India is a place I never figured I'd visit. Whether it was fear or laziness, as mentioned in my previous post, I never felt like dealing with the crowds, noise, garbage, and wasn't too keen on figuring out how to navigate their public transportation system either. Armed with that pre-existing negative mindset towards India, I figured I would take note of what I was seeing and how I was feeling during each day of the trip to see if the country would grow on me, have the opposite effect, or be somewhere in between. Some of the phrases will only mean anything if you've been here, other phrases will just speak for themselves. This experiment proved to be an interesting exercise and I'm a bit surprised by the result.
-Wel Come (not a typo)
-Wow. Just, Wow.
-When are we leaving again?
-Unrelenting clusterfuck
-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!
-Eerily quiet, but only before sunrise
-Squalor
-Burning flesh next to bathing bodies
-Remind me never to eat the fish from the Ganges.
-The Circle of Life
-Bovine traffic jam
-Down on the farm walking down the street: pig, donkey, cow, buffalo, horse, goat, goose, bird, mouse, beetle, monkey, dog
-Africa on steroids
-Dizzying array of colors
-Delicious edible escapes
-Exhaust-ing
-I've heard that reading books can't fully prepare you for being a parent. I now know the same can be said about reading guidebooks prior to arrival in India.
-Empty eyes
-Fabric slapping laundry service
-5 year old kids with Cock brand matches and fireworks. What could possibly go wrong?
-Eye level BOOM
-Aromatic
-Is this water filtered?
-The ultimate sensory suffocation
-Organized chaos?
-Countries with over a billion people don't give pedestrians the right of way.
-Stop staring at me!
-Cricket(s)
-I can bowl and bat.
-Gloriously stached
-Veg/Non-veg
-Patel or Singh, I presume?
-That's a fine looking lassi.
-Cow chips on a hot tin roof
-Spitters at whom the Chinese would scoff
-Roadside garbage is both a rest stop and 1-stop shopping for humans and animals.
-A master class for experienced African travelers
-TAJ MAHAL
-Tasty, even at its worst
-Fire Hazard
-Would you like a premium seat inside the bus or a discounted one on the roof?
-Space Invaders
-Bollywood
-Pop-a-Squat Pop-a-Anywhere
-The Chai Lord
-Generous
-Weathered
-Eye opening experience if you keep your eyes peeled
-Anything goes
-The only rules of the road are that there are no rules of the road.
-Not for the faint of heart
-Breeds introspection
-One man's normal is another man's crazy.
-New slogan for India Board of Tourism: We make returning to work seem desirable.
-A living, breathing example in the value of looking beyond 1st impressions
-Slow motion chaos
-Easier to focus on self and not surroundings with each passing day
-15 rupees to send a postcard? (25 cents)
-Rudyard Kipling
-Blatant reminder to accept each destination for what it is and not force it to be something it isn't
-Symmetrical Sightseeing
-1 week isn't enough
-Since many people speak English, it grows on you in ways China can't.
-Perhaps it is possible to love India.
-Will I ever see blue skies again?
-Reflections
-Lazy hazy days
-Lake. Placid.
-Garbage blends into the landscape
-Receipt for toilet paper. Worked just fine, thank you.
-Tuk Tuks are much faster going downhill.
-Festivals, and their symphony of sound and color, are just as much spectacle as the eerie silence the morning after.
-Octopussy
-Miniature paintings
-Turn the knob to flush...unless there is no water to flush.
-Traveling with an insufferable, condescending narcissist ain't easy. Relax. I'm not speaking of Sara.
-Forts and castles are for sightseeing and sleeping.
-Movemeber and my creepy stache
-Diwali discount
-Cheeky monkeys
-Pushkar camel fair is as crazy as it is beautiful.
-Uneven step heights will be the death of me.
-How many wall switches can you have in a room?
-Comfortable chaos
-Relaxing
-Ayurvedic massage
-Exhale
-Until we meet again?
India certainly grew on me and I really enjoyed the experience. I think that's the key word: Experience. It's more of an experience than it is a vacation. Did I love the experience? Absolutely. But did I love India? Ehhh. I find it hard to say I love a place when there is so much poverty, garbage, and squalor. Not knowing if the water you're drinking or the food you're eating is clean and safe, is a constant annoyance. Crowds so unruly that I feared being trampled to death was an event which added to the overall experience of India but isn't something I ever want to feel again. It's certainly a vibrant culture and a place I think everyone should try and visit. I can definitely see myself returning sometime in the future, which isn't something I could have envisioned thinking prior to visiting. Like Africa, India has a way of making you see your own life in a whole new perspective, which is a valuable experience and reason enough to make it an adventure worth taking. Cheers.
-Wel Come (not a typo)
-Wow. Just, Wow.
-When are we leaving again?
-Unrelenting clusterfuck
-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!
-Eerily quiet, but only before sunrise
-Squalor
-Burning flesh next to bathing bodies
-Remind me never to eat the fish from the Ganges.
-The Circle of Life
-Bovine traffic jam
-Down on the farm walking down the street: pig, donkey, cow, buffalo, horse, goat, goose, bird, mouse, beetle, monkey, dog
-Africa on steroids
-Dizzying array of colors
-Delicious edible escapes
-Exhaust-ing
-I've heard that reading books can't fully prepare you for being a parent. I now know the same can be said about reading guidebooks prior to arrival in India.
-Empty eyes
-Fabric slapping laundry service
-5 year old kids with Cock brand matches and fireworks. What could possibly go wrong?
-Eye level BOOM
-Aromatic
-Is this water filtered?
-The ultimate sensory suffocation
-Organized chaos?
-Countries with over a billion people don't give pedestrians the right of way.
-Stop staring at me!
-Cricket(s)
-I can bowl and bat.
-Gloriously stached
-Veg/Non-veg
-Patel or Singh, I presume?
-That's a fine looking lassi.
-Cow chips on a hot tin roof
-Spitters at whom the Chinese would scoff
-Roadside garbage is both a rest stop and 1-stop shopping for humans and animals.
-A master class for experienced African travelers
-TAJ MAHAL
-Tasty, even at its worst
-Fire Hazard
-Would you like a premium seat inside the bus or a discounted one on the roof?
-Space Invaders
-Bollywood
-Pop-a-Squat Pop-a-Anywhere
-The Chai Lord
-Generous
-Weathered
-Eye opening experience if you keep your eyes peeled
-Anything goes
-The only rules of the road are that there are no rules of the road.
-Not for the faint of heart
-Breeds introspection
-One man's normal is another man's crazy.
-New slogan for India Board of Tourism: We make returning to work seem desirable.
-A living, breathing example in the value of looking beyond 1st impressions
-Slow motion chaos
-Easier to focus on self and not surroundings with each passing day
-15 rupees to send a postcard? (25 cents)
-Rudyard Kipling
-Blatant reminder to accept each destination for what it is and not force it to be something it isn't
-Symmetrical Sightseeing
-1 week isn't enough
-Since many people speak English, it grows on you in ways China can't.
-Perhaps it is possible to love India.
-Will I ever see blue skies again?
-Reflections
-Lazy hazy days
-Lake. Placid.
-Garbage blends into the landscape
-Receipt for toilet paper. Worked just fine, thank you.
-Tuk Tuks are much faster going downhill.
-Festivals, and their symphony of sound and color, are just as much spectacle as the eerie silence the morning after.
-Octopussy
-Miniature paintings
-Turn the knob to flush...unless there is no water to flush.
-Traveling with an insufferable, condescending narcissist ain't easy. Relax. I'm not speaking of Sara.
-Forts and castles are for sightseeing and sleeping.
-Movemeber and my creepy stache
-Diwali discount
-Cheeky monkeys
-Pushkar camel fair is as crazy as it is beautiful.
-Uneven step heights will be the death of me.
-How many wall switches can you have in a room?
-Comfortable chaos
-Relaxing
-Ayurvedic massage
-Exhale
-Until we meet again?
India certainly grew on me and I really enjoyed the experience. I think that's the key word: Experience. It's more of an experience than it is a vacation. Did I love the experience? Absolutely. But did I love India? Ehhh. I find it hard to say I love a place when there is so much poverty, garbage, and squalor. Not knowing if the water you're drinking or the food you're eating is clean and safe, is a constant annoyance. Crowds so unruly that I feared being trampled to death was an event which added to the overall experience of India but isn't something I ever want to feel again. It's certainly a vibrant culture and a place I think everyone should try and visit. I can definitely see myself returning sometime in the future, which isn't something I could have envisioned thinking prior to visiting. Like Africa, India has a way of making you see your own life in a whole new perspective, which is a valuable experience and reason enough to make it an adventure worth taking. Cheers.
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