No matter where you go when you travel, you will find things you wish were different:
10) The Sameness: When we Northerners take our Winter vacations in the south we marvel at how green
things are but we don't live there where nothing ever changes, the circle of life (and death) exists here but is far less obvious than when the leaves fall, then the snow covers the ground, then the trees buds and then the leaves are back. Without a Fall and Winter, there is no Spring, only endless Summer.
9) The Noise: Mumbai and most other municipalities is an assault on the senses, especially the auditory sense. The traffic noise is loud and constant, quitting only in the wee hours of the morning for only a short time. It is very difficult to get use to the loud deisels, the unmuffled rickshaws, and the constant horn honking as drivers jockey for position on crowded roads.
8) The Dust: Albeit this is not the Rainy Season but because of this the dust builds and builds and coats everything, the streets, the sidewalks, the cars and even the leaves of the plants until the whole countryside is dun coloured.
7) The Music: Sorry to all you World Music Fans, Indian Music hurts my ears. Indian Songstresses sing in the Alto and above range as compared to the NA songstresses who are generally in the soprano range. Men often sing in Falsetto, a style that went out in NA in the Fifties.
6) Taxis and Rickshaws: 'nuff said!
5) The Staring: I have mentioned this before but it bears another mention, Indians stare and there is nothing you can do about it. They will stare at you unwaveringly. Staring back does not stop it nor does nodding acknowledgement. I continue to use my strategy of "passive ignoring", look just to the left or right of the starer(s) as if there is something more interesting just over their shoulder. You might consider mirrored sunglasses as another form of passive ignoring but there is nothing that will stop them from staring.
4) The Vigilance: I am constantly on edge about from where the food or especially the water came. I ask for drinks without ice, and if they put ice in it, I take it out. Mumbai is famous for "street food" and the food itself is probably quite safe but if you take a moment to look around you will see they are cleaning the dishes and utensils in a bucket of dirty water.
3) The Spicy Food: 'nuff said!
2) The Pollution: Several Indian Cities have been designated as "Killer Cities" due to the toxic air quality. For Air quality, of the Top Ten Most polluted cities four are found in India with New Delhi being singled out as amongst the worst in the world with air pollution 60 times higher than what is considered safe. When measuring water pollution, Vapi, a city just north of Mumbai, has 96 times the mercury levels that the WHO considers safe.
1) The Bustle: Not being from a Metropolitan Area, I am not used to crowds and the crush of people. Of the top 20 twenty cities in the World as measured by population density, 10 of them are found in India so almost all localities here are heavily populated. As a result, sometimes the niceties are lost. If I am waiting in line for a train ticket and I leave more than a couple inches between myself and the next person, someone will step in front of me. The most recent time, I was next to be served, probably five people behind me and a man stepped in front of me. Sarcasm is lost on people that do not speak English, because when I said, "That's okay, I wasn't standing in line, waiting for a ticket.", all he understood was "ticket" which he took to mean that I needed his help to buy a ticket. A strange mix of disrespect to me and everyone else in line but polite enough to want to help me buy a ticket. At the pantry at my worksite, if I am placing my order, people I know will reach across the counter or over my shoulder to make a purchase. At my most recent visit to Starbucks, I was third in line, a European woman was second, an Indian was first and another Indian man walked around us all and stepped in front of the first person. The European woman shooed him away for which I was quite surprised but still pleased to see.
Despite this list, I would happily come back. Look forward to my Top Ten Reasons I Wish I Could Stay.
10) The Sameness: When we Northerners take our Winter vacations in the south we marvel at how green
9) The Noise: Mumbai and most other municipalities is an assault on the senses, especially the auditory sense. The traffic noise is loud and constant, quitting only in the wee hours of the morning for only a short time. It is very difficult to get use to the loud deisels, the unmuffled rickshaws, and the constant horn honking as drivers jockey for position on crowded roads.
8) The Dust: Albeit this is not the Rainy Season but because of this the dust builds and builds and coats everything, the streets, the sidewalks, the cars and even the leaves of the plants until the whole countryside is dun coloured.
7) The Music: Sorry to all you World Music Fans, Indian Music hurts my ears. Indian Songstresses sing in the Alto and above range as compared to the NA songstresses who are generally in the soprano range. Men often sing in Falsetto, a style that went out in NA in the Fifties.
6) Taxis and Rickshaws: 'nuff said!
5) The Staring: I have mentioned this before but it bears another mention, Indians stare and there is nothing you can do about it. They will stare at you unwaveringly. Staring back does not stop it nor does nodding acknowledgement. I continue to use my strategy of "passive ignoring", look just to the left or right of the starer(s) as if there is something more interesting just over their shoulder. You might consider mirrored sunglasses as another form of passive ignoring but there is nothing that will stop them from staring.
4) The Vigilance: I am constantly on edge about from where the food or especially the water came. I ask for drinks without ice, and if they put ice in it, I take it out. Mumbai is famous for "street food" and the food itself is probably quite safe but if you take a moment to look around you will see they are cleaning the dishes and utensils in a bucket of dirty water.
3) The Spicy Food: 'nuff said!
2) The Pollution: Several Indian Cities have been designated as "Killer Cities" due to the toxic air quality. For Air quality, of the Top Ten Most polluted cities four are found in India with New Delhi being singled out as amongst the worst in the world with air pollution 60 times higher than what is considered safe. When measuring water pollution, Vapi, a city just north of Mumbai, has 96 times the mercury levels that the WHO considers safe.1) The Bustle: Not being from a Metropolitan Area, I am not used to crowds and the crush of people. Of the top 20 twenty cities in the World as measured by population density, 10 of them are found in India so almost all localities here are heavily populated. As a result, sometimes the niceties are lost. If I am waiting in line for a train ticket and I leave more than a couple inches between myself and the next person, someone will step in front of me. The most recent time, I was next to be served, probably five people behind me and a man stepped in front of me. Sarcasm is lost on people that do not speak English, because when I said, "That's okay, I wasn't standing in line, waiting for a ticket.", all he understood was "ticket" which he took to mean that I needed his help to buy a ticket. A strange mix of disrespect to me and everyone else in line but polite enough to want to help me buy a ticket. At the pantry at my worksite, if I am placing my order, people I know will reach across the counter or over my shoulder to make a purchase. At my most recent visit to Starbucks, I was third in line, a European woman was second, an Indian was first and another Indian man walked around us all and stepped in front of the first person. The European woman shooed him away for which I was quite surprised but still pleased to see.
Despite this list, I would happily come back. Look forward to my Top Ten Reasons I Wish I Could Stay.
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