1. THE SLUMS (everpresent) read, "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts for a real understanding of the slums
2. The Toilets (yep, even in first class trains,squat hole in the floor,
disgusting dirty STINKING toilets.....try going overnight....(what a nightmare for a woman of a certain age) This has not changed in 40 years
3.The HonkHonkTraffic that never stops 24 hours a day in the cities of India
4. The Hustle/ that never ends.............. even as you politely say "no thank you " over and over
5.The "bump" and "grab"---- worse in the north but still...... men employ this as they walk ......into You. (female) in the north they jostle and steal .
6. The poverty.... the poverty...... the poverty
7. The nouveau riche who look the other way (read, "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga) and tell you the poor are lazy.
8.The caste system
9.the pollution/no infrastructure to deal with this/ the overwhelming needs/deeds of 1.2 billion
The Smell everywhere (no matter how much sea, or incense or first world boutique hotels) is Sh*t and Pi*s. It's really difficult for me.
10. The FU>")**(&KING Toilets (oh did i mention this?)
yes the top ten delights will follow at some point.
No, i could not ever live in India
but i am enjoying myself immensely
breathe in deeply (for me) the scents that surround you.
travelin' woman
Oh Phyllis! I haven't been to India, but much of what you describe here could be said for Mexico, and I have had these same feelings during my 40 years of travelling there. Hard to meditate ones way out of the smell of shit, but perhaps that's why they meditate so much there! The intensity is magnified in india, I know, especially the ceaseless pushing of the physical and haranguing kind.
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love, Ame