Goodbye India!

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(Catherine and Matt)

India has been an amazing experience but after five weeks, we're ready to move on to Nepal. The guide book warned us that nothing can fully prepare you for India and it certainly got that right!

We've never been to a country that we've loved and hated in equal measures - often switching between the two several times a day! So, without further ado, we're proud to present "Matt and Catherine's Ultimate India Round-Up!":

Highs
1. Eating fantastic curry in Goa's beach front restaurants.
2. Watching shooting stars in the Great Thar Desert.
3. Drinking chai (Matt) and lassis (Catherine).
4. Eating sickly sweet Indian sweets (Catherine) and street food (Matt).
5. Most train journeys.
6. Seeing the Taj Mahal up close.
7. Visiting the Agra Bear Rescue Facility.
8. Meeting lots of lovely people who wanted us to take their photo, for no reason, just because (a few shown here).
9. Watching the amusing India/Pakistan border closing ceremony.
10. Wandering around the Golden Temple.


Lows
1. Being followed and hassled by rickshaw drivers, money changers, shop owners, beggars and anyone else who wanted our money.
2. Witnessing the Indian way of blowing your nose in public - it involves covering one nostril with your finger and breathing out very forcefully - not nice to see or hear!
3. Indian bureaucracy that turns even the simplest task into an endless round of paperwork.
4. Being unashamedly stared at - they didn't even look away when we stared right back!
5. A rat running into my foot in the toilets at Jaipur train station (Catherine) and the huge of amount of rats in general.
6. Spending frustrating hours trying to book train tickets on the Indian Railways temperamental website.
7. The lack of personal space. (Once I woke up at 3am on a sleeper train to find a strange man sitting on the end of my bed! - Catherine).
8. Using dirty, unhygenic toilets (although this was slightly better than the times when we couldn't find any toilets at all!).
9. Travelling sleeper class on an early morning train - it was so cold we could see our breath for the first 4 hours!
10. Women being treated as a second class citizens - when I paid for things they even gave my change to Matt! (Catherine).... I thought that was good! (Matt)

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Photos

Desert Village
Just after this was taken Catherine was shut in a room, with children and an old woman demanding rupees. I did rescue her!

Comments

[Sue & Brian]

One Down..Loads to Go !
Hi Both.... So now you have left the sub continent of India.. the first leg completed. Your blogs have been a real joy to us and we both look forward to the "Adventures in Nepal" Have a great time in the mountains at the top of the World. love from Mom & Dad.

[Georgie]

Haha
You made me laugh out loud about the waking up to find a man on the end of your bed. x

[sally and binnee]

fri night in reading your blog
screeeam! just read all your blog it made me laugh and it also made me a little envious! dan thinks matt will grow a big beard and i was a little grossed out with the men clearing their throats in china too! why can't they use hankys? pictures are wonderful very impressed. you look so tall catherine!xxx

[Sophie Dyas]

Good round-up!
Well I hope you have as many adventures in your next country as you did in India. Loved the top 10 idea- might nick that for my blog if you don't mind!!! xx