India was not nearly what I was expecting. That was the underlying theme for sure. I was expecting poverty and shacks everywhere, but I found a modern bustling city. It was quite amazing.
I LOVED the rickshaws. Granted the driving was a little crazy, but still awesome. When you are riding in a rickshaw you are right in the center of the action and India is just in your face.
While being by myself was very stressful, it all worked out ok and it is now a great story. It gave me a confidence that I have never had before. I figure if I can survive being lost in India, I can survive pretty much anything.
Overall, India surprised me. It had nice cities, good food and friendly people. I really want to go aback though and see the other side and the Taj. While I was in India, I made a list of observations about India and everything I saw.
1.      The Head Bobble – Indians had this adorable head bobble where they kind of wiggle their heads back and forth. And they use it for everything: yes, no, maybe, to fill time, to laugh at you and about 20 other things
2.      It’s Dirty – No matter how nice of a place you are in it will never live up to the cleanliness standards in the US, but that is not necessarily a bad thing
3.      They are never on time – Shashank confirmed this when he said that you normally tell people 30 minutes before you want them to show up so they will be there on time, but it is not nearly as bad as Ghana.
4.      They are crazy, but good drivers – They don’t really oey traffic signals or lane distincitions and everyone uses their horn, but yet te closest thing I saw to an accident was when my auto bumped into a motor bike’s review mirror. They all watch the other guy and drive defensively and somehow it works out.
5.      They don’t believe in automatics – everything in India is a stick shift from the 3 wheeled autos to the tour buses
6.      They like to see how many people they can fit on a motorbike – it is amazing to me how many people they can fit. Families of 5 ride along like it’s nothing. The kids just balance somehow holding onto their parents and the bike.
7.      Everyone has 2 cell phones (or at least everyone I met) – Shashank explained to me that it is cheaper to text with one plan and call with another. So one phone is to call and the other to text, which is what his rally car driver friend does. Or, like Shashank, one is a business and one is personal.
8.      Sandals are the way to go – Even though you can buy tennis shoes on the street – no one does. Everyone wears Velcro sandals, flip flops, or some sort of dress shoe.
9.      They have delicious food – Granted I was tasting the watered down “bland” food, but it was still really good.
10.     They substitute the word nice for the word good – Where Americans would normally say “the food is good”, Indians say “the food is nice.”
11.     They are obsessed with cricket – Even though their national sport is field hockey no one really cares. And the world cup is coming up and the whole sports section is still dedicated to cricket.
12.     It is the most colorful place I have ever been – Whether it is the fabric of the sarees, the lights leftover from Divali, or the decoration on the autos everything is super colorful and I love it.
13.     The can fall asleep anywhere – Everytime Shashank and I got on a bus everyone feel asleep. People sleep in their cars, in their autos or even on the streets.
14.     Everything is a journey – not a trip – I love this and I think that I am going to start using it. It just makes everything sound so much more exciting.