Observations after a month in North India

---

Just 3 days before we hit the skies and fly to Varanasi then on to Mumbai and down to Goa and further. I think it perhaps appropriate to summarise some thoughts so far as South India will, we think be quite different.
.....everyone we have met so far from people who want to chat in the street, stall holders, shop keepers, hotel staff etc gave been lovely.
.....our drivers have been great especially Raj. There is no way we could have seen what we have seen and done what we have done without Raj.
.....driving in India.
We have driven in UK , Europe, US , and of course NZ and Australia but there is nothing like India...cows, lots of rules no one follows etc
Rule of the horn chaotic but we have not seen an accident yet apart from a lady who had fallen off the back of a motor cycle on a potholed road ....
.....rubbish...the rubbish is amazing and apparently it is one of PM Modi''s major aims..to clean it up. Shimla was very clean with lots of bins and signage.
.....cows are every where on highways in cites and of course their excrement poses a problem.
.....colours are amazing. A dusty dirty village is brought to life with the colourful saris of the women who seem to be able to look clean all the time.
.....public health a big issue with 68% of the population having access to toilets and this is up from 38% 3 years ago when Modi was voted in. He has a program that can pay up to 12000 rupees towards a toilet. Of course resistance in rural areas due to entrenched customs and poverty. We saw several instances of people squatting on edge of road doing their business .
.....the palaces and castles of Rajasthan were mind blowing. The extavagance and wealth of the 22 Maharajah 's and their dynasties certainly rivals that of European dynasties such as Louis and Marie Antoinette which of course lead to revolution.
....the seemingly blind devotion to all the Hindu gods and customs to the extent of cutting out tongues etc.
There are many other things as well. A land of great contrasts in the people, poverty and wealth, and there seem so many barriers to developement. The first major thing we believe is to clean up the rubbish and hygiene areas. This alone will have many spin offs in public health and of course contribution to global factors.

---