india...

India...the only place I've been in the world where beggars not only refuse food, but will argue with you and insist that you give them more money if you give them anything at all.

Everyone, no matter what their contact with you was, insists on a tip and then tells you that the amount is insulting and you must give them more. To change money they want a copy of your passport and your ticket, then forms must be filled out in triplicate. The thoroughness of the English colonial beaurocratic paper trail is followed as if it were God's own writ.

No one seems to tell the truth except as they can at an angle that involves you buying something. Everyone insists that everyone else is a liar and they are the only ones that will take care of you honestly. Even my lovely holiday package which was arranged by the government tourist board of India had the overtone of having been had. At many turns I saw the shortcuts he (the guy who made the package) had taken in order to extract the most money for the least output. Yes, I found India disagreeable, but not for the reasons that I thought I would.

I used to wash my clothes in an Indian laundry mat and the body odor from the Indians was tearjerking and the air unbreathable. I had to stand outside rain, sleet or shine while waiting for my loads, then take a deep breath and hope that I would be able to finish the load before needing another. My next experience was with an Indian classmate who was extremely pretty but had a rather shocking body odor that filled the room within moments of her entering. Years have passed and I've had a number of Indian students, many of whom have had rather distinctive odors. These experiences combined left me with the impression that at least the impoverished masses and lower classes would be quite rank, this however was quite thankfully not the case despite the heat.

Despite it's being disagreeable to my sensibilities, it's undeniable that India has it's appeal. The young women are phenomenally beautiful, especially when wearing the traidtional brightly colored saris. If you are interested in photographing people, India is probably the best country in the world. Each face has a riveting mystery to reveal and the contrast between the brightly colored costumes and the dirty, dusty surroundings cannot help but capture you.

Further, if you are a birdwatcher, India is heaven with more than 1200 species of birds nad many national parks. Few countries in the world have such diverse wildlife that is so easily accessible by (relatively) cheap day safaris.

If you like trekking, the Himalayas are probably in your top five dream destinations. There are treks for all levels of fitness by horseback or on foot, or combinations of the two. You can camp, stay with gypsies or do the whole thing in style in a first class resort.

Then there's the architecture. The Taj Mahal is of course the most famous structure and the worlds greatest monument to love The symmetry is perfect, the design genius and the workmanship is awe inspiring. Foreigners pay a hefty 750 Rupees (about 15 euros) to enter, but Indians only pay 20 Rupees (about 40 centimos). Personally, I was quite happy to see so many Indians there. Too many countries have made their national treasures too expensive for their own people to see. Aside from the Taj Mahal, there are countless forts and palaces that are phantom reminders of a time of powerful maharajas with rich kingdoms filled with exotic harems, elephants and camels. Although the jewels were taken long ago by the English, one can still see the spaces that once held large rubies, emeralds and other precious and semi-precious stones while imagining the splendours that once were.

Today, little remains of the past glories where dirty half-naked children play amidst the litter strewn rubble

Yet, it's never perfection which inspires the imagination. The Taj Mahal is perfect in every way, there is no need to imagine anything. In the old palaces though, the imagination runs wild and free. What must it have been like to have a harem of 300 women from countries all over the world? Did they fight amongst themselves for favor? How many were stolen and sold into the harem? Did people cheer on the executions (death by elephant crushing) like they did in medieval Europe? A writer in need of inspiration need only sit quietly amongst the half-ruins of an ancient palace for tales of adventure and romance to find their way through the hand to the paper.


Kashmir was the crown jewel for me. Aside from the breathtaking Himalayan landscape of mountains, forestss, glaciers and rivers; the people wer amazing to see. The gypsies walk barefoot in the house despite the temperature being only 5-10 C, and wear only thin shoes up the mountains even in snow storms. They seem to not feel the cold.

The men all wear long duster coats like the mountain freedom fighters that you see on TV from Pakistan, Afghanistan and other nearby countries. Many of the women wear burkas (the complete veil that covers even the eyes), but it's not required. the mountains are an amazing place to grow up. The children laugh and play the day away. There is a haunting quality about them, a beauty despite their rough clothes and dirt covered skin.