5 Maart heb ik India achter mij gelaten en nu is het tijd om terug te kijken. Samen met Martin, uit Duitsland, heb ik na onze ashramtijd naar verschillende boeiende plaatsen in Zuid India gereisd. Tijdenshet reizen hebben weveel met elkaar gesprokenover India. Nu onze reistijder samen op zit waren we nieuwsgierig om dit met elkaar te delen. Bij deze onze reflecties in het Engels in twee aparte blogberichten.....Enjoy!

Difficult country
Always staring
Everywhere and always I felt the look of Indian people staring at me. Even when a person is sitting next to you, practically on your lap, they stare. Travelling with fellow travellers and friends this was not an issue for me, but it were the moments that I was alone when the staring was sometimes very difficult for me. For example being in Hassan, a typical Indian town filled with too many people, traffic, dirt and ugly buildings. Three days of seeing no other tourist in a male dominated cultural and being a blond girl is not easy. These were the nights when I was so tired in the evening, but when it was difficult to fall asleep after the many impressions.

Cast system and family life
The poverty is still everywhere. Despite the economic grow from the recent years, this did not reach the biggest population of India. The very small group of the rich are getting richer, but for most people things are changing very slowly or not at all. The cast system is probably one of these costs. Officially the cast system does not exist anymore, but the more people you speak about this the more you are aware that it is still very strong present. For example our guesthouse owner and zoologist in Bikaner. A very nice and smart man, but still cannot apply for a job that would suit his level of university education just because he is from a lower cast. His wife finished her MBA and now lives with her parents in lawn at home. Where here only purpose is to look after their children under the supervision of his parents. No perspective of a career or making her own decisions.
In Bundi Judith and I had an interesting day of insights in the daily family life. In the afternoon we were invited in the house of a family from the lowest cast, the untouchables. The parents lived with one daughter, two sons, grandma, a dog, a rat called Ganesh and a chicken on hardly twenty square meters. Including in this living space is their laundy business, a small kitchen, one bed and no windows. Neither was there a toilet or shower. Their perspective of a better life: zero. Image when the boys will get married that their wives will move in too. But still there was so much joy and happiness within this family and we felt so lucky to be there. The kids are still close in our hearts.
Later that day we visited another family, they were from one of the highest casts. Big house for three generations and every family had their own livingspace. We were invited to see their wedding album. They had a three day wedding with many dresses, suits and jewellery. Obvisiousily no lack of money. They were so friendly and curious about our lives. The oldest son is still spamming us on Facebook and considering us as dear friends of the family now. Their future perspective and of their new born baby is so different from the other family. For us it feels really unfair, but for them is daily life and the accept it lik it is. They pray for more opportunities in the next life. We pray for equal changes and the wealth being more divided in this big country.

Easy to enjoy
Food, food, food
It is written all over India. Everywhere you look and everywhere you go there is food. Indian people love food and it seems that they are always eating and always willing to share their food. The Indian kitchen goes way back and has a lot of influences from other countries. That is why their kitchen is world famous and so rich of different tastes. In no other place is the kitchen as good as in India itself. Every region has their own kitchen with specific flavours and specialities. My advice: try, taste and enjoyas much different dishes as possible!
The meals in the ashram were extra special. Sitting on the floor, eating in silence with your hands. Most Indian people eat with their hands, the right hand to be precise. The left hand is the toilet hand and you do not use this one for eating. Eating with your hands was a true sensation and gives an extra dimension to eating. I loved it!!
The restaurant menu's have at least five pages, what not makes it easy to make a choice. Hindu people don't eat meat and lucky for me that I am a vegetarian. I had wonderful vegetable curries with rice, naan bread and chapatti. But most of all I enjoyed sharing food with travel friends and talking for hours. India is a paradise for everyone who loves good meals and sweets.

On the road
Travelling by train in such a big country is the nicest way to travel. It is the daily transport for many many people. The train stations are used as a public place to sleep and people are doing their toilet needs along the train tracks. Even cows on the platforms are no surprise. I never got bored of the views and fellow travellers. In the trains you get a little bit an insight on how the Indian people live. They always travel with a lot a baggage and even if you have a reserved seat, you still have to push your way in to the train to save some space for your backpack. The Indian people do it too, it seems that there are always afraid of being left out even if there are enough seats for everyone.
The train is a wonderful experience, just sit back and relax.

The ashram life
India is the place for everyone who wants to explore their spiritual site. The opportunities for yoga and meditation are tremendous. You can meet the Dalai Lama or get a hug from goeroe Amma. I spend two weeks in the Sivananda ashram in South India, a very precious time for me. The intensity, many hours sweating during the asana classes, the ongoing stream of thoughts, ayurvedic meals, joyful chanting, meditation, following your intuition, positive energy and making new friends still make me smile.

Surprises
Cultural chock
You read into India, look at pictures, see documentaries and think you are well prepared. But for a country like India you can never prepare yourself enough and you really have to experience the cultural chock. The first moments of arriving in the Delhi, freezing cold and seeing so many people living on the streets without shoes and jackets and making little fires is not an image I knew from home. The roads from the airport into townwere getting busier and busier...Chaos everywhere. Smoking busses, rattling riksjas, cows. Old Delhi is filthy, there are crowds of people and the smells are overwhelming. In no time my sweaterwas grey of dust and my skinwas dirty. Welcome to India.
Still I had a smile on my face. It is surprising how fast your eyes are used to these new sights and how quickly you adapt. I felt adventure!

Indian people
The people in India are beautiful and very friendly. Everywhere you go they ask: Your country madam? Age? Job? How much your salary? Where you go next? You like India? Married, kids?
In big cities and at the main sights a lot of people want to sell you something, but most Indian people are just sincerely interested. I think they feel more comfortable if they know a little bit about you and why you are travelling. The times when I told them that I am not travelling alone and was married they look relieved and happy. Much more than when I told them the real story: that I had a boyfriend, that we are living together not being married and that I was travelling eight months on my own. That is unthinkable in a society where people do not see their partner before their weddingday.
Indian people love to take photos, from themselves but also from western people. Sometimes I felt like a celebrity and never have I been asked so many times: One photo madam? And when it is a big group you know you are never done after one photo. As being a celebrity traveller I took my time and enjoyed the small talk with the always curious Indian people.

Summery
Flashback...India is still under my skin
Travelling in India is intense and hard work. The misery everywhere is so close. The poverty, kids with babies begging for money, cows on the street, bargaining with the tuk tuk drivers, constant power cuts, the strong smells everywhere, people shitting on the streets. Everything is possible and after a few weeks it looked like nothing surprised me anymore.
Two weeks ago I felt I that I was really done with the loud sounds and dirt everywhere. But now, being in Sri Lanka, I feel little India moments. Going through my photos I am surprised by a feeling of missing. ...
I MISS India. I can hardly stop thinking about my impressive travel time in this bizar country. The lovely people with their big smiles, amazing sites like theTaj Mahal, excitement of the kite festival in Rajasthan, tranquillity of the ashram, doing yoga, having delicious food, seeing colours everywhere, making long train rides, witnessing the always ongoing temple rituals, sleeping for budget prices or in a luxury maharaja palace.
With all these beautiful thoughts joining me, I can look back on a very happy period of my life with so many leanings. Leaving old parts of me behind and taking new parts with me.

Namaste India, looking forward to meet again one day......