Incredible India

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The slogan "Incredible India" which is used by the Indian Tourist Board, seems in my mind incredibly apt. There are so many aspects of the country which are hard to believe and yet so many other factors that stand at such a contrast to them. I feel that the three weeks we have spent here have given us a good overview and an insight into the way the country works but it does cause me to question what is being done by the government to benefit the impoverished and for me particularly, the leprosy affected.

There is a huge wealth gap here in India. We haven't really seen or met the upper classes fully but what has struck us both is how a beautiful five star hotel can be situated next to a row of shacks selling sweets; a man with an i-phone sits next to a boy in raggedy clothes asking for pens and a beautiful mansion house sits on the edge of the slums.

We have both found it difficult to know how much to tip and when. Hotel staff seem happy with 10-20 rupees but drivers, guides and tuk-tuk drivers demand tips rather than ask for them. I have had past experiences with bartering but at times it does seem that in the bigger cities like Jaipur and Delhi, everyone is out to cheat you as best they can. Especially tuk-tuk drivers. Yet on the other hand we have met some of the most friendly and lovely Indians on trains and walking around. In England most people on trains are too busy or self-involved to talk to you, (well mostly. I always manage to find someone who wants to blether away, probably because I have one of those faces). Here, every train we were on we were asked where we were from, what jobs we did, where we were going and offered help and phone numbers should anything go wrong. When has anyone on the train in the UK gone up to a group of tourists and said “hey if you need help at any time at all, please ring me” ?

India has been incredible in the amount of history and the abundance of sights it has on offer yet at the same time, incredulously, the Indian Government raised the price of a UK Visa from £40 to £100 per person in January, rapidly decreasing the number of Brits visiting. My copy of 'the Rough Guide' was only a couple of years out of date and yet the cost of entry into most of the palaces and forts had quadrupled. In most and little had seemingly been done in all but Bikaner to improve the attraction and conserve the buildings. Tourism as in many countries, is a life line to many living in poverty yet I couldn't help but think that the Government could do so much more to manage the funds generated and to encourage more visitors. A £80 deposit for an audio guide at a dodgy looking office is only going to persuade people not to use them whereas a smiley Guest house owner or camel driver makes you want to go out and do and see more.

But for me, this trip was not meant to be just another holiday. It was meant to be an experience, a chance to encounter new cultures and ways of thinking and to get stuck into some fantastic history. In that light, my first encounter with India has been a success. It has given me some experiences I will never forget and some I wish to forget in a hurry. A land of contrasts and a land of incredible intensity, I have both loved it and been driven mad by it. I have both enjoyed and endured its exotic atmosphere and have learnt that my willingness to go with the flow is both a help and a hindrance. While not a place I wish to come back to in a hurry, I do hope that someday I will and that it will be run by a more accepting and forward thinking government, with women integral to the country's operation; a country that accepts the rights of persons affected by leprosy and a country still proud of its heritage. A country changed and renewed, yet as incredible as it is today.

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