At the Beach in Goa and an India FAQ

  Anjuna, India
Sunday, December 9, 2007

Anjuna Beach

I have done very little in Goa. Walked along the beach a couple times, made attempts to rid Goa of beer, discovered a fine restaurant that serves steak, aptly named Sublime, and read lots of books.

Here are some responses to well asked questions I've recently received. (I guess that makes this a WAQ instead of a FAQ).

Which is crazier: India or China?
India...whew...yeah I think it's crazier than China. It's a decent craziness-competition, but India wins. Everything's more pronounced: the poverty, the incessant honking, the crowding of people, their amazement that I'm white, the colors, the trash. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss China in a way--though really I think I like Indians better. I guess geographically I prefer China, humanity wise I prefer India. With the craziness I find that people generally are more sensible, logical and thoughtful here. There's just something to be said for freedom of speech and freedom of movement and freedom to assemble, well, I guess, freedom in general. That brings a certain level of innate happiness no matter how poor you are and I think that it shows. That and you can buy delicious chai anywhere anytime for 3 rupees (7 cents). :)

Hello water

Do you get harassed a lot?
As for harassment, ohmygod, yes, it's constant, "Hello rickshaw, hello water, hello friend, hello look at my shop, etc." It's just part of the experience I guess. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as the constant, piercing honking coming from every vehicle, especially motorcycles zooming straight towards me in narrow streets filled with cows and countless pedestrians and shops.

Do people speak English?
People do speak English pretty much everywhere. It's not universal but there's always a 100% fluent English speaker right there, breathing on my neck who can help in any situation. (That said, after writing that sentence, when I stood up to pay for the time online at the Internet cafe, neither the attendant nor anyone nearby spoke a word of English). From what I understand, because they have like 16 official languages here, most people prefer to use English as the common language. There's been a drive for Hindi but many non-native Hindi speakers--90% of the country--don't want that and prefer English, probably because of the fact that it gives them more power to communicate with the rest of the world.

Anjuna fishermen

Why so many people dying in India?
Could be because they drive like mad. Could be because of open sewers. Could be because most people don't have running water or a toilet. Could be because most people can't afford to eat. Could be that those who can afford to eat eat too much and smoke too much. Could be because the Muslims and Hindus don't seem to get along very well and blow up each other's trains and buses all the time.

Everyone rides on motorcycles in India. Do the women ever get their 9 meter saris stuck in the wheels?
Yes

Is there a middle class in India?
There is a middle class, they're just dwarfed by the overwhelming number of poor and the overwhelming opulence of the small amount of mega-rich. I'd imagine that the middle class here is roughly the same size in actual population of the US middle class. Fortunately there's not a billion other people in the US.

Anjuna Beach

Read any good books lately?
Yes, I promise an entry on this soon...

Are you looking forward to Australia?
Yup, mostly I look forward to a place where people don't fall off their scooter or crash their bike from staring at you, serves hamburgers and has sane traffic.

Would you ever come back to India?
In a heartbeat.