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Published: February 19th 2008
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The Ganges
Holy garlands float through the rubbish in India's holiest river - The Ganges Varnasi and the Ganges it borders, is one of the oldest cities in the world and unfortunately pretty much a cesspool. The city can't cope with the number of people in it and the rickshaw drivers almost rival Delhi in their insistant hounding. With this in mind we are currently preparing to hot foot it to Nepal and the border (ish) town of Lumbini. Buddha's birthplace and home of yet more temples should prove to be a nice introduction to a country that has slower buses than India and cares just a little bit less about cricket.
To pass the time (please note that this is the only entry so far to be written up to date) we have deemed it nessesary to have a run down of the top 5 myths about India ... (cue Top of the Pops music)
5:- A Country on the Up?
Starting of our countdown of the list is what you failed your exams for and your mum always warned you against, acting before you think. What's wrong with a giant hole in the ground in the middle of a road intersection, who needs a qualified electrician, sewage pha. Yes India
Silk Hanging Out To Dry
Silk Factory in Varanasi we managed to get to visit. Nic managed to hold strong during the sales pitch - she has learned well it appears never, ever, ever bothers to think through the consequences of anything beofre plouging ahead with a new even more ambitous plan. Streets of unfinished buildings, holes in the ground, cracked pipes not laid in time, endless roads ruined because they weren't sealed, people tapping into the electricity supply then complaining about power cuts, construction jobs half done, sewage systems that were redundant before they were operational - the list is endless and would be funny if not slighly sad.
4:- Not every Indian can cook
Dashing our illusions of a glorious culinary nation it turns out that not every Indian can cook. Don't get us wrong the food here is generally amazing (although good naan bread is surprisingly hard to come by) and varies hugely by region, but there are a few too many restaurants serving up sub standard spicy pap. Oh and when it comes to any other cuisines, well it's just not worth the risk.
3:- British Influence?
The British may have forever altered India, but there are some curtesies that seem to have passed on by. You never know what to expect with a new country, but in India this can
Spot the Deliberate Mistake
We broke, we're sorry, but we needed MEAT! And this is about all you can trust. Oh and it is just as bad as at home. change from town to town. Sometimes there are road signs, sometimes not, sometimes in English, sometimes not, Sometimes in Gujurati, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, sometimes nothing - who knows. You should also never expect signs at a railway station, bus station, post office, police station or anywhere that could possibly be helpful. Oh and while you're looking any Indian will push you out the way and think nothing of it. There is a system of queing but it appears to resemble rugby and who can get their elbows where the fastest (Duncan's loving it).
2:- India - A place for Enlightenment
AAAAAHHHHH! Brakes and indicators are how you drive not by increaing the volume of your horns. This is a country whose roads are so ridiculous that they actively encourage people to use their horns as loud as possible as often as possible. It's deafening, it really makes you want to scream. That's not to mention the screaming, the hocking or the million other noises that Indians can make with their own digestive system.
1:- Respect for women
Yip, right at the top is the relentless, uninvited and downright disgusting atitude of Indian men towards women. They
may claim to have a deep respect, but so far we have found them painfully lacking it. I want to stare at your breasts/bum so I will. I want to rub up against you so I will. I want to physically intimidate you so I will. The irony is that their claims of respecting women and welcoming female tourists are loud and constant (me think they doth protest too much). Thankfully Nic's technique of turning and thrusting her rucksac in their faces seems to keep them under control, but only until the next bloke decides that it's fine to treat people in a way that would make their mother blush. Shame
Please note that the opinions expressed here are the views of the authors who are generally loving every minute of being in India. Please take them as they are intended.
PS. This blog was up to date, but our love of laid back Nepal has meant that we're about 2 weeks behind now, oops.
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