When friends heard we were going to India the first reaction they gave was asking if we were serious, or did we mixed up India with Indonesia, true story. And the reason is often because people like us don't go to India. By like us i mean people who are in their early 20s, which perfectly define us. And who would bring your girlfriend that you just met for like half year to India?
And of course I have got some negative comment from her bff on like "why your boyfriend so not romantic one". But that's ok, because the trip itself proved them wrong. It was a great and worth mentioning trip.
Before me and my girlfriend went on the trip, we were told that many people don’t enjoy their first trip to India. Rather, it takes most people multiple trips to get past the point of feeling overwhelmed so that they can begin to enjoy and even fall in love with the culture. That’s not true, we both fall in love to the culture right away once we touched down in Delhi airport. We love India, every single bit of it.
The first thing we noticed in India is children are left running on the street on their own. Literacy rate became our first concern when we saw those kids walking on the street bared foot and some without pants. This is certainly a huge problem, we were furious about the literacy rate there so we talked to some people who were benefiting from the education and skills training provided by the government. Sadly, government did provide education but many are too poor to afford it. Many were wandering around the street begging for money. They would follow you everywhere once you have given them something. I felt that what these children really needed was our attention, and our ability to play with them and make them feel special. Once they got the feeling from you, they will start following you because it feels good to them. Instead of giving them money, the pretty one suggested that we bought them pen instead. Well at the end we didn't manage to give it all out but yea, we tried.
Throughout the trip, we did faced some long day and anxious moment where we buck up out awareness and do our best not to be cheated by the local because of those ugly stories we were told. And at one point we came out from one of the attraction in Udaipur only to realize that our driver is gone and all our luggages and passport are in the car! Not forgetting those awkward photo requests by the local, they treat you as if you were something that worth gazing on. Walk fast, no eye contact is definitely one of the first thing you will learn when you are at India. Most importantly, hold your hand tight.
India is a country full of contrasts – where the old and new, good and bad, rich and poor exist together, side-by-side. But It was incredibly inspiring to see how determined some were to take advantage of the opportunity to build a successful life for themselves and their families in that kind of situation. You see modern Delhi metro at one staircase away but yet down there men are unzipping their pants and urinating along the street wall. On the other hand, despite of its poverty, everyone on the street is wearing shirt and long pants. And perhaps most people there are living base on this principle, “Don’t worry, be happy, eat curry” (Which is true as we ate curry every day for that week). We were having a fantastic time in India, all the hotels and english-speaking guides have been top-notch and the food is second to none. What we want to say is these cities we visited were aesthetically a mess. But they work, sort of – at least for the people in them so judging is not needed here.
Its probably true to say that You can’t describe India, you can’t fully understand India. You have to feel India. Despite of how desperately I want to tell you my experience in India, here I will stop myself. The Taj, the people, and the culture in India is something one have to be experienced first-hand
And yea, we once thought we will be the one in hundred who doesnt get stomachache after the trip. But we were wrong. We did get stomachache, but still, it doesnt kill the fun. Not to mention the painful 8 hours on the plane where the angel got so sick and we have to request for seat changing so that she can lay down and rest.
