Is India in Your Future? Even if it’s Not…
By theprofessionalhobo ~ March 24th, 2009. Filed under: Australia.
Something has inexplicably been drawing me to India for ages now. I think it all started when an enthusiastic friend said “You just have to go. It’s complete chaos. It’s full of some of the smartest people in the world who do some of the silliest things.”
Another friend suggested that while you are there (especially for the first time, when experiencing sensory overload) you hate it, but once you leave, you need to go back. I was immediately curious about a place could invoke such contrasting emotions.
Not one person I have talked to who visited India has much other than “You HAVE to go, you HAVE to go” to say about it. They can’t even describe why I have to go, but to say that it is an experience that defies words.
One person who has put more words to it than anybody else I have met is Beth Whitman, who managed to write an entire book on how (and why) a woman should travel to India.
As a fellow writer full of wanderlust, I of course enjoy Beth’s writing. So when her Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India
And I was not disappointed. She verified that all my friends and their obsequious reviews of India are on the mark. It is total chaos. It is dirty, smelly, busy, dangerous (if you don’t know what you’re doing), and women especially need to be careful of how they conduct themselves around Indian men.
But it is also beautiful, full of generous and caring people, steeped in history and culture, and generally a spiritually enlightening experience, even if you aren’t interested in the spiritual side of things.
I finished the book all the more excited to board a plane to the land of spices and holy cows, and feeling better prepared for what awaits me there. It is a quick and easy read, and full of resources worth going back to. It remains on my shelf as a reference, and will likely accompany me to India no less.
Whether or not you have immediate plans to travel to India, picking up a copy of Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India
March 24th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
India’s weird like that, I still have never been but have also heard from so many “converts” … Have you read Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald? Aussie journo (hmm, from Triple J perhaps?) who spent some time there exploring religions and general life, funny and interesting. Now if only you’d come to Perth I could’ve lent it to you
March 25th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Ha Ha – Okay, Amanda. You’ve convinced me. For the book if not for anything else(!), I’ll come visit you in Perth! Sometime soon…..(smiles, wink wink)
March 27th, 2009 at 6:11 am
India’s fantastic I spent eight months there a few years ago, and it was the greatest education I’ve ever received. You really have to go for a long time to fully appreciate it, though. I wish I’d stayed longer, and I hope to return. As a woman, I felt safe the 99% of the time. India is so crowded and so public that your safety is rarely an issue. If you treat everyone with respect, even someone who is harassing you, you’ll have no problems. If you feel the pull (and for most who go, that’s just how it feels, like a tug drawing you to it), go.
April 5th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Hello out there, just came back from India after 2 months of roaming the country. From Pondicherry in the south-east to Darjeeling in the north-east, as well as many huge cities and many states. From travelling with toock-toocks, ( auto rickshaws ), trains, buses and even planes. From walking about through all walks of life, mainly poverty that hardly anyone speaks of or show. ( I am a photographer ). Which is all around you unless you are shortsighted. A poverty no one can be prepared for. A poverty that brings tears to your eyes and lumps in your throat, which you can do nothing to improve upon for those engulfed in it. Lack of hygiene as some describe as charming scents and odors. Aproximately one billion people, where as 77 % of this population live in poverty. Thank God it is fairly warm in India. Holy towns and temples where the latter are money-making machines again exploiting the poor. The ones who unfortunately are steady in their religious beliefs, share their hard earned money with the temples. The ones who have a little education and knowledge do not do that. Temples that are a sight to see from outside and mostly pretty filthy inside. Holy cows and cities, both in pretty bad conditions mostly, towns and streets where men pee and shit all over, ( pardon me for my language ). Where women do most of the hard work and absolutely all the bad work although decent, that no man wants. People of India you shall find in all categories as well as anywhere else. Yes they are friendly, hospitable and kind, but they also have to fight for their existence. We, my wife and I, ( my wife’s forefathers come from India ), had an unbelievable time, incredible as the commercial say. In every meaning of the word. Plenty of sights to see, many funny incidents, plenty of laughter and smiles. Many lovely places, also places and cities that were fairly clean, especially in the north. Yes, go to India, keep an open mind, please do not be blind. You’ll learn alot, also to appreciate your own country. We learned a lot, rounding 60 this month, I hope I am still learning. I humbly hope that I have not discouraged anybody from going to a land of diversity, wonderful places and sceneries, but it has it’s downsides. Take care!
April 9th, 2009 at 1:27 am
india is soooo in my blood. I have wanted to go to India since like forever! But now that I have a little son, I know it’s best for us to wait until he fully enjoy it all!!! Cause, its a lot. Thanks for stopping by my blog. You know what i’ve realized, you can have a bunch of great and amazing people around you. but wait until something really serious happens and then you know who your real freinds are. i had that happen to me last year, and i really learned who my friends were. and it was great to see, that I did have close people around me in a strange land!
ciao for now
The Travel Expert(a) and an Expat with a Twist