Americans in india?

Renwaa

Yeah, tourism under that pyscho Chavez is just peachy. I just moved from Panama in March to India. Any Venezuelan with the means to do so is getting out (many into Panama City). You travel at your own risk. Venezuela is a beautiful country with wonderful people. Too bad they let themselves be taken in by someone who is destroying their economy.

Renwaa

Wow. That's a pretty sad description of a population of 280 million people. Maybe you should turn off the television for a while since the OC and Desperate Housewives are taking a huge toll on your "generalizations" skills. The people I know are doing well despite the high gas prices. Guess all that clinging to guns and religion helps a bit--oh, and personal responsibility about living within your means.

And yes, there is a Hard Rock at least in Mumbai. I've been there just last Saturday as it was close to lower Parel where we were shopping. Imagine my surprise to see a huge group of Japanese. We should've run them out. They might have been keeping other Americans from having that table! Then again, trying to function within my drug induced haze, due to my lack of coping skills, kept me in a fearful ball in the corner clutching the Prada bag that I bought instead of paying my credit card bill.

Your post is astonishing. Really.

dzibead

Overseas? Canada and Mexico? I knew I'd been out of touch with current events lately, but I don't know how I could have missed the U.S.'s detachment from the rest of the North American continent!

Cayle

It is just a synonym for "foreign", so I'd not read too much into it.

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brownboy66

....

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Nick-H

And only the Panama canal separates it from the South American continent. I guess it's big, as canals go...

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** jeanneleez **

I'm an American living in India, starting my second year actually. I agree with many of the comments made about Americans here. I think America represents both the best and worst of humanity, since after all, it's made up of people from everywhere.

That said, I do experience a couple of things here that are quite disturbing. Everywhere I go here in India, people treat me as if I were a walking wallet. Prices shoot up just because of the color of my skin. After they ask me where I'm from, the price goes even higher or the bargaining ends. It really pisses me off to no end. I explain that I get paid in rupees, too, but that doesn't work. They just assume I must make a huge paycheck.

Another thing that drives me crazy (and really exemplifies the American mentality) are the emails that you get from the U.S. Consulate. I registered my passports at the one in Kolkata and as a parting gift, they gave me a CD explaining the dangers of the Avian Flu. (thanks.) Every now and again, they send out travel advisories, urging Americans to stay indoors, to avoid public places and crowds (um, have you left the consulate? how do you avoid crowds in Kolkata?).

I also avoid the tourist areas of any place I'm living in. I'm just not that hospitable and welcoming, I guess. Tourists are irritating to me and drive up the prices I have to pay to live here. I watched an American woman pick up The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, muttering that she needed to pick up a trash novel for the bus... "Madam," I said, "that is no trash novel." and explained to her that she should read it for its amazing history of the city she was in, the wonderful story lines entwining like the Ganges delta... I later saw her purchase something by Sidney Sheldon. :-(

Americans. There a lot less of them here in India. I like it that way! :-)

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bruce3404

What you're doing here is assigning similar stereotypes to tourists, e.g. "Tourists are irritating to me and drive up the prices I have to pay here" that drive you crazy when Indians assign them to you, e.g. "Everywhere I go here in India, people treat me as if I were a walking wallet". Perhaps you should wear a T-shirt around that says "I live here, I'm not one of THEM(Thank God)".

** jeanneleez **

I apologize. I did learn how to say in Bengali, "I'm not a tourist, brother. My house is in Jadavpur. I don't have an ATM machine in my pocket."

One of those pesky guys that hang around at New Market dropped his basket, he was so stunned. I just walked away. :-)

-- Jeanne

shashank.aggarwal

Jeanne...I can only imagine the scene...first the jaw drop and then basket

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Nick-H

On the rare occasions when I am in vicinities in which tourists get preyed on by auto drivers etc, the following conversation can cause laughter all round:

"Auto, Sir? very nice auto!"

I wave my car key at him. "Taxi? Very nice car!"


(I guess I'm lucky the joke has never backfired, with a complaint against me for touting a non-tourist car!!!)

Haylo

Okay, I am stealing that line!

PeakXV

I was totally ignorant of the term 'tout' before India. I had no idea what people were referring to. 'Better watch out for those touts peak - they'll kidnap you, fleece you & then leave abandoned on some street corner in Srinagar or somewhere'. Hmmmm I thought - what kind of creatures would do a thing like that?

..... It's not that we don't have them in Canada but they seem to be described more aptly as to their specific item/service/scam that they happen to be <ermm> .... touting.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

modeena

Peak - you and me both. I was actually going to ask what a tout was, but wisely did a search to read more about these 'touts'. I did not want to post something that had been discussed ad naseum in triplicate. And then it became crystal clear. It was the people calling out offering their services.


now if only I understood wallah...

capt_mahajan

'Tout' refers derogatorily to a middleman, and is a few shades more presentable than 'pimp'.


'wallah' is Hindustani and, umm, related to 'a person belonging to, selling or involved in a named profession or activity' (thats the closest I can get)

kabaarywallah (with apologies to an esteemed member here ) is one who buys old newspapers, bottles and other household junk for subsequent resale.

a chanawallah (or seengwala in parts of India) sells peanuts at the roadside,

a chaiwallah sells tea

'Shakespeare wallah', was a movie about travelling British actors performing plays across Indian towns

and so on