A few observations in no particular order:
If you are reading this and thinking you'd like to go to India, hire a driver. Preferably Monu. Also local guides in every town ensured we saw the best sights at the best times. Awesome.
While many of the people we saw were not living in the greatest conditions, we saw very few beggarss.
Religions live harmoniously here-Sikh, Jain, Hindu, Muslim coexist peacefully.
Hand sanitizer and toilet paper have been a life saver.
We met very few Americans. Most caucasian travelers we met were from U.K. or Australia. In Jaipur I happened upon a family wearing a Seattle Rep Theater tshirt (dad was wearing Boeing shirt) and found they live in Delhi, here with the Gates Foundation.
In most of the places we visited there were mostly domestic tourists-especially in Delhi and at the Taj Mahal. They are as fascinated by us as we are by them.
The people seem to like their Prime Minister, as he is working to fight corruption. He is up for election in two years and our guides feel he will be re-elected.
They all mentioned that there is confusion in India regarding how Trump was elected if he's so disliked. They didn't seem to have a strong opinion on him one way or the other.
When people asked where we were from we started to explain that we we live in Washington, no not that Washington (DC) Then we started to explain we live near California and that worked better.
I asked Monu what his favorite part of India is and he said it's very family oriented. His least favorite part? Corruption and how difficult it is to get ahead.
Monu and all our local guides had arranged marriages. A few met their wife once beforehand, but most of them met on their wedding day. They all proudly showed pictures of their beautiful families.
The caste system isn't as strict as it once was, but Monu still explained that people tend to stick with people in their same group for marriage, work, etc.
It's hot and humid and we are Sweaty Swanteks. It's in the 90's in Sept, and Oct-Dec its in the low to mid 80's-which is when India hits the high tourist season. We were happy to have less people at the attractions, and were able to afford swanky accommodations. Our guides all said we were their first clients of the season. But man, it's hot.
I learned how to reduce the spice level at restaurants by asking for the food to be very very mild (using hand gestures for emphasis). The result was what we would consider 1-2stars back home.
A few random photos that didn't fit anywhere else.
This monkey was viewing the Taj Mahal. It's a popular spot with all beings.
Sometimes all you need is french fries.
Scottys weird breakfast one morning.
Cows, monkeys, and garbage on the side of the road.
I was in a shop admiring a huge bowl of knobs. The owner said he sells to a store called Anthropologie, had I heard of it?
One last photo of a cow hanging out on the street. Will Nepal be the same but with Yaks?
1 comment:
Sweaty swannies 🤣
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