Goodbye (for now) India
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2004
1
33
70
Trip End
Nov 10, 2005
Delhi,
India
Thursday, April 21, 2005
We plan on coming back to Delhi (via Varanasi) after Nepal before flying...somewhere else, but great as it has been, right now we are happy to leave.
Delhi gets as close as you can to epitomising India (why we came and why we are glad to leave). While here we have visited historic mosques, temples and forts, been constantly harrassed for our money and had to evade the rubbish and human waste (less cows though).
Hopefully we will now get a break from the constant "Hello sir, rickshaw? where you go? sir!, where you go!!..." and "Yes!, Have a look! Jewellery? Have a look!! Looking is free!!!! SIR! SIR! SIR!!" or "Hello, 1 rupee, hello! 10 ruppe, 50 rupee, Hello!! HELLO!!, SIR ! SIR!!!".
No more will our feet turn black from the rubbish on the street, will we worry about stepping in a puddle because it is probably someone's piss or will we almost vomit from the smell of rotting sewers/rivers (same thing). No more will people on the train laugh at Kate for refusing to throw her rubbish out the window like the Indians!
The contradictions for our western minds are often immense and too hard to really sum up in words... it is perfectly normal to see men holding hands, massaging each others legs on the train and generally displaying brotherly love rarely seen in Australia, but for a husband to kiss his wife in public! shame, or for a woman to show some leg, unheard of. Men stare, stare and then stare some more. Manners are generally non-existant and everyone operates on a 'first to push to front, first to be served' mentality making things like buying train tickets a frustrating experience.
The divide between the rich and poor is growing larger and no-one seems to care, least of all the government. Disabilities, many of which would have been prevented in Australia or, horrifically, have been intentionally inflicted on a child, are far too common and resign a person to a life on the streets, while others literally have their hands wiped when they go to the bathroom because they have money.
And finally, in a country where 6m of material can make a woman look most elegant and beautiful, the men are generally stuck in the 80's with, what is possibly the worst fashion sense in the world!
However, don't get us wrong, it has been a fabulous and amazing place to visit and experience and we would not change a minute. The amazing sights, sounds and culture of the place are to be savoured and the trials are something that must be endured with a smile lest they infringe on the wonderment that is India. If anyone is thinking of coming to India it is the experience of a lifetime and one we would always recommend.
