INCREDIBLE INDIA. TRAVELER’S GUIDE OR CULTURAL SHOCK.
If you are planning your first visit to India, it’s most likely that you will be a bit nervous not knowing what to wait from meeting this extraordinary country. So here’s traveler’s guide to India.
Arriving to India: It’s almost certain you will be shocked or even terrified when you first step on Indian land. The crowd almost everywhere is the thing that takes a lot of time to get used to. There are a lot of people! No one will be able to tell you why in this particular place there’s that much people and where are they going.
Roads in India: Chaos is the word that describes Indian roads the best. Such ordinary thing as taking a cab might will into a real competition for you. Same thing with simple road crossing. The only traffic control unspoken law that actually works is that the big cars are the ones who control streets. Small vehicles usually give way to trucks and other wide cars.
As it was already said, road crossing in another problem: to get to the other side of the road you haave to be well prepared to take the road infront of speeding drivers. They are used to it and will stop in front of you to let you skip. The best thing to do is to follow other pedestrians.
Cows in India: People usually ask questions people about kangaroos walking on the streets of Australia. Of course, there are no kangaroos in cities. But India is the opposite of Australia. There a lot of cows almost everywhere: beaches, cafes etc. They are huge, but totally safe. Not if you stab them with something, by the way. Actually, cows aren’t the only animal you will be most likely to see on the streets: donkeys, camels, a lot of dogs.
Sounds of India: India isn’t the place where you relax in the tree shadows trying to learn nirvana or something. India is noisy. Indian drivers are fond of using klaxons whether it’s necessary or not. A lot of noise pollution constantly reminds you of being in India. Once the government of Mumbai city tried to make a “Day without klaxons”, but it didn’t work out and the authorities fell aboard with the drivers, who honestly didn’t understand what was the problem with honking.
Smells of India: There are different approaches to odors, scents and smells of India. They could be both the best and the worst things that ever happened to you. Garbage and toilet aromas mix with balmy spices and incenses and create unique fragrances.
Dirt of India: You WILL be shocked by the pollution. Open sewages, some districts of cities remind of garbage cites. Indians only care about their houses: if it’s clean inside, who cares about outside?
Poverty of India: Poverty and beggary are the hardest things of perception of India’s reality. The contrast between the richest and poorest is that much visible, that you won’t get ever used to it.
People of India: Indian society is solid and there’s no such concept as personal space and time. Despite this people there are very kind and curious in a good way.
India is the place that won’t leave you indifferent. It doesn’t matter whether you liked it or not, you will remember it for the rest of your life.
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