The positives: 1. Smiles! I loved all of the beautiful smiles I saw on the faces of so many Indian people. 2. The history - India has such a long, rich past that is especially interesting to someone who hails from a nation that is only now celebrating its 150th year. We saw a site that was over 8000 years old! Other remarkable sites date back over 3000 years. 3. The sites/sights - We visited amazing places. I loved the palaces, the forts, the cave temples, etc. 4. The diversity - a) The geographic diversity of India was not lost on us as we circled the country, seeing mountains, plains, tropical regions, desert, wetlands, cities, and countryside. b) Religious tolerance has allowed for peoples of differing faiths to live and thrive together in India for thousands of years. c) The diversity of the people was appreciated and interesting. 5. The prices - We loved being able to share two plates of tasty food from a street vendor for the equivalent of $1.60 in total! In Goa and Pondicherry, the lack of alcohol taxes made liquor purchases an excellent value. We also have several beautiful items as souvenirs that were great bargains (blanket, scarves, clothing, painting, bolster, ornaments, etc.) 6. "Selfies" - We accepted hundreds of requests for selfies or photographs with and of us. Other travelers disliked the unwanted attention and the hassle; I found it hilarious and flattering. Even if seen as a curiosity, if I could make someone happy just by smiling for a photograph, why wouldn't I? "One selfie please?", invariably meant several photos being taken with multiple people. Sometimes it meant posing holding a baby. Always the picture taking was followed by "Thank you" and smiles. Usually it involved at least one handshake. (*see negatives list) 7. "Winter weather" - We loved the nice, dry, warm weather, and we apparently chose the right winter to skip back home as it stayed cold and snowed many times over the entire period of our adventure. | The negatives: 1. Crap! Literally. Our single biggest complaint about India is the prevalence of pooh - everywhere. It's in the countryside, the villages, the towns, and the cities. It's in the streets, in the fields, and on the sidewalks. It is unavoidable. When we reached Sikkim near the end of our trip, we twice saw posted signs announcing that we were in a "No public defecation zone"; what does that say about the rest of the country?!? (*see previously posted poem, "This is India") 2. The smell - There are four prevalent smells throughout India that we could rarely escape: First (*re-read negatives point #1), there is the smell that accompanies so much feces. Next, there is the smell of garbage. There is a lot of garbage and litter throughout India... and it rots and decomposes... sometimes for a change, you'll smell it burning. Third, there's too often the smell of urine. People pee anywhere and everywhere (as do the animals) and it is a hot country. Finally, there is the added scent of fish... raw fish... at times lots of it. 3. Public urination (and defecation) - yes, I realize this is related to both points #1 and #2, but my complaint is different; I don't want to see it! I witnessed hundreds of men pissing over the course of this vacation, and probably a dozen dropping deuces. 4. The dust - It's ubiquitous. It came into our truck whether the windows were open or closed. It coats everything along the roads, and it gets on you, too. You can't help but inhale and consume it. Blow your nose - you'll see. 5. Throat clearing / Horking - (*I realize this is often related to #4, but there are other more subtle ways to deal with the issue.) Many mornings we were awakened by the loud, repulsive sound of someone clearing his throat, gargling the mucus mixture, and spitting it with force. This practice wasn't limited to the early hours, just more prevalent then. This behaviour is socially acceptable in India. It's not a nice sound, nor is it a nice sight. 6. Instant coffee - 99% of the time, "coffee" means instant Nescafe in India (usually with lots of milk and sugar). As someone who really enjoys my high quality Americanos each day at home, it was a long three months. 7. Masala chai - 99% of the time, "tea" means chai (always with lots of milk and sugar). As someone who really enjoys my high quality Americanos each day at home, it was a long three months. (Seriously though, we were sometimes able to get regular "black tea" that was acceptable.) 8. Dead animals - We saw way too many dead bodies... mostly dogs. We also saw human cremations and bodies on pyres, dead cows, dead rats, and dead goats. 9. Road conditions - They're often bad. We traveled over a lot of bumpy, dusty, windy roads. All of India seems to be under constant construction and very little is complete. They tear an entire street up at once rather than repairing, building, or paving small sections at a time. 10. "Speed Breakers" - We call them speed bumps... they're annoying regardless of name. Despite the noted poor road conditions that already severely limit driving speeds, they have speed breakers all over the place. 11. Rude stares - This is another cultural difference... staring isn't rude in India (not much is). People will openly, brazenly, and unabashedly stare at you... especially in restaurants... as though you're on display in a zoo. 12. Rats and cockroaches - There are just too many of them. My favorite image for conveying the "cons" of India was seen in the Kolkata train station. Of course there were lots of piles of human feces on the railway tracks (*see negatives #1). Of course there were lots of rats in the station. The magic was seeing a giant rat gnawing on a giant heap. (I was so disappointed not to get a photograph!) 13. Hassling touts - Usually I appreciate initiative and making an effort to earn a living, but sometimes the relentless nature of the tactics spoiled the enjoyment of visiting certain sites or areas. Annoying people to the point of anger is not the best way to ensure a sale. 14. Honking - It's relentless, too! Honking one's horn in India is not like doing so in Canada... it doesn't necessarily assign blame, nor warn of danger (although it can). The honking of one's horn can mean any of the following: a) Move! b) Stay! c) I'm here d) I'm coming e) I'm going f) Go! g) Stop! h) Be aware i) I'm passing, etc. It is used so much that despite all of it's possible meanings, it has become meaningless, as one quickly becomes immune to the sound and is forced to ignore it or be rendered paralysed by fear and uncertainty. 15. Poor plumbing - Showers often do not have hot water nor adequate water pressure. There are usually no toilets, just squatters that do not flush (One pours a small bucket of water into the squatter to force down the contents.) When they do exist, toilets often don't flush well. Much of the plumbing leaked and floors were often wet. 16. Poor electrical - Power outages are common... sometimes they are intentional to save power and money; other times it's just a power failure. This is not surprising when one sees all of the illegal wires spliced into every power source. There are electrical wires running everywhere and no safety regulations have been employed. 17. Uncomfortable beds - the vast majority of the beds have thin, hard mattresses. It was difficult to get a good night's sleep or to sleep in any position other than flat on one's back. I was in pain for most of the trip as I continuously injured my neck and shoulder during the night and awoke with pinched nerves, a numb arm, and tense muscles. 18. Barefeet - No shoes nor socks in certain temples is a terrible idea. Locals often go barefoot all of the time, so they are bringing dirt and pooh into the temple that I'm expected to walk around in my exposed feet. Also, most temples have a large outdoor courtyard that was often covered in pigeon pooh. Oh yeah, cows are permitted to wander in and conduct their business, too. 19. Aggressive cross-dressers - yes, you read that correctly. No, I cannot explain. 20. Handshakes - Everyone wants to shake your hand... in friendly greeting and to say thanks. Their hands are dirty. Use lots of hand sanitizer. (*related reminders - there is almost never toilet paper, often no running water nor soap) 21. Poverty - It was expected, but its extent was not fully comprehended. This accounts for and is related to many of our complaints... beggars and touts can cause uncomfortable situations in an attempt to make your money theirs... terrible living conditions are just one outcome... homelessness... people sleeping on sidewalks... people peeing on sidewalks... It's difficult to see so many people who are so poor. 22. Litter - yes, I mentioned it in negatives #2 for its pungent aroma, but it's more than that... it's bad for the environment... it's bad aesthetically. We are so trained to properly dispose of our garbage that we couldn't bring ourselves to litter. We would carry a small wrapper or plastic water bottle with us for long periods of time in search of a garbage can or recycling bin (virtually non-existent), passing tens of thousands of pieces of trash while doing so. Eventually someone would notice the object in our hand and say something like, "Oh here, give that to me", then they'd fling it to the ground in front of us either to make a point or in a sincere gesture to teach us how to dispose of refuse. 23. Open sewers - Again, they're everywhere. This relates to the smells. This relates to the public urination and defecation (as people will go directly into the flowing sewer). This relates to poverty as people do not have proper facilities. This relates to the poor plumbing, as sewers aren't contained. Even in major cities, sewage often flows under the sidewalks which are simply slabs of concrete placed over the ditch-like trough with gaps between them. These sources of "water" are too often used for too many things. 24. Lack of sanitation and hygiene - This sums up many of our complaints and concerns, but points at the larger issues. There is no awareness of sanitation and hygiene as education is sorely lacking. There is no funding for improved education, more toilets, more extensive septic and sewer systems, access to clean water, garbage disposal, nor recycling facilities. As infrastructure is improved and expanded, the population grows exponentially and demand continues to exceed supply. Things are getting worse not better. It is no coincidence that the average lifespan in India is 15 years shorter than it is for Canadians. |
When it became evident early in our trip that India wasn't as nice as we'd expected, I decided to begin a list of both the positive aspects of India and our experience that I appreciated, and the negative elements that I did not care for... ie. the pros and cons of travel in India. It's a case of simple mathematics why we don't recommend travel to India despite the wonderful aspects of the trip and the incredible sites... 24 to 7 in favor of the negatives is a net score of -17 for India... that's not good.
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