And then there were 2...

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We are 2 days away from leaving India and Asia for that matter. It's been a crazy couple of months and we've really enjoyed all of it. We want to come back to all of these places at different times and for different reasons.

We've learned a tremendous amount about different cultures, ourselves, and the way the world interacts. We, as Americans, have it pretty good but we can definitely stand to learn a few things from other countries.

I wish we had more time in India because around the 10 day mark is when you really start to find your stride in a new country. Nothing is as shocking or overwhelming and you can just smile and laugh at all the differences from your culture and the new culture you find yourself in at that moment.

Brining major tourism to a place has some interesting effects on the people there and the people who come to visit. We all, to a certain extent, expect these places to cater to us every step of the way and I think we are a little shocked when they don't. We also don't understand why they are so pushy and try so hard to get you to take a ride in their Taxi, or buy their handmade craft, or stay in their hotel, etc. Then you just have to remember that we do the same thing in our jobs every day. We may be more willing to walk away after a stern no, but that doesn't mean we don't try just as hard to impart on our potential clients the benefits of what we have to offer. When you go travel somewhere like this, you have to have an open mind and thick skin.

We've seen some people flip their lids over the way they are hounded and it's just not worth it. One guy was sitting at a table on a rooftop restaurant no more than 300 yards from the Taj Mahal (with a perfect view of it mind you) and he snapped and threw a bottle of ketchup off the roof because he was "stuck" there. I'm sorry, but I can think of a lot worse places to be stuck. To me, being stuck, is a negative and sitting there, watching the sun go down while the monkeys play on the roofs, and the kids fly their kites in the sky, all the while sipping a beer or tea or whatever you want isn't really being stuck. Maybe he wanted to leave the next day and now he has to "endure" another day of that, but again, things could be worse.

And I think that is the most important thing you can take from a trip like this. Revel in the moment and enjoy where you are. You don't have to rush out and see ALL of the sights, or soak up ALL of the culture. Enjoy what is directly in front of you and don't rush through it. I guess that kind of makes sense for life in general when you think about it...

Anyway, I'm done being cheesy. For now, we're going to go buy tickets to a Bollywood film, maybe do a little shopping, and savor the last bit of our time in India.

Phase 2 begins Monday when we get to Europe. It starts all over with a whole new set of rules, in a whole new place. We'll fill you in on all of the details of the past week maybe before we leave India.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. And as a reminder, if you have some money and some time, come see us in Europe or go see something without us, though we'd really like to see as many of you as possible and we'll even let you buy us a drink. What a deal.

I meant to post this before we left India but I guess I didn't. We were in an internet cafe where the power kept cutting out so we left and I guess I didn't post it. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but here it is.

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Photos

Hippy
Chance at a Bollywood movie

Western experience in the East
a "chicken" sandwich at McDonald's

Comments

[Indrashis]

Nice post! I hope you visit India again some time, and have an even better experience.