smile that exudes happiness on a level that I've never seen before. It was Pure Joy. I remember thinking "why is that guy so happy?" I thought of westerners such as myself. We think we've got it all figured out. We have a much better standard of living, more money, more opportunities, more Stuff. But I've never seen a westerner with a smile quite like that. Not even close.
India was a rough ride for me. My senses were in overload which is why I think most travelers stay there for so long (that and because it's ridiculously cheap). You simply cannot rush though it. India makes you want to Hang Out, sit back, relax, have a chai and watch it all unfold.
