Hey guys,
This @sanzib from India, traveling India isn't always that much good if you don't prepare for it. India is different, much differ than western countries. From population to language everything is different. Although people in India love to meet foreigners. For some people interacting with foreigners could be life time memory. There is a lot of things which can create problems for foreigners to travel.
The Traffic is Insane
Believe the hype and the movies that show cars not sticking in the same lanes. In Delhi there are a lot of stop signs and red and green lights, but regardless of the rules no one seems to give a damn and no one seems to be doing anything about it. You cannot pay me to drive in India. Driving in Kashmir and other cities like Lucknow, Aligarh, and Meerut is even worse. I haven’t seen that many traffic lights and people indicate their turns by honking. I’m sure it’s the near equivalent everywhere in India. I haven’t been to every town so I don’t want to say something that’s not true but 95% of the roads I’ve been on can be treacherous if you’re not a skilled driver. But people do get around.
If you’re a woman, be very careful when traveling alone
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As a foreigner you’re probably already going to get strange looks. Cover up; it’ll help. In a conservative country, a lot of men aren’t used to tank tops and shorts. Sadly, India has been reporting a lot of rape cases, as well. Don’t let this stop you from wandering, though. In any country any thing is possible, just keep your guard up. Knowing the exact direction and location when taking a cab is helpful too.
my statement about women is not true everywhere. India is modern nowadays and woman are expressive these days as well. I do not create a inaccurate image of my country but still there is some places where women are not allow to wear shorts.
There are a lot of poor people begging for money
There’s a huge poverty rate in India — due to the overpopulation, there are a lot of people begging for money. It sucks. It sucks even more that most of them are children. I’m someone who gets the urge to help everyone, so it’s hard not to help when I can. I’ve learned, however, that you have to understand everyone has a different way of living. Begging has become second nature. It’s a job. I went to a shrine called a “dergah” in New Delhi one day, where you can buy food stamps for people, give the stamps out and they’ll be able to get a plate of food. I bought so many I couldn’t keep count. It was worse when people kept lining up and hoping you’d get a stamp for them too. You have to tolerate it and find easier ways to help so you know you’re money is going to necessities and not other things.
There are different dialects and very distinct cultures throughout India.
Many people I’ve encountered in the US and overseas think Urdu or Hindi is the only language spoken. That’s not true. There’s Kashmiri, Tamil, Punjabi—the list goes on. South Indians look and dress different from North Indians. It’s a diverse country. Every part of India is different, from the beautiful beaches in Goa and Kerala to the Architecture in Agra. People look different and are from different cultures. A common misconception and sadly, racially profiled remark, I’ve heard is “You don’t look Indian?” I always fire back and ask, “What does any Indian look like?”. This confuses them. People think Indians are always dark skinned. If you notice in many Bollywood movies, the actresses have lighter skin tones. My point being, all Indians look different.
Cleanliness is an issue, deal with it
Let’s be frank here! India is a country of 1.25 billion people, which counts for a huge amount of population. Being a developing nation, there is a slight scarcity of resources to keep all areas clean. You may come across few places that are not as clean as you may have expected. But that does not mean India is unhygienic; not at all!
Some days ago I went to a very famous temple from North-East. 20-25 people were gathering at rest house. Actually, there was a foreigner and they all want to took a selfy with him. Respect people and culture and see how much love you will get back.
It was a good read. Do check out this post about the beautiful paragliding in Bir billing in Himachal, India.
https://steemit.com/travel/@cup-of-life/fly-away-from-work-birbilling
Thank you for the advice, I am headed to Rishikesh in September for Yoga teacher training! I loved that you shared how to buy food stamps to help those who are suffering. Namaste.