India - The inner values are important

in #travel6 years ago (edited)

Hey lovely steemit community,

In this post I want to tell you some of my personal experiences while traveling through the versatile and interesting country India. You will not encounter as much poverty, chaos and the smell of feces in any other country of Southeast Asia. At the beginning of your journey you will realise the extent and the catastrophic conditions. Some backpackers told me about their surprisingly bad experience while traveling through India but I did not imagine that my personal experience with India would be that bad. You need to think twice, if you plan to visit India as it can be really exhausting and it's definitely not for everyone.

Indiens streets are an outstanding adventure that will totally outdo your previous experience. Travelers who believe that Vietnam or Indonesia are in horrible conditions will be horrified when walking on the streets of India. I guarantee that you will be shocked and that this will definitely cause you to reflect on the world. The streets are full of dirt and garbage. Animals like cows, sheeps and goats walk and shit all over the city. The disgusting and smelly streets will almost make you puke. In addition, the traffic is chaotic and life threatening. Indian driver nearly run you over. Walking on the streets of India, the most annoying experience for me was that everyone wanted to start a conversation with me. At some point I just replied with a simple “no”, which left them in a confused condition behind.

In no other country is the contrast between the rich and the poor that stark like in India. Either you are lucky and you are born wealthy or you lead a hand-to-mouth existence. We always felt bad when we went to the shopping centre because of the poverty and dirty living situations on the streets. In general, you will permanently encounter unpleasant and stressful situations as a foreigner. You will be intrusively begged on and stared at by the locals. I felt bad because it was impossible to support everyone financially, like every traveler my travel budget is limited. This bad feeling increased when the locals did not show any understanding and reacted aggressively when I did not give them money. I even experienced that locals gave me my money back because it was to less.

Shockingly, the wealthy Indians walk with ideological blinkers through the streets and show no interest in the misery of the lower class. I directly confronted some wealthy Indians with the question “Why do you ignore the poverty of these people?” and received the most disturbing answer. The wealthy Indians truly believe that the poor voluntarily live on the streets! I think that they talk themselves into believing this to soothe their conscience.
On the whole, seeing these extremely poor living conditions on the streets tore my heart apart: an experience that made me sad and that was at the same time thought-provoking. I promise, you will not forget the image of a four-year-old child that wears dirty and tattered clothes and begs for money.

At the beginning I was really interested in the varied Indian cuisine: So I started to try every Indian dish possible. However, I ended up realizing that Indian food was not good for me. Within two days of my Indian journey, I suffered from food poisoning and stomach cramps. In addition, I was plagued by diarrhea for weeks. Having arrived in Germany, my travel partner found out that she was infested with parasites. Because of that I would recommend everybody to go only in upscale restaurants. Anyhow, you can try as much as you can to tackle health issues caused by Indian food. In the end, there will always be a slight chance to fall ill. Only medicine such as antibiotics will lead to improving one’s state of health. Unfortunately I experienced that Indian food was rather an imposition than a pleasure.

In India you will experience a lot of ups and downs. Some situations will make you believe that India is beautiful. For instance, visiting the Taj Mahal made the negative experiences disappear for a moment. This remarkable landmark of India was built by the leader Shah Jahan due to the love to his wife Frau Mumtaz Mahal. For newly married and fallen in love couples it is definitely worth a visit. Locals claim that after this visit the relationship is blessed with love and happiness. Clearly for me, the Taj Mahal was the highlight of my trip to India.

Another nice experience was the Holi Fest, also called colors festival. It's one of the oldest and the most colorful festivals from the hindus. The goal is to throw powdered paint at every human who comes in the way. With this yearly tradition Indians welcome spring. Interestingly, we did not get asked whether we wanted to participate in the festival of colors. Without any warning we were surprised and mercilessly painted with colors. At the end it was really funny and unexpected adventure. Furthermore, it was the first time I actually saw the locals being carefree and happy. It was a day when the whole country flourished offering the Indians the chance to forget the misery of their lives.

In conclusion, traveling in India involves many unexpected inconveniences. Because of my negative experiences, I would initially discourage inexperienced travelers to travel to India. However, this is where opinions extremely differ. I met some travelers who really enjoyed India in all areas. For me this is unimaginable, because in my view, the negative impressions predominate. That's why my answer to the question whether a trip to India is worthwhile is a clear no.

German/Deutsch

Hey liebe Steemit Community,
In diesem Beitrag geht es um das vielseitige und interessante Land Indien. In keinem anderen Land Südostasiens wird man so stark mit Armut, Chaos und Fäkaliengeruch konfrontiert wie hier in Indien. Erst im Laufe der Reise realisierst man das Ausmaß und die katastrophalen Zustände. Mir selbst wurde schon von einigen Backpackern von Indien berichtet, dass es mich so hart überwältigen würde war jenseits meiner Vorstellungskraft. Man sollte sich gut überlegen ob eine Reise nach Indien lohnenswert ist , denn dies ist anstrengend und somit nicht für jederman.

Indiens Straßen sind ein Abenteuer, das alles zuvor Bekannte in den Schatten stellt. Wer glaubt in Vietnam oder Indonesien schlimme Zustände gesehen zu haben, der wird in Indien eines Besseren belehrt. Das was du sehen wirst, wird dich schockieren und zum Nachdenken anregen. Die Straßen sind mit Müll und Dreck überhäuft. Tiere wie Kühe, Schafe und Ziegen wandern umher und verteilen überall ihren Kot. Einen entspannten Spaziergang wird man vergebens suchen, da man sich aufgrund des Gestanks von Fäkalien beinahe übergeben muss. Der Strassenverkehr ist chaotisch und lebensgefährlich die wahnsinnigen Verkehrsteilnehmer fahren einem bis an die Fußspitzen. Zudem werden so gut wie alle Inder versuchen, häufig aus finanziellen Gründen, mit dir ins gespräch zu kommen. Ein Nein wird leider nicht verstanden was sehr nervig und zeitraubend ist.

Der Kontrast zwischen Arm und Reich ist in keinem Land so stark sichtbar wie in Indien. Entweder man ist wohlhabend geboren oder führt ein bettelarmes Leben, von der Hand zum Mund. Auf dem Weg zum Einkaufscenter muss man sich erstmal durch das riesige Durcheinander von Menschen und deren Armut, was für mich als Fremder immer sehr stressig und unangenehm war. Denn Häufig wirst du von Einheimischen angebettelt und penetrant angestarrt. Da auch ich auf mein Reisebudget achten musste, war es nicht immer möglich solch hilfsbedürftige Menschen finanziell zu unterstützen. Dafür wurde jedoch oftmals kein Verständnis aufgebracht bzw. mit frechen Gästen. Es kam auch schon vor, dass mir mein Geld wieder zurück gegeben wurde da es nicht ausreichend war. Die wohlhabenden Inder laufen mit Scheuklappen durch die Straßen, das Leid der Unterschicht interessiert sie nicht. Ich selbst fragte wohlhabende Inder weshalb über solch Armut hinweggesehen wird. Eine lustige Antwort war, dass der Großteil der Armen Geld besitzen jedoch freiwillig auf der Straße wohnen wollen. Die Oberschicht redet sich das wohl ein um ihr Gewissen zu beruhigen. Mir selbst zerriss der Anblick der Lebensumstände auf den Straßen das Herz: eine Erfahrung die traurig und zugleich zum Nachdenken anregt. Denn das Bild eines vierjährigen Kindes, das dreckig und in zerfetzten Kleidern nach Geld bettelt, wird man so schnell nicht los.

Anfangs war das interessiert gegenüber der Indischen Küche Groß. Aufgeschlossen und neugierig probierte ich mich durch die vielseitige Küche Indiens, jedoch zu meinem Verhängnis. Schon nach zwei Tagen gingen die täglichen Lebensmittelvergiftungen und Magenkrämpfen los. Daher empfehle ich jedem Reisenden seine Mahlzeiten nur in gehobenen Restaurants ein zu nehmen. Trotz aller Vorsicht kann eine Lebensmittelvergiftung nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Ich selbst wurde wochenlang von Durchfall geplagt. Erst Medikamente wie Antibiotika führten zu einem verbesserten Gesundheitszustand. In Deutschland angekommen, stellte sich heraus, dass meine Reisepartnerin von Parasiten befallen war. Aufgrund dessen ist das indische Essen meiner Meinung nach mehr eine Zumutung als ein Genuß.

In Indien werden dich viele Höhen und Tiefen erwarten. Ab und an gibt es Situationen, die dich glauben lassen, dass Indien doch schöne Seiten hat. Der Besuch des Taj Mahals z.B. lässt die negativen Erlebnisse für einen kurzen Moment schwinden. Das Wahrzeichen Indiens ließ der Anführer Shah Jahan aus Liebe zu seiner Frau Mumtaz Mahal erbauen. Ein Tagesausflug ist dieses herausstechende Bauwerk gerade für frisch verheiratete und verliebte Paare definitiv Wert. Einheimische behaupten, dass nach diesem Besuch die Beziehung mit Liebe und Glück gesegnet ist. Für mich ganz klar der Höhepunkt meiner Indienreise.

Ein weiteres schönes Erlebnis war das Holi Fest, auch Farben Fest genannt. Es ist eines der ältesten und farbenfreudigste Feste der Hindus. Das Ziel ist, jeden Menschen der einem in die Quere kommt mit Farbpuder zu bewerfen. Mit dieser jährlichen Tradition wird der Frühling willkommen geheißen. Auch interessant war, das meine Reisepartnerin und Ich nicht um unsere Einverständnis gefragt wurden, ob wir überhaupt bei dem Farbenfest mitmachen möchten. Ohne Vorwarnung wird man regelrecht überfallen und gnadenlos mit Farben attackiert. Im Nachhinein war es ein lustiges, unerwartetes Abenteuer. Zum ersten Mal erschienen mir die Einwohner Indiens sorglos und glücklich. Es war ein Tag in dem das ganze Land aufblüht und den Menschen eine Möglichkeit geboten wird, den schweren Alltag zu vergessen.

Schlussfolgernd ist zu sagen, dass das Reisen in Indien mit vielen unerwarteten Unannehmlichkeiten verbunden ist. Aufgrund meiner negativen Erfahrungen, würde ich unerfahrenen Reisenden Indien zunächst abraten. Allerding ist dies von Person zu Person unterschiedlich. Ich habe einige kennengelernt, die Indien in allen Bereichen sehr genossen haben. Für mich ist dies unvorstellbar, denn aus meiner Sicht überwiegen die negativen Eindrücke. Darum beantworte ich dir die Frage ob eine Reise nach Indien lohnenswert sei mit einem klaren Nein.

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Though you have nicely summarized your experience, but I would really say that its better to plan before going in any Country. A trip to India will be worthwhile if you know where to go and where to eat. I know we are not as rich as other countries in the world, as our per capita income is one of the lowest but we have love in our hearts.

Great description of youe journey. Finally someone who doesn't just write about the positives but also mentions the negatives.
We felt similar when traveling in the Philippines actually, the food there was really bad, we had food poisoning, diarrhea or constipation a lot there

Hey budercream! This was an interesting read, thank you for sharing such an honest expression of you experience of India. I am taking my little family to India in September, its going to be my first trip to India, as well as my first trip as a family. My twin babies are turning 1 at the end of the month. We chose India because of it's people and culture. I know there so much wisdom in each and one's life stories that we could learn so much from, I'm so excited for this adventure! 'm sorry you didn't get to see both sides, but the experience you had will make you grow a lot as a person. I have the impression too, that you need to stay for a longer time. I hope you will give India another chance! Looking forward to following your next adventure ;)

wow!! I am amazed that you go to India with your twin babies. For me would be to dangerous and stressful to travel with my babies to India. How long yo been in India ?

How long have you been traveling in india? It seems like you walked the very common tourist trails. India is what you make it, I can imagine that it is quite overwhelming, given the context you are coming from. Sad to hear that you seemingly did not experience the beauty that mother india can show. You need to spend at last half a year there, learn the language a little, travel to remote places to truely experience this remarkable country and the people that are living there.

cheers geniusloci,
I spend a whole month and the only touristic place where I've been was in goa and agra . I traveled through India and what I saw was enough to make my decision about that country. Its like I wrote in my conclusion some people like and some are not. Depends on you :)

Got that, thanks for the answer. I still think that one month is not enough for a country which is 10x the size of Germany. It is not about seeing India, it is about feeling it :) In my eyes, 1 month is barely enough time to scratch the surface.

Every country has its own positiveness and negativeness. India is a beautiful developing country . You should have planned your trip well before heading out to any place. we have beautiful architecture and culture. visiting Taj mahal is not enough there are many beautiful places from north to south of India. Moreover if it comes to poverty, Yes, our country is suffering through it and I agree that it is our negative part, although we are trying to overcome it for sure. and when it comes to food , there are many good restaurants all around India which offers delicious and healthy food, Indian cuisine has lots and lots of variety from Punjabi food to south Indian food. It is delicious and own many varieties. It feels like you have not visited India in a proper way. I hope you come next time in a planned manner and I assure you will have beautiful time here:) good luck!

I am not judging @budercream and I have never been to India. I'm sure I will never have the chance to go. However, I have had two beautiful friends who grew up in India. They both seemed to have an intuitive sense of life that many Westerners lack. Knowing them made me wish I could visit.
Of course there is great poverty. I think, in visiting any country where there is so much poverty, it would be wise to get sound advice on the best way to protect yourself against hazards. This would be true in any country. I live in the US. There are places I will not travel, and certainly places I will not eat. I write this out of respect for my friends, not as a critique of @budercream's post. He gives an honest report of his experience. This is exactly what anyone should do.

Hello,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I was born and brought up in India and most of the negatives you have mentioned are quite accurate. Indian metropolis are crumbling under the mismanagement of resources and ever increasing population pressure.

You may have a better experience traveling to the lesser populated areas like Northeast , Mountainous North or even southern parts ( Kerala/Goa) etc.

About the food , yes ofcourse , only stick to the upscale places. One way can be to hunt down buffet deals on groupon/or equivalent in a really high end restaurant( 2000-3000 INR) , that way you can try out a lot of options without committing to few dishes.

Cheers

You may have a better experience traveling to the lesser populated areas like Northeast , Mountainous North

Can confirm, I liked it much more in the mountains of India, rather than southern parts. The same distinction goes to Nepal, as well. People living in the mountains are different - they appear to be calmer, cleaner, and better overall.

Mountainous areas also have a lot of culture to be explored..since it's not over populated it is still enjoyable .

Don't go in summer though as that's the main tourist season ..go just before summer or post monsoon! !

Hello itstime,
yeah everything what you said is correct. I have visited Goa, which seems to be very touristic and i felt like I've been on holidays. If you go in high end restaurants you will enjoy it for sure!! For sure, every country has some nice special dishes but in India, you really need to go to search them.

tks for reply...

you can't risk it in the local market to try out the dishes unless you take your meds in advance...having said that , the best flavors are in the local market.

Seems like you had a bad experience in India, which is sad to hear. Well written post, thanks for sharing it with the community.

Tks for the upvotes !!

ok..followed !!

The excellence of the Indian individuals lies in their soul of resilience, give-and-take and an organization of societies that can be contrasted with a garden of blossoms of different hues and shades of which, while keeping up their own particular substance, loan concordance and magnificence to the garden - India!Another highlight that sets the antiquated Indus culture separated from other early civilisations is the unmistakable pretended by ladies.

Very nice experience and writings, I like your post.

what amazing
see cows on the street

amazing experience buddy, thanks to share us here

i like your post, i decided to follow you. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Hi malealex,
i been watching your profile and saw that you are from Venezuela. I watched a lot of documentaries about your country and was really curious. So I decided to make my next trip to venezuela.

Excellent post!. Great description of this wonderful an strange country ... Thanks for sharing with us!!!!

Thanks for you positive answer agromeror :)

Totally Loved your article. its the reality of most other countries as well. have u been to Pakistan??

No, is there are the same bad living conditions ?

I like the truth you paint ; the misery I don’t like ;
krypto shoud help a lot ; middle class for every one .

Hii sir, i am a indian .....where are you
Tell me
If possible i will meet you
Which city are you in........??

Wow... wunderschön 😍

Danke schön :)

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Welcome to india.

Glückliche Tage sind immer kurz.

Great post. I visited India 20 years ago, it sounds like it has not changed one bit!!!

I believe that are in the next 10 Years are nothing will change :)

Excelente!! siempre he querido ir a la india! saludos desde latinoamerica @budercream

India is a great culture, full of colors and stories that have captivated more than one person

I believe inner value is also important as you can see india has a lot to offer.

Oh India! My dream country!

Traveling different countries is a big adventure. Therefore searching and learning more about the countries, cities, towns, streets, and restaurants are important before you make your decision. Great post. Thanks!

Dreaming about someday to know that awesome country & culture too. Excelent post

thanks elwaltersilva. :)

Really you posted the common factors of India which is Very attractive presentation for us, it's very important to show and share the problem of common man of India, thanks a lot.

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