This is a list of my personal experiences and opinions on what I enjoyed and did not enjoy about travelling in India!
I Will Miss:
Connecting with others who share similar soul paths in such a condensed way. There are many who are ‘riding the wave’ of our collective spiritual growth, and India is a very good place to come into contact with many of these people. It has a stigma and so a pathway, for those who have similar interests to walk together. My live attracts these people everywhere I go, but as of now, the intensity of those connections is faster paced travelling in India.
The animals being everywhere. It is so nice to just hang out with a cow. Cows, goats, dogs, cats, and monkeys are the main animals which are simply everywhere. Monkeys can be dicks sometimes, but the cows especially can be really nice company at times!
The train rides. Going on a long train journey is one of the ‘classic experiences’ that India has to offer. The sleeper class is arraigned in bunks of small beds, which to a traveller become like a safe haven. Just like long trips with any other form of transport, it is a great time to reflect on life, read, and create art.
The cute mannerisms of the men. There are some movements of the body that tickle me pink with cuteness. On the final days of being there, I really started to gush over some of them…
The shear beauty of the women. The beautiful dresses, hairstyling, and jewellery is sometimes so stunning that I don’t even know what to say!
The living faiths. In my opinion, most spiritual traditions and religious institutions are not so… alive. And this is true of many of the traditions in India too (I will go into that in the -will not miss- section), however, more than most places, it is more than possible to meet a person who is living a faith in India. To me, this means there is a dynamic quality to the energy being channelled, it is not dogmatic, but alive and evolving.
The new youths in India. What I mean by that is, there are some younger folks who I met who are ready to do away with the superstitious beliefs of the culture, cultivate the values, and create social and environmental change. I believe those youths will later be the power of their time, and in that time we will see major changes.
The stunning environment/water. There are sights to see that cannot be seen anywhere else. The mountains, jungles, rivers and oceans of India have qualities unique to themselves. The Ganges river (particularly in the North) is a beauty beyond comprehension. Unfortunately, littering is a huge problem, and this is ruining a lot of the nature there. But I will get into that in the other list.
The handmade jewellery/wood working. Some of the creations there are so beautiful and inspired, though some stuff is made on for the purpose of tourists, much of the art is colourful and stunningly beautiful.
Cheap living. Coming from a background of not having a lot of material wealth, this is a place where I got to live a bit of a ‘over the middle’ lifestyle at times. I realize that tourism in this way can be unhealthy for the native place, so I am not saying it’s a good thing. But it is a unique experience for me. My favourite place was a place called Gokarna, where I was pay 2 dollars per night to live in a straw hut.
The hospitality of Indian family structure. I stayed with two friends and their families in the South of India, in a place called Chennai. I was well well well taken care of on every level. The experience was genuine and sweet.
Last but not least…
The ability to pee and poop outside. One of the days I was there, I actually took a poop on the side of the road. I was behind a tree a little… and it was night time. But I didn’t feel like I was doing anything wrong. What a trip!
I Will Not Miss:
(Note: I realize I am a person travelling in another people’s country, so I am not suggesting change based on my wants, but am expressing my true feelings.)
The incessant beeping of horns. It is illegal not to beep your horn when you pass someone by motor vehicle. There is great purpose to this, as it allows people to be aware when you are behind them. But my ears really, really didn’t like it!
The abuse of animals. It is very common to abuse animals in India. Dog are considered less than acceptable often (It is hard, because they do often have disease). But the method in which many use to move these animals is a hard hit with a stick. One time a friend put it well, “When a dog sees a human with a stick in the West, he knows it’s time to play fetch… not in India.”
The superstitions of religion. While there are many great spiritual teachings and valuable traditions, there are also guilt based social norms and superstitions (ie: this god will be displeased if…).
Bartering at shops. This experience can actually be fun. But I would rather hear a reasonable, not so cheap or so high price that the shop keeper feels is fair, than play the game of him/her trying to get as much as they can out of me, and me trying to give as little as I can. There is something to be said for fair contracts.
The sexual repression/patriotically role models. The confusing part about sexuality there is that it is so laced with social identity and family, that people often are not allowed to express their true needs. This has caused major problems, and true, heartfelt communication would wipe away much of this. I can say the EXACT same thing for Canada.
The plastic food. While the homemade food there can be so amazing, the store bought food sometimes actually tastes like plastic. This is also true of the Western world, but sometimes it’s even worse.
The tourist industry. Because it is an industry, it is sometimes hard to have truthful conversations. When someone wants to sell you something, they rarely say things as they are. This is a bigger problem though, because we deserve it, being from English roots. The whole thing is such a mess on so many levels, that it is hard to experience things in a truthful way, when money is involved. That being said, I met many great travel agents who I consider friends over the time I was there.
Attention grabbing/Vying for respect. When foreign folks are in India, it happens often that someone wants you to notice them or give them praise. Because we are put onto a god like pedestal. This is creates false and superficial relationships. I met many people ’on the level’, but it is common to be treated like a celebrity, so that if for example, other people see a local with a Westerner, they get some form of respect. This to be is silly. I said a few times, “You realize I am not even cool where I am from right?”
Authoritative structure in families. While I think in the West sometimes we have too little influence from the family structure, in India sometimes I think there is too much. Many people expressed to me their fears around sharing honestly with their families, because if they did, they would loose the approval of the father/family. The joke though, is that when no one is being honest with each other, this is much worse energetically than expressing something that may be hard, but is true. Often it is thought that the ‘kids need to learn what is right’ from the parents. This of course is true, but if overly identified with, can turn into a power trip.
The pollution. Someone expressed this very well to me. “Don’t blame them, before we came along and sold them plastic, they only used biodegradable materials, so throwing them on the ground made no difference.” This is very true. Now however, it has reached an epidemic and needs to be dealt with in a different way. We in the West need much better ways to deal with this as well. I have seen that a machine exists which will revert the plastic back into oil. This may be a start anyway.
And finally…
General cleanliness. A friend used anti-bacterial solution to wash her hands once, and a girl said to her, “you don’t use water? That is gross”. The joke is that much of the water is infected with bacteria that is very dangerous. So this has to be on the mind consistently to avoid putting something very dangerous into the body.
