My trip impressions of India

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My trip impressions of India
Message de lethidee posté le 18-02-2006 à 11:58:03 (S | E | F | I)
Hello everybody

I'm coming back of my trip of five weeks in India and, first, I have to say that this travel hadn't been easy for me for several reasons :

1)I was accompagnied by a woman who wasn't used to travel in uncomfortable conditions (she used to travel with package by travel tours and was preserved against any difficulties of any kind)

2)It was my first experience of India and I have to confess that the first day at Delhi was like a shock of the two worlds. All was frightening : the density of the population, the fantastic pollution of the air, the stress of the traffic and the intensity of the noise, by klaxons of all the vehicles in same time : motorickshaws, buses, cars, trucks in a real chaos.
I was lost and frightened for my life because being a pedestrian (the hotel was situated near the Central Railway Station), I could be victim of an accident almost 20 times in the afternoon.
I was hallucinated and destabilized.
Unfortunately, I survived and my instinct of conservation was the strongest

See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de magmatic_rock, postée le 18-02-2006 à 12:11:26 (S | E)
Hello Lethidee,

thanks for sharing your experience from another country.
I hope you really enjoyed it.

Nice to you.

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de nick27, postée le 18-02-2006 à 12:31:33 (S | E)
Hello,

You must be so tired ... but your trip seems to be a very good experience
And thank you for sharing that with us.

See you!
Nicolas

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 18-02-2006 à 17:19:49 (S | E)
Thanks Magma and Nick for your messages

I'm more quiet now by the simple fact to return to my way of life and my friends and my bed ! Oh, it's very important to get back and sleep at last in my bed.
Concerning my trip, the weather was very cold and was about 2°C during the night and the hotel wasn't heated
So, I drunk a lot of tea and ate in a small tibetain resto "The Everest" very
In the morning, we left Delhi by the road in direction of AGRA because I would like to visit TAJ MAL.
The suburbs of Delhi are very extensive and we lost almost 3/4 hour of time to leave this huge capital and we began to discover the countryside and the incredible traffic on the road.
The principal law for an indian driver is to horn, it's an obligation and the silence doesn't exist because we must horn, even there is only one vehicle in front of you to indicate that it must to let you pass it.
It's exactly the opposite of our way of driving !
And we met camels hooked up carts charged of cereals and people. There are a lot of agricultural people in India and water is a serious problem.
The speed on the road is nearly 50 km/hour because there are a lot of obstacles and slowdowns.
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de nanette33, postée le 18-02-2006 à 18:19:07 (S | E)
Hello Lethidee

Thank you for your very interesting story. You certainly appreciate your current life; we are very fortunate to live in our countries. But indeed, it is a magnificent experience.

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 19-02-2006 à 08:42:42 (S | E)
Hello

After Agra, we took the direction of Varanasi (Benares) a mystical site for me as a lot of people and we travelled by train (sleeper class).
After 8 or 10 hours, we arrived at Varanasi. The station was plenty of people and we have always around us this movement of swarming population in all directions. But we were used to this environment and almost usual but not easy sometimes.
We have not met any agressivity from indian people. There were living every day like a ritual. I had the feeling that India was a country where all the divinities were living and where people can't live without praying Brahma, Shiva or Ganesh.
See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de port58, postée le 19-02-2006 à 08:53:33 (S | E)
Hello Lethidee

Thank you very much for this series of your indian travel ; it' very nice to read it !
Port58

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de queenliz, postée le 20-02-2006 à 05:33:08 (S | E)
Lethidee for telling us about India - your writing is very descriptive.
Just one thing I thought I could correct you on:

"The principal law for an indian driver is to horn"

The principal law for an indian driver is to: sound the horn/beep the horn/the use of the horn.

Your travelling companion sounds a bit of a bore - I used to know girls like that - they were terrified of going camping in case they forgot their mascara or foundation!

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 20-02-2006 à 10:02:46 (S | E)
Hello queenliz

I won't to judge about the comportment of my travelling companion. It was her problem and I assumed my choice and my experience, even if I would have prefered that this travel was more joyful.
It's the life and I'm very happy to have the chance to visit India and I think that I mustn't stay with these annoyances because I think that it was the opportunity for me to realise that my plans for the future were not the best and I'm reflecting now about all that. Finally, it's not so bad for me

Concerning my trip, I was very impressed by Varanasi.
Our guest house was very well situated, near the ghats, in front of Ganga, the sacred river and I spent the first day of our visit to stay on the top of the roof of this hotel which was a large terrace, very high and where I could see very far to admire the view and realise that I was really here and not in a dream.
It was the period of the wind time and all the children, in this area, were playing with their kites and it was so pleasant to see them, very often, on the roof of the houses all around, very close to me, to try to control their small kites, in paper of many colors, and sometimes I participate to help them to recuperate a few kites whick fell down on the terrace of my guest house. It was a great moment !
See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de marie18, postée le 20-02-2006 à 10:37:11 (S | E)
Thank you for your "trip impressions of India". It's very interesting and we can imagine the "noisy life" in this country.

I ask to the first writer : why he said "unfortunately I'm alive! " I thought it's better to fortunately !

write you soon ! Marie 18

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de athena-gaia, postée le 20-02-2006 à 15:28:09 (S | E)
Thank you very much lethidee to tell us our travel in india. I am going to read you every day ! It's very interesting.

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 21-02-2006 à 11:18:46 (S | E)
Hello

I remember of a short conversation with another man, customer of this guest house.
We were both standing in front of Ganga, the sacred river, on the terrace, contemplating the sunset above the water and he said to me :
"It's not the first time I come to Varanasi but I don't understand this "chaos"
and I answered to him :
"I think that there is nothing to understand, life is a chaos".
This word of "chaos" came to me when I landed in New Delhi and didn't leave me during all my trip.
But this quiet moment of silence above the ghats, me and he admiring the end of the day above the river was very touching and he said another thing to me :
"Do you know that there are dolphins in Ganga ?".
It seemed to me so incredible but it was true.
He said to me to look at a certain point of the river, almost in the middle of it, and really, at a very short moment, I saw the head of a dolphin and I was so impressed by this event. This dolphin is named "platanist" and is almost blind. I received a very nice gift this day and I was conscious of the strenght of life.
See you later

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Modifié par lucile83 le 22-02-2006 16:29

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 22-02-2006 à 16:23:28 (S | E)
Hello

The firt parrots that I saw were in Agra.
In the guest house where we stayed, there was a little garden with several trees and in the afternoon, during farniente, I was sitting with a book and suddenly I heard a strange noise ; I understood that it was a bird but I didn't see at once what it was. These parrots are not very big with a long tail and marvellous green feathers.
I saw them again ~~them~~ at Varanasi and other towns of Radjasthan.

There are lots of monkeys at Varanasi, everywhere on the roofs of houses situated along Ganga. They are looking like gibbons with grey fur and are very agile and fast when people run after them.
I saw also a lot of small grey squirrels running on the top of the roofs and the terrace of our guest house.
People and animals were living in harmony and nobody was angry against them neither frightened.

I would be very happy to answer ~~(at)~~ your questions about my trip or share your own experience.
Please, don't hesitate to correct my mistakes. There is a lot. Sorry
See you later

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Modifié par lucile83 le 22-02-2006 16:33

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 24-02-2006 à 08:40:53 (S | E)
Hello

All the time I was staying at Varanasi I was ~~being~~ very attentive concerning all my senses : hearing, seeing, tasting, and also about my feelings concerning all the events around me, my capacity to accept or refuse what I saw and how I was feeling inside me.
Varanasi is a site where life and death are always present, all the time, and especially all along the ghats ???.
To give and to receive was a great question. The simple fact to look people living here and how they live was a great lesson and I was understanding so much some friends of mine who said to me that this trip could be important for me because we can't be indifferent and insensible.
Even the silence was tangible.
See you later

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Modifié par lucile83 le 24-02-2006 08:52
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Modifié par traviskidd le 24-02-2006 09:01'
By "insensible" do you mean "insensitive"? Beware of the false friend!

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 24-02-2006 à 09:07:47 (S | E)
Thanks for your help Lucile and Travis

Actually, ghat is an indian word and means step. All along Ganga's River, there are steps where all the rituals are made and also cremation.
Of course, I would like say "insensitive" Travis.

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 26-02-2006 à 11:41:59 (S | E)
Hello

What can I say about the cow in India ?
When we arrived at Delhi, we begun to see this animal very often among the population, walking slowly everywhere, in the middle of the streets, staying in front of the little shops.

I remember a scene when I was walking in the Main Bazar area where the streets aren't very large and almost people are pedestrians : there was a brown cow with long horns accompanied by its veal standing close by a little vegetable stall and it seems normal. No cry, no aggressivity against these animals.
I was feeling just a sort of indifference about them and sometimes respect from the most religious people.

In the ancient texts written in Sanskri named Vedas, the cow was presented as a mother because the milk producted by it was drunk by all the people and consequently this animal had to be respected as a nourishing mother.
There are different sorts of cows in India and I had the chance to meet, during this, magnificent grey almost white cows with very gentle eyes and attitude that I understood that nobody didn't want to get angry with them.

See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de littlechestnut, postée le 26-02-2006 à 12:43:24 (S | E)
My mother's friend went in India too . After her trip , she told me about this country and, for her, India is dirty and crowded by the population ! But anyway, she liked this trip
Kiss
Aurélia

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Modifié par emy64 le 26-02-2006 13:15

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de soso5927, postée le 27-02-2006 à 15:04:29 (S | E)
I have never been to india but I went few times to Sri Lanka. And what you say about the way they drive is so true as well in SriLanka. They horn at all time, not to warn you of an imminent danger but to inform you that they are driving through and that you should back off.
As everybody is horning in the same time nobody is listening to each other and at the end it is the bigger vehicle, or the braver (or more foolish) who get the way. Even crossing the road as a pedestrian is an adventure in itself , to avoid to stay on the side of the road the all day, I was trying to position myself behind a group of people, preferably women (usually wiser…) and crossed the road in the same time than they did….a very dusty business…

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 28-02-2006 à 19:38:56 (S | E)
Hello

The fact to remembering my trip help me a lot because I'm missing one of my luggage when I came back to France and where, unfortunately, I putted away my camera and all my photos of this trip.
So, I remember the beginning of my second week in India which was the meeting with our driver and the car that I booked from France by the way of Internet to be able to visit Radjasthan during 15 days from Delhi to Udaipur.
Our conditions of travelling were absolutely different because the driver was a very helpful companion, a youg man, very quiet and competent.
He had a very hard accent and I was often asking him to repeat because I did'nt understand very well what he said in English.
He was vegetarian and his name was Singh.
I noticed that a lot of people was named Singh in Indian, politician men and even movie stars.
He wasn't married and was 30 years old that surprised me because in India, generally men are married when they are 25 years old.
Most of the marriages in India are yet organised by the families and I think that the system of the castes is the principal reason.
There are more male than female in India and the way of life for female isn't very easy as I could see it when I travelled across this huge country.
See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de marrina, postée le 28-02-2006 à 21:08:18 (S | E)
Good evening Lethidee,

et

It is very pleasant to read your account. It is a pity which at the time of your return, your bag, with in particular the films, was stray: I am certain that you had made splendid photos.
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de papypol, postée le 01-03-2006 à 21:42:29 (S | E)
Hello Lethidee,
Congratulations for the account of your trip in INDIA.I enjoy it,notably because it is an opportunity to get back my own memories of a tour that my wife and me have made in India (essent.Rajastan)about ten years ago.In my opinion,your account accurately reports the impressions and feelings of a European (I'm French) visiting India
You'll find below some of our particular memories:
-landing at Bombay:the extreme poverty along the numerous miles between the airport and downtown.A poverty you can observe close to the top-class hotels..
-on the contrary,the standard of living in the agricultural countries of India.The fields are irrigated and produce potatoes ,leeks,onions as well as cotton.A huge contrast with the deserts of the Rajastan or every city
-the magnificence of the Maharadjah's palaces
-the variety and the lushness of the native craftsmen (but how could we forget the "poor" conditions in which the men use to work during till to sixty years )
-the importance and the complexity of the religions....and the castes you talk about
-Kadjuraho and its temples (religion ,sex and sun )
-Varanasi and the Ganges (unimaginable,even without dolphins ! )
-and and and ...
-last. ..but not least
Delhi was our last stopping place and we got there a great surprise :
we arrived on the esplanade where the British have built the Vice-king palace and the official offices.Several military bands were standing there and we were the only two civilians on that superb place !! A policeman told us that they were preparing the Indian Independance National day's parade rehearsal. And we were permitted to film. My God !! Calls of trumpets announced the beginning rehearsal. Very impressive.On the head of the march,proud Sikhs on horseback surrounding the Major's car,
then the five military bands,some of them playing bagpipes
then several companies on foot
then soldiers riding camels
That made a super look!(of course,with some British influence)
The surprise ended with the very colourful traditional groups representing the different countries of India
UNexpected and marvellous

Sure,I'm too gabby...but...
On the next time,

I'll try to type with two fingers !!
SEE YOU LATER

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 04-03-2006 à 13:10:46 (S | E)
Hello

Thank a lot Papypol for sharing your impressions of India.
It's true that there are poverty and dirty but I met them somewhere else ; the difference in this country was a feeling of acceptance and dignity. It's very difficult to explain with words but I was aware that the most important was just the present, not the past of the future, just what we were living day by day.
Of course, I met a lot of different people and specially in Radjasthan where the men wear turbans with many colors (even pink) and they are bearded and wearing moustache.
The women wear, even when they are working as road menders, very beautiful colored saris.
They were very graceful when they are walking in the streets or in the fields.
See you later

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de soso5927, postée le 10-04-2006 à 17:48:37 (S | E)
Comments erased because they didn't correspond to the ethics rules of the site asking no ethnic value judgment debat
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Modifié par bridg le 10-04-2006 20:50

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 10-04-2006 à 21:54:39 (S | E)
Hello soso5927

I understand your anger and your thoughts about the hard way of life of poor people living in India.
I think that we have a lot of possibilities to help, you, I and others, poor people in France or anywhere in the world, every day.
See you

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Modifié par lucile83 le 11-04-2006 07:34

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de june70, postée le 11-04-2006 à 08:28:37 (S | E)
Hello,

Thank you to relate about your journey. I saw some TV reports about India and I have an Indian pen-pal thanks to this web site, but she doesn't write a lot and she never answer my questions about her way of life. So it is very interesting for me to read your messages, I learnt more that way.
Can I ask you if you saw elephants ? And have you seen some Indian movies ? I saw about 15 Indian movies, especially on German TV . I'm French but I live near Germany so I can see German programmes.
Have you noticed something about the importance of music in daily life?
Don't be to disappointed because of the photos you lost. The most important is what you felt and I thank you again to share that with us.

June70

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 11-04-2006 à 09:00:39 (S | E)
Hello june

The first time I saw elephants in Radjasthan was when we arrived at Jaipur.
The second time was when we were going to the huge fortress of Mehrangarth by road and they were transporting above their backs some tourists.
Later, when we were walking in the little streets of Udaipur, near the bazar and the citadel, we met one very decorated with his cornac on his back and people were not afraid about him.
At the end of my travel, when we were at Pondichéry, we saw a female elephant in front of the Ganesh Temple and people were used to give a roupie to the elephant who took it with his trump and just after touched you with it to symbolize a benediction from Ganesh. It was enough impressive !
About Indian movie, I had the occasion to watch TV and saw one or two movies.
Indian people are very sentimental and the principal subject is often love between two persons and it may be funny for Occidental people. But I was very fond of the Indian music !
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de june70, postée le 11-04-2006 à 21:59:11 (S | E)
Hello,

Thank you for your answer. I still have questions. You said you met your pen-pals, could you please explain what you did together. Did you go touring together? What about Indian cooking?
You are right, Indian movies often talk about love but it's a good way to see landscapes, discover culture and society's problems. For example in many movies it was about women's place in the society, arranged weddings, Indians who emigrate, castes,...Can you remember the name of the movies you saw?
I hope I don't annoy you with all my questions!
June70

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 12-04-2006 à 09:29:41 (S | E)
Hello june

About Indian moovies I saw on TV, I don't remember their titles but I can say that one of the most famous star of Bollywood is Aishwarya Rai who was Miss of the World 1994 before being actress.
Concerning indian cook, I must say that I appreciated "thali" which is an assortiment of several spicy sauces with some vegetables and rice and "nan" which is a sort of pancake.
I appreciated also a meal which is named "malai kofta" and prepared with a very tasty sauce with spinaches and I drunk often a milky drink named "lassi", natural or with mango or banana.
When we stayed with our indian friends we could share this kind of food and one day I proposed to make a chocolate cake and my friend made a sort of "gratin dauphinois". It was a pleasant moment !
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de hocine4203, postée le 12-04-2006 à 11:01:10 (S | E)
Good day
Many thanks for giving us your life experience in India which was very hard.
May I ask you if you have found any good distinctive feature in this big country or nothing has caught your attention?

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de katia, postée le 12-04-2006 à 11:36:53 (S | E)
indian city its a wonderful places cuz it enclosed a big story of humankind in his diversity and believing

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 12-04-2006 à 11:51:44 (S | E)
Hello hocine

What do you mean about "any distinctive feature" ?
All I saw or hear was interesting, every day, everywhere during my route.
I remember that I was very impressed by Jain's temples, the architecture of these temples and the work of the marble was very fantastic for me !

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de nnanny, postée le 12-04-2006 à 14:58:52 (S | E)
oh hello, ~~girl~~!
this experience has been excellent for you!
Same if there ~~are a moment~~ were difficult moments !!!!!
Have you got a photos?
Good bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Modifié par lucile83 le 12-04-2006 15:01

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de dragondemer, postée le 31-05-2006 à 19:51:06 (S | E)
hello
i' m from India
don't worry at the first time
it's like that i think if you have
a opportunity go for second time
you will appreciate i am sure

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 31-05-2006 à 20:21:42 (S | E)
Hello dragondemer

It's very kind of you to tell me that. I have the same feeling : I'll come back to India, I'm sure of that. When ? I don't know but I know that I met a strong friendship, this of the heart and it's the best for me.
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de dragondemer, postée le 01-06-2006 à 11:32:09 (S | E)
Hello
I am sorry for felling mistakes (i'm french) but native in india
about India I like this countrie i lived their twenty years in sud
sud is very different compared of north
if you have occasion go to sud better is sud west

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 01-06-2006 à 12:02:06 (S | E)
Hello

Where were you born dragondemer ? I visited the Tamul area (Madras and Pondichery) but we had neither car neither driver, so it was less easy to visit and money was missing also, it was the end of our travel.
See you

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de danou88, postée le 01-06-2006 à 18:12:09 (S | E)
Hello

I went in India last year and I share your impression. It was really a shock, the pollution, the noise , the trafic. The worse it was in Jaïpur. I was frightened but I am ready for to go back again particularly for Indians people they are very peaceful. Sorry but my english is very bad and I try to progress.
Danou 88

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de dragondemer, postée le 01-06-2006 à 19:27:12 (S | E)
Hello
I'm from Pondicherry
I living in Paris since 1980
i go back at Pondicherry every two or three years
when i go there
I tray to visit north and west Kerela Goa
realy nice places in south

Réponse: My trip impressions of India de lethidee, postée le 01-06-2006 à 21:21:09 (S | E)
I agree with you danou.
If I go again to India, I know that I'll try to learn the language of my friends as I'll try to cook with them and I'll try also to live like them to understand what are our differences and how we can share both cultures. It will be a pleasure and a challenge.
And if I'll go to the south of India, I'll visit certainly Kerala which on the west coast as you recommend to me dragondemer.

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