I've been in India for almost two weeks now. I've seen, smelled,
heard, tasted and felt things I have never done before in my life. I'm
not sure what I expected when I came here but whatever it was, I have
been completely blown out of the water by what I found. I guess in the
back of my mind I knew India was a Third World country but I did not
realize how far down that road it was. The filth, poverty and general
distress of the people of India has been forever burned in my psych.
Filth: the people of India live in such squalor and filth it just nauseates and they don't seem to notice or be concerned. There is no effort to clean their surroundings other than I see some shop owners sweeping the area in front of their store fronts while the human and decaying food languishes nearby. The stench is awful, it permeates my clothing and I continue to smell it after I'm back at my hotel. I'm afraid to even breath the air. I'm pretty sure my shoes are ruined and I've had many people tell me that they threw away their shoes upon leaving India. I understand why.
Animals co-exist here with the people, I mean REALLY co-exist. They live together. Cows are the predominant animal walking in the middle of the roads, laying in front of the shops, owning the town. We were told there were 2 kinds of cows: cows that produce milk and cows that do not. If the cow is producing milk, someone owns it. If the cow no longer produces milk, then it is of no value to anyone and owned by no one. It is against the culture and law to slaughter a cow for meat, they are considered sacred animals, therefore, the cow produces milk, then ages, then dies......in the middle of the street, or store, or highway. I've spent most of my time looking down to avoid stepping into a pile of cow poop! Monkeys are scattered about, more in some areas, less in others. The dogs. My heart has been broken over and over. The dogs of India are just pitiful. They are everywhere and they just lay on the ground not moving. Hundreds of people walk around them and they don't move, they don't even open their eyes. They are so under nourished, so lethargic, so sad. When you do see them moving, they are limping and eating the rotten food trash. Little puppies laying in the street, motionless. These sights have been the most difficult for me.
Poverty: beggars EVERYWHERE!! You can not move without being assaulted by beggars. Some are diseased, limbless, woman carry babies on their hips and beg for money telling me "baby hungry." If you use a public bathroom it costs money. If you take someone's picture they expect you to give them money. We were told to ignore these people, to not make eye contact. It goes against my norm to ignore this or to ignore someone talking to me. "Rude" is the word that comes to mind along with sadness and pity. Our tour guide told us that if we speak to them, even to say 'no' they interpret that as 'yes' and hound you even more. I saw one gentleman give money to a young girl (about 8 or 9 years old) and he was immediately swarmed by 10 other children begging him for money. Lesson learned. And what is shameful is these people are everywhere, including some of India's beautiful landmarks, such as the Taj Mahal. Such a distraction at a place that should be the jewel of India. After a while, it makes going out to see India such an unpleasant event.
Bathrooms: OMG!!! Talk about some of the filthiest places in the world! I now know where the word 'shit hole' came from and me with the bladder of a 3 year old. I've had to consciously restrict my intake of fluids just so I didn't have to experience a public bathroom, however, I've still had to use many. Most of the time there is no tissue but when it has been there, it's filthy. The "attendant" will give you a small piece of tissue to dry your hands and of course, you must pay for this privilege, hahaha.
Culture and sights: Over the top and this would be India's draw. India's rich history and culture is like no other. Last night we went to the Ganges River and watch the Hindu death ceremonies which included the burning of their deceased and the public prayers. When I first heard of the burning of the bodies, I was completely wigged out! Who the hell would want to see dead bodies set on fire? Now, after being there and being witness to it, I can tell you their rituals are beautiful and mind blowing. What I have learned of the various religions in India has been so interesting and added so much to the other stuff running around in my head. When I walked through the entrance gates to the Taj Mahal, I stopped dead in my tracks. The beauty and experience was overwhelming, very emotional. I felt my eyes tear up. The Taj is stunning. The various temples and mosques we've seen are amazing. The artisty is unbelievable. The carving of the sandstone and marble is amazing. The jewels inlaid in marble are gorgeous, intricate and delicate works of art. We had the opportunity to watch current artists doing this and it's all done by hand and takes days, weeks and months, depending on the intricacy of the pattern. We visited a shop where the Indian rugs were made and watched the work. Some rugs take up to 2 years to complete depending on the complexity of the pattern. When you see that it has been made by hand and not a machine and hear the price of the rug, you realize the creator of the rug is working for pennies an hour. It makes your stomach turn. Now I understand the "outsourcing" of India.
Speaking of 'outsourcing', here I am in the 'outsourching' capitol where all our phone calls go and you can't get wifi anywhere for free. There are no 'hot spots,' only wifi for money. Dumb me, I figured India to be way ahead of us in this area but they are waaaay behind us! And, if you're lucky enough to get access to wifi, it's not very strong. You can grow old just waiting for a page to open or a picture to upload!
I leave India tomorrow and head to Nepal, very excited about that. I'm hoping for a very different experience.
April 17 at 9:19pm · Varanasi, India ·
Filth: the people of India live in such squalor and filth it just nauseates and they don't seem to notice or be concerned. There is no effort to clean their surroundings other than I see some shop owners sweeping the area in front of their store fronts while the human and decaying food languishes nearby. The stench is awful, it permeates my clothing and I continue to smell it after I'm back at my hotel. I'm afraid to even breath the air. I'm pretty sure my shoes are ruined and I've had many people tell me that they threw away their shoes upon leaving India. I understand why.
Animals co-exist here with the people, I mean REALLY co-exist. They live together. Cows are the predominant animal walking in the middle of the roads, laying in front of the shops, owning the town. We were told there were 2 kinds of cows: cows that produce milk and cows that do not. If the cow is producing milk, someone owns it. If the cow no longer produces milk, then it is of no value to anyone and owned by no one. It is against the culture and law to slaughter a cow for meat, they are considered sacred animals, therefore, the cow produces milk, then ages, then dies......in the middle of the street, or store, or highway. I've spent most of my time looking down to avoid stepping into a pile of cow poop! Monkeys are scattered about, more in some areas, less in others. The dogs. My heart has been broken over and over. The dogs of India are just pitiful. They are everywhere and they just lay on the ground not moving. Hundreds of people walk around them and they don't move, they don't even open their eyes. They are so under nourished, so lethargic, so sad. When you do see them moving, they are limping and eating the rotten food trash. Little puppies laying in the street, motionless. These sights have been the most difficult for me.
Poverty: beggars EVERYWHERE!! You can not move without being assaulted by beggars. Some are diseased, limbless, woman carry babies on their hips and beg for money telling me "baby hungry." If you use a public bathroom it costs money. If you take someone's picture they expect you to give them money. We were told to ignore these people, to not make eye contact. It goes against my norm to ignore this or to ignore someone talking to me. "Rude" is the word that comes to mind along with sadness and pity. Our tour guide told us that if we speak to them, even to say 'no' they interpret that as 'yes' and hound you even more. I saw one gentleman give money to a young girl (about 8 or 9 years old) and he was immediately swarmed by 10 other children begging him for money. Lesson learned. And what is shameful is these people are everywhere, including some of India's beautiful landmarks, such as the Taj Mahal. Such a distraction at a place that should be the jewel of India. After a while, it makes going out to see India such an unpleasant event.
Bathrooms: OMG!!! Talk about some of the filthiest places in the world! I now know where the word 'shit hole' came from and me with the bladder of a 3 year old. I've had to consciously restrict my intake of fluids just so I didn't have to experience a public bathroom, however, I've still had to use many. Most of the time there is no tissue but when it has been there, it's filthy. The "attendant" will give you a small piece of tissue to dry your hands and of course, you must pay for this privilege, hahaha.
Culture and sights: Over the top and this would be India's draw. India's rich history and culture is like no other. Last night we went to the Ganges River and watch the Hindu death ceremonies which included the burning of their deceased and the public prayers. When I first heard of the burning of the bodies, I was completely wigged out! Who the hell would want to see dead bodies set on fire? Now, after being there and being witness to it, I can tell you their rituals are beautiful and mind blowing. What I have learned of the various religions in India has been so interesting and added so much to the other stuff running around in my head. When I walked through the entrance gates to the Taj Mahal, I stopped dead in my tracks. The beauty and experience was overwhelming, very emotional. I felt my eyes tear up. The Taj is stunning. The various temples and mosques we've seen are amazing. The artisty is unbelievable. The carving of the sandstone and marble is amazing. The jewels inlaid in marble are gorgeous, intricate and delicate works of art. We had the opportunity to watch current artists doing this and it's all done by hand and takes days, weeks and months, depending on the intricacy of the pattern. We visited a shop where the Indian rugs were made and watched the work. Some rugs take up to 2 years to complete depending on the complexity of the pattern. When you see that it has been made by hand and not a machine and hear the price of the rug, you realize the creator of the rug is working for pennies an hour. It makes your stomach turn. Now I understand the "outsourcing" of India.
Speaking of 'outsourcing', here I am in the 'outsourching' capitol where all our phone calls go and you can't get wifi anywhere for free. There are no 'hot spots,' only wifi for money. Dumb me, I figured India to be way ahead of us in this area but they are waaaay behind us! And, if you're lucky enough to get access to wifi, it's not very strong. You can grow old just waiting for a page to open or a picture to upload!
I leave India tomorrow and head to Nepal, very excited about that. I'm hoping for a very different experience.
April 17 at 9:19pm · Varanasi, India ·
Explored the temples of Khajuraho today, fascinating!!! Origin of kamasutra . The stone carvings were incredible, the temples are over 1,000 years old, pre-date the Taj Mahal. Incredible.
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