The India confusion

GauhatiBoy · Aug 28th, 2007, 00:58

Wow Beach, I just read that initial post for the first time and I'm really impressed!!! I grew up in India but haven't come close to explaining to others as well as you have. And as you said, someone who has lived all their life there still has other "countries" to see within India. One case in point, Naga people are Indian but have altogether different social traditions.

Your explanation of communication in particular is, I'm sure, very valuable to a visitor. Applause . . . . .!

praveen_yadlapalli · Aug 28th, 2007, 02:14

Simply Superb!

beach · Sep 9th, 2007, 16:04

Me too just gone through my posting, the India Confusion! I can't believe that I’ve posted this here more than three years back! for it appeared to me as if I’ve posted it a couple of months back!

Thank you all for the complements....

(Somehow I’m a bit out of sync with the happenings in IM now a days. It said 18,432 new posts since my last login!! )

Nick-H · Sep 9th, 2007, 16:10

OK.

So we expect to see you logged in, catching up, for at least three weeks continuously!

Please do not neglect us for so long: we miss you

flagpolecorner · Sep 9th, 2007, 19:19

Just stumbled across this for the first time too! Have to say one of the most sensation, concise and accurate pieces of travel writing I've ever read. Excellent. I was born in India but grew up in the west. Been going back almost every year though and at first (or atleast the earliest memories I have) I have to admit i had a lot of reservations. The dust, the dirt, the noise, the traffic, the toilets! As a young kid you only go by what's there in front of you, nothing else and it was weird. But as I've grown older (am only 21) I've been able to appreciate it more and more and am totally in love with the country. The bit about family is spot on. We have no other family here, just me, my brother and my parents. All my cousins, aunties, uncles are all in India and it tooks us over a week just to properly pay everyone a visit in Bangalore. Such is the vastness of our family and the difficulties of travelling from spot to spot in a big Indian city.

Cant remember who it was sorry but someone also replied saying how their wife was depressed after going back to Australia after a trip to India. I totally empathise with this situation! I got back from India 7 days ago but I still have a week or two to go before university starts, I have drifted apart from a lot of friends around my parent's home and both my parents work full time. I'm bored stiffless and the house is empty, the streets are quiet. All I can think about is that huge extended family, my cousins that I wont see again for another 12 months, the lovely noise, the smell, the food. All I've been able to think about is India and I've even started planning my next trip next year! I suppose posts like the original piece make me even more sad

Wonderful thread! The original piece should be put in to every India travel guide and read by anyone thinking about going to India.

Euston · Sep 12th, 2007, 23:48

Ive seen the description in here a few times now.. i admit it, i am an "india virgin". Arrived late friday night got dumped in an appartment in Bandra, mumbai monday evening.

So far i am finding this place facinating. Every evening i am out for a walk just looking at "life" I hope that after a year i will be getting the hang of it. Wish me luck and thanks to all for a very nice site

Nick-H · Sep 12th, 2007, 23:54

Welcome.... and Good Luck

kalbarri · Oct 6th, 2007, 21:24

i found this thread.was about to atart one entitled WHAT I LOVE ABOUT INDIA or HOW INDIA STOLE MY HEART.
it's all to do with the magic, which can,t be viewed from the purely statistical nor material viewpoint.
IN 1977 I crossed the border from pakistan into india and i was so excited i bent down and kissed the earth! since the beginning of my desire to see india it had taken me 10 years to touch the soil and there was NO culture shock for me. thought it great that i could pee in the street! that first day in india i saw a blind beggar woman being led by a boy. she had her hand on his shoulder as they walked along and she was singing. it was the most beautiful singing i have ever heard and i thought "she is in poverty but she has that!" this was my initiation that allowed me to live in india for 2 years and know and see the spirit beyond or within the material. i made friends with beggars and travelled with a saddhu for a year and a half and survived by doing portrait sketches, sometimes rich, sometimes poor to the point of begging from westerners. i was the only westerner that i met that wasn't smoking ganja. got high maybe 3 times.india was so far out that smoking took me to another planet and i preferred being in india.
had my passport stolen, (by french junkies, i found out later)got worms, nits, malaria, boils, many things but the funniest thing was, that when i had some money sent, my ticket back to australia and had about 4 days to go, an indian official told me that he wouldn't let me leave india! because i didn't have bank reciepts to prove that i had changed money in india. SO....as one does, i went to the highest ranking and after sitting with him for an hour or so and explaining that i was a gypsy and had been doing portraits as i travelled in europe through to india, spinning my tale and entertaining him, he finally said "madam, this is a very fine story. you may leave my country!" never even asked for baksheesh!
but, what fool i ! why did i ever leave? i should have asked him to marry me and stayed!!!!
after 2 years in india, i had developed the habit of staring and australians found this very disconcerting. YES,AUSTRALIA WAS MY CULTURE SHOCK!!!
thanks beach, for knowing!

gia · Dec 18th, 2007, 09:11

I think I've researched my trip to India so much that I'm starting to get cold feet about going. It seems that the more you know, the more you're aware of what can go wrong. Is that pretty typical for a first-time traveler to India (especially if you're traveling alone?). I'm staying overnight in Delhi and then taking a plane to Trivandrum to stay at an ashram for two weeks. I'm most worried about the hotel remembering to meet me in Delhi (prearranged) and my flight to TRV not being delayed...has anyone else experienced this "cold feet" syndrome?

Nick-H · Dec 18th, 2007, 12:35

Quote:

It seems that the more you know, the more you're aware of what can go wrong.

The more you know the better prepared you are for it!

Your post made me remember my early days of sailing: So very much of my avid reading seemed to be about disasters and problems! But the reality of the vast majority of hours at sea was that they were entirely uneventful.

You need to get a grip on this, and get it in proportion: say your hotel forgets to send the car... You've got their address and phone number; you get your own car from the airport. You tell them off a bit when you arrive, listen to their very sorries and inadequate excuses and get on with life!

No, it isn't just you, and yes, I think I felt just the same when I was a newcomer too, and there wasn't IndiaMike to reassure me then. Mind you, my excellent travel agent did include, in their notes, a paragraph about In the highly unlikely event that your car fails to turn up, this is what you do...

gia · Dec 18th, 2007, 13:25

Great advice. Thanks!

Nick-H · Dec 18th, 2007, 13:36

You're welcome.

Enjoy

kristinm · Dec 18th, 2007, 13:39

I'm feeling a little over researched as well - I know what you mean Gia, I went shopping yesterday and was buying stuff I wouldn't have thought necessary before ages on this site and with my head in books! Probably won't be necessary either....

gia · Dec 18th, 2007, 13:45

I too have a long list of things to buy for my trip even though I keep reminding myself that I can buy practically everything I need in India.

machadinha · Dec 18th, 2007, 14:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by gia

Is that pretty typical for a first-time traveler to India (especially if you're traveling alone?)

Yes

I was scared senseless when I went; Contemplating new trips, I'm still as scared. But what if I don't like it? Am lonely? Can't find my way?

Moreover, I actually hated my first few days there, thinking OMG I'm looking at 6 monts here & I can't stand another minute!

I generally find that going anywhere it drops from your shoulders the moment you get on the plane, or if not, surely the moment you get off of it. As for the hating it there bit, for me getting on the move was what made me get into it. And I shouldn't have worried so much and wanted to do and understand as much those first days.

As they say: 24,363 IndiaMikers can't be wrong, so just go and enjoy & take it easy. If this is your first solo trip abroad, it's a far easier country to travel in than some others I can think of. If it makes you feel better, returning there was like coming home.

Sep 9th, 2007, 16:04	#108
beach Lost in translation Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: India ! Posts: 2,232	Me too just gone through my posting, the India Confusion! I can't believe that I’ve posted this here more than three years back! for it appeared to me as if I’ve posted it a couple of months back! Thank you all for the complements.... (Somehow I’m a bit out of sync with the happenings in IM now a days. It said 18,432 new posts since my last login!! ) __________________ Hampi info

Sep 9th, 2007, 16:10	#109
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,473	OK. So we expect to see you logged in, catching up, for at least three weeks continuously! Please do not neglect us for so long: we miss you __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Sep 12th, 2007, 23:48	#111
Euston Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bandra Posts: 2	NIce :) Ive seen the description in here a few times now.. i admit it, i am an "india virgin". Arrived late friday night got dumped in an appartment in Bandra, mumbai monday evening. So far i am finding this place facinating. Every evening i am out for a walk just looking at "life" I hope that after a year i will be getting the hang of it. Wish me luck and thanks to all for a very nice site

Oct 6th, 2007, 21:24	#113
kalbarri kalbarri Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: WESTERN australia Posts: 256	Thank God!!!!,............ i found this thread.was about to atart one entitled WHAT I LOVE ABOUT INDIA or HOW INDIA STOLE MY HEART. it's all to do with the magic, which can,t be viewed from the purely statistical nor material viewpoint. IN 1977 I crossed the border from pakistan into india and i was so excited i bent down and kissed the earth! since the beginning of my desire to see india it had taken me 10 years to touch the soil and there was NO culture shock for me. thought it great that i could pee in the street! that first day in india i saw a blind beggar woman being led by a boy. she had her hand on his shoulder as they walked along and she was singing. it was the most beautiful singing i have ever heard and i thought "she is in poverty but she has that!" this was my initiation that allowed me to live in india for 2 years and know and see the spirit beyond or within the material. i made friends with beggars and travelled with a saddhu for a year and a half and survived by doing portrait sketches, sometimes rich, sometimes poor to the point of begging from westerners. i was the only westerner that i met that wasn't smoking ganja. got high maybe 3 times.india was so far out that smoking took me to another planet and i preferred being in india. had my passport stolen, (by french junkies, i found out later)got worms, nits, malaria, boils, many things but the funniest thing was, that when i had some money sent, my ticket back to australia and had about 4 days to go, an indian official told me that he wouldn't let me leave india! because i didn't have bank reciepts to prove that i had changed money in india. SO....as one does, i went to the highest ranking and after sitting with him for an hour or so and explaining that i was a gypsy and had been doing portraits as i travelled in europe through to india, spinning my tale and entertaining him, he finally said "madam, this is a very fine story. you may leave my country!" never even asked for baksheesh! but, what fool i ! why did i ever leave? i should have asked him to marry me and stayed!!!! after 2 years in india, i had developed the habit of staring and australians found this very disconcerting. YES,AUSTRALIA WAS MY CULTURE SHOCK!!! thanks beach, for knowing!

Dec 18th, 2007, 09:11	#114
gia Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Des Plaines, IL Posts: 29	Cold feet I think I've researched my trip to India so much that I'm starting to get cold feet about going. It seems that the more you know, the more you're aware of what can go wrong. Is that pretty typical for a first-time traveler to India (especially if you're traveling alone?). I'm staying overnight in Delhi and then taking a plane to Trivandrum to stay at an ashram for two weeks. I'm most worried about the hotel remembering to meet me in Delhi (prearranged) and my flight to TRV not being delayed...has anyone else experienced this "cold feet" syndrome?

Aug 28th, 2007, 00:58	#106
GauhatiBoy Not sure where I'm from Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oregon USA Posts: 285	Wow Beach, I just read that initial post for the first time and I'm really impressed!!! I grew up in India but haven't come close to explaining to others as well as you have. And as you said, someone who has lived all their life there still has other "countries" to see within India. One case in point, Naga people are Indian but have altogether different social traditions. Your explanation of communication in particular is, I'm sure, very valuable to a visitor. Applause . . . . .!

Aug 28th, 2007, 02:14	#107
praveen_yadlapalli Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gangetic Plains Posts: 114	Simply Superb!

Sep 9th, 2007, 19:19	#110
flagpolecorner Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London Posts: 15	Just stumbled across this for the first time too! Have to say one of the most sensation, concise and accurate pieces of travel writing I've ever read. Excellent. I was born in India but grew up in the west. Been going back almost every year though and at first (or atleast the earliest memories I have) I have to admit i had a lot of reservations. The dust, the dirt, the noise, the traffic, the toilets! As a young kid you only go by what's there in front of you, nothing else and it was weird. But as I've grown older (am only 21) I've been able to appreciate it more and more and am totally in love with the country. The bit about family is spot on. We have no other family here, just me, my brother and my parents. All my cousins, aunties, uncles are all in India and it tooks us over a week just to properly pay everyone a visit in Bangalore. Such is the vastness of our family and the difficulties of travelling from spot to spot in a big Indian city. Cant remember who it was sorry but someone also replied saying how their wife was depressed after going back to Australia after a trip to India. I totally empathise with this situation! I got back from India 7 days ago but I still have a week or two to go before university starts, I have drifted apart from a lot of friends around my parent's home and both my parents work full time. I'm bored stiffless and the house is empty, the streets are quiet. All I can think about is that huge extended family, my cousins that I wont see again for another 12 months, the lovely noise, the smell, the food. All I've been able to think about is India and I've even started planning my next trip next year! I suppose posts like the original piece make me even more sad Wonderful thread! The original piece should be put in to every India travel guide and read by anyone thinking about going to India.

Sep 12th, 2007, 23:54	#112
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,473	Welcome.... and Good Luck

Dec 18th, 2007, 13:25	#116
gia Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Des Plaines, IL Posts: 29	Great advice. Thanks!

Dec 18th, 2007, 13:36	#117
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,473	You're welcome. Enjoy

Dec 18th, 2007, 13:39	#118
kristinm Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Beautiful Bondi (not Bundi!) Posts: 1,280	I'm feeling a little over researched as well - I know what you mean Gia, I went shopping yesterday and was buying stuff I wouldn't have thought necessary before ages on this site and with my head in books! Probably won't be necessary either....

Dec 18th, 2007, 13:45	#119
gia Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Des Plaines, IL Posts: 29	I too have a long list of things to buy for my trip even though I keep reminding myself that I can buy practically everything I need in India.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Delhi train stations confusion	vaclav	Indian Railways	21	Mar 24th, 2007 15:58
Abrreviation Confusion	Mr.Hunaman	Indian Railways	8	Nov 8th, 2005 22:16
Visa confusion	cuteyv	Indian Visa and Passport Questions	1	Aug 30th, 2005 20:02
Confusion Here !	himadventures	Trekking and Mountaineering in India	1	Aug 10th, 2005 19:34
Delhi Train Station confusion	Rick	Delhi	2	Nov 25th, 2004 12:05

User Name		Remember Me?
Password