Blogs from Qutub Minar, Delhi, National Capital Territory, India, Asia

https://www.kryskolumbustravel.com Living in India is not always easy (who am I kidding its NEVER easy) BUT its nearly impossible to live here without learning to "man up." Here is a list of skills I have acquired thanks to my wonderful life here in India. I will say that none of these skills are things I would have thought I'd have when I was a kid, but here they are! 1) How to successfully eat all types of food (including rice) with my HANDS! :) 2) How to squat in the bathroom and remained balanced enough that I do not need to TOUCH ANYTHING for balance (trust me, in India being able to not touch anything while in the bathroom is an EXTREMELY useful asset.) 3) How to wear a sari! 4) How to party/dance like an ... read more

Here is my list of things about India that I love/hate. Don't get too upset over these items because I don't care if it upsets you or not. Lovely India #1 The feeling I get when I step outside my door and realize I can never be bored (so many amusing sights to see from the zany traffic to the men balancing bread on their heads) Creepy India #2 The feeling I get when I step outside my door and feel like every third person is a potential rapist. (I mostly get this feeling at night...mostly.) Lovely India #C The feeling I get when I step inside a temple and make offerings to the gods (or simply watch others do pooja) Creepy India #Floor The feeling I get after I argued with EVERY auto rickshaw driver ... read more

Anyone travelling to India on a budget will soon discover the joys of travelling via rickshaw. "Joys." My experience with the auto drivers can be summarized quite simply. "You need auto ma'am?? Auto??" "Haan auto to....(insert destination)... How much?" "Theek hai, ok ok 250 rupees." Now any foreigner not living in India and working off Indian salrary will think: "250 rupees?! Thats only $5 USD!!! Awesome! " Krystal, however is not one of those foreigners with American dollars. So here is how my conversations generally go: "250 Rupees!!! Nay Nay its 30 Rupees distance." "Ma'am 250 rupees." "Nay nay 50 rupees bes." Auto driver attempts to haggle for several minutes. I start to walk away in search of another Auto. "Ok ok ma'am 70 rupees." (And of course after getting into the auto and driving away ... read more

As a blonde California girl I must admit that living in India has not been an easy task. Whereas other Indian girls or expats in the community might have other experiences (as non-blondes) my experience is much different. I cannot leave my apartment alone at night, for example as men often try to harass me (in broad daylight) and in the evening after a few drinks let's just say Indian men can get a bit scary/creepy. When I was living in Egypt, Muslim men often tried to "marry" me (their proposals went something like this: "What's your name? MARRY ME!") however my first learned words in Arabic (do not touch) helped me to keep the men from attempting to grab my hand or wrist. In INDIA, however, men do not simply go for the innocent hand ... read more

Having been born and raised in the USA, let's just say my favorite foods consisted of Cheeseburgers, steak, meat, gravy with meat, salads with meat, more meat...and well...you get the point. So what's a California carnivore to do when you move to a country where it is FORBIDDEN to eat the oh so holiest of holy, sacred animal...the cow. Go vegetarian. Ok, so technically you can find chicken and even mutton (I don't recommend either) however I will say one thing: I've been eating vegetarian food in India and to tell you the truth I like it! Hinduism is a religion where people believe animals are sacred (and being an avid animal lover and professional horse trainer I can definitely relate with the logic.) Don't get me wrong, being all veg all the time is not ... read more