To India, With Love

From the temperate hill station of Kodaikanal we descended back into the full-on Indian heat - it's been at least 37 degrees Celsius every day since.

We spent two days in Trichy, where we visited two GIANT temples. One involved climbing 437 stone-cut steps to a wonderful view at the top. (An information board here claimed that geological surveys dated the rocky mountain at 3500 billion years old.... hmmm....) You can imagine how sweaty we were by the end of the climb. Luckily there was a film crew from Mumbai waiting for us at the top who were filming a documentary/travel show. They enjoyed getting lots of shots of two sweaty, sweaty white people climbing up and down the steps.

Our second-last stop was Pondicherry, the French-Indian town. Its history as a French trading post is still apparent in its many street signs being in both French and Tamil (the state language), businesses that close from 1 - 3:30 PM for a long lunch, and its yearly celebration of Bastille Day. Two days here were enough - we didn't really love it, though we couldn't pinpoint why.

We've been in Chennai now for three days. It's another big city (6.6 million). We've been doing last-minute shopping, exploring, and soaking it all in, as well as trying lots of street food and drinks we hadn't yet tried and indulging in our favourite Indian meals. We fly to Malaysia tonight.


And now...


India In Five Words


Friendly

We weren't fully prepared for all the attention we'd attract here. Being white, we stand out in any crowd as painfully obvious tourists. However, this means that there are loads of people who want to talk to us, take their picture with us, and ask us the Usual Questions: Where are you from? What is your good name? Is this your first time in India? How long are you here for? How are you enjoying your trip? We could answer the questions in our sleep by now, but it's great meeting people. Often there were times we were trying to get directions/bus info/train info/etc and we'd attract a giant crowd of people wanting to help (or watch). The children are the best; walking down a street, they often call out greetings to us, shake our hands, and try out their limited English.


Challenging

All friendliness aside, India is not without its challenges and frustrations. For every wonderful person we've met, we've also encountered at least ten not-so-wonderful people who try to rip us off any way they can. For rickshaw drivers to apple sellers to shop owners, white skin usually means MONEY and its close to impossible to get a fair price. We've been ignored, given the crappy seats on a long-distance bus ride (we've even been lied to about the destination of a long distance bus just to get us to fill empty seats - we discovered this half way to the wrong town), and had people try to cut in front of us in almost every line we've ever stood in. The racism (is that what it is?) can be extremely frustrating. Add to that language barriers, erratic bus schedules, Delhi belly, and the ubiquitous Indian head wobble (which means yes, or no, or I don't speak English, or anything else), and it adds up to a challenging 11 weeks. We've joked that "surviving" India should be something worth putting on a resume since it requires so many skills!

Any people thinking of traveling to India together need the ability to differentiate between being angry at your travel partnet vs. being frustrated at a situation; the ability to have important conversations regarding travel plans with at least 20 Indians watching/listening; and the willingness to unashamedly discuss your bowel movements together.


Sense-ational

India is, without a doubt, a definite assault on the senses!

Sights: Vibrant colours abound in India, from spectacular saris to the rainbows of fruit and veg stalls to the colour-throwing festival of Holi, with much more in between.

Smells: Walking down any street the smells range from mouth-watering restaurant meals to open sewers (they're EVERYWHERE) to fresh flowers in women's hair to cow and dog poop.

Tastes: Ahh, Indian food. Craig says it's the best food in the world - and Andrea just might agree. The range of dishes here is incredible, and unlike any "Indian" food we've ever had back in Canada. We've both been mostly vegetarian here, since so many restaurants are pure veg, and since the veggie food here is so good even Craig hasn't missed meat (much). Add to the food the spicy, milky chai (tea) and bakery sweets, and you have 11 weeks' worth of unforgettable meals. That said, somehow (maybe due to the 10 km + of walking we do daily) we've each lost at least 10 pounds.

Sounds: India is LOUD. City buses have air horns, and cars and motorbikes have unnecessarily loud DOUBLE horns. And everyone seems to honk them every five seconds, often for no reason. There is random music BLARING out of public speakers. Many cities have a VERY loud call to prayer at 5 am. And long-distance buses play Bollywood movies WAY above the threshold of hearing damage. We are certain we've both suffered hearing loss here. So speak up, will ya!

Touches: As we said, we shake hands with many strangers (adults and children) daily. Luckily, all restaurants have hand-washing stations. Most people eat with their hands here (even rice!), and we've only managed non-utensil eating for a few dishes - for rice, we still have to ask for a spoon. The hand-washing stations are especially lucky since toilet paper is not widely used here, but the "hand in bucket (of water)" technique is used. Even for number twos. (We always carry our own toilet paper.)


Perspective-Changing

India has put us in our place countless times. Although this country has the world's fastest-growing number of millionaires, a third of the population subsists on less than 45 rupees ($1 CAD) per day. (Our budget is 2000 rupees per day - and that's considered budget.) Poverty is everywhere, as are beggars. It gets a bit soul-tiring seeing upwards of 20 - 30 beggars a day (at least). We've heard accounts of parents purposely crippling their children so they can have a "good career" as a beggar. Government schools here have between 40 - 50 students in a class (and Ontario teachers complain!). People suffering from leprosy and polio - diseases unheard of in Canada - are everywhere. If we take anything away from this trip, hopefully our memories of India will make us complain a bit less about our "first world problems" and be more grateful for our fortunate lives in Canada.


Unforgettable

Like the Indian dust that settles into your clothes and bags and doesn't budge no matter how often you wash them, this country gets under your skin. You learn to love it or hate it - and we've definitely met travelers who are, unfortunately, hating it. Even though there are things we will miss about India there are also things we won't miss - but it's all a part of the experience. We can confidently say we LOVE India, and hope to return one day - maybe even with kids in tow, for some perspective-changing of their own.


And finally, because this post isn't already long enough...


Indian Math

$36 CAD/day spent
13 train rides
14 bus rides
41 rickshaw rides
23 cities visited
3 delicious, mouth-watering meals a day
1 Bollywood movie acting experience
7698 photographs taken of India by Craig
189 photographs taken of us by strangers
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76 INCREDIBLE days in India