One thing about me is I love being an Indian-American. Having parents that have taught me my roots and my culture is something I am so grateful for, especially now. This past December, my family took a trip to India to visit my parents’ hometown and family after 5 years. We traveled mainly to North India and stayed in a city called Chandigarh in Punjab where my parents are from. We also took a little family vacation to a city in South India called Chennai. Along with meeting family, sightseeing, and eating delicious food, I also learned a lot of valuable things and created a list of story-times from this trip. Without further ado, here are some lessons I learned on my trip to India:
Air India deserves jail time:
Okay, who am I if I don’t start this list off on a more pessimistic note. During this trip, my brother and I flew Air India from Chicago to New Delhi. Right off the bat, we all know how absolutely disgusting economy class can get. There’s barely any leg-room (and this is coming from someone who is 5 foot 2 inches), the air hostesses can be so rude, there are children crying left and right, and the food is equivalent to Lunchable quality, but somehow worse! I remember getting up after what was 5 hours, to try and find some water. I accidentally stumbled into the business class area, and the air hostess told me “economy” wasn’t allowed in business class. Of course, like the non-confrontational person I am, I apologized and went back to my seat. Then, I cried. It’s funny, but it was also such a reality check and I wasn’t prepared. To make matters worse, for some reason my food restrictions were listed as vegan and low-sodium. I am neither. So whenever it was “meal time”, they would bring out my tray first which consisted of bland vegan chicken and veggies with not a single speck of salt anywhere in sight. When I tell you I was gobsmacked, that is an understatement. The best part about airport food is the yogurt honestly, and I couldn’t even get that. A total L if you ask me. On the way back from India, Air India completely messed up the seats. My mom, my brother, and I were seated completely separate from each other on different sides of the plane. After hours of begging and waiting, we finally switched out. Safe to say Air India will not be getting any thank you letters from me.
The New Delhi airport is untrustworthy:
Going off the airline fiasco I experienced, the New Dehli airport is the most confusing place ever. Between left, right, up, down, top, bottom, you have no idea where you are going. My brother and I were literally running and sweating to catch a connecting flight. We made the decision to ask a lady in an Air India booth for some help, and she told us our flight had already left. Come to find out, our flight wasn’t even on time, and even after being in long lines, we made it on time with a few minutes to spare. It was already a high-stress situation, and then this lady decided to jump scare us. I am never trusting anyone ever again.
The Golden Temple is the most serene place you will ever visit:
Out of all the places we visited, the Golden Temple was my favorite. I had been wanting to visit for the longest time and I knew it would be fascinating, but I didn’t know I would fall madly in love with it. Obviously, the architecture and layout is beautiful. Beyond that though, it is the most serene place ever. We went in the day and nighttime and it was serene either way. The lights were reflecting off of every angle. People were in prayer, and I felt the most connected to God, then. I know it’s cliché, but it was truly life-changing. Gurudwaras such as the Golden Temple have a wonderful sense of hospitality and kindness and I cannot wait to be back.
Monkeys are brutal:
I know monkeys everywhere are a little feisty, but the ones in India are built different. We saw monkeys on a couple different occasions. However, the time that really stuck with me was when my mom and the rest of my family were climbing a hill to go see a temple/statue. My mom was holding offerings and a monkey started creeping up to us. It had evil in its eyes, but I had no idea what it was about to do next. All of a sudden, it pounced on my mom. My mom, also known as a woman with really fast reflexes, threw the food she had in her hand in its face. It took the food and ran away. One thing about monkey’s is they are vicious when it comes to food. They do not play!
Food poisoning can happen quick, but I am made of steel:
One thing about me is I am the last person in my family that would get food poisoning. The water in India is known to carry parasites that can make people sick, which is why they advise tourists or foreigners to stay clear of tap or unfiltered water. Luckily, even though I didn’t get sick, despite all the gol gappe (little flour crisps that you fill spiced masala water into) I ate, my cousin definitely got sick. It took a little bit of a damper on the trip, but she recovered. I’d advise anyone who gets sick to stay away from super spicy food or unfiltered water to be cautious.
You are not free to take pictures anywhere you want:
As someone who is a “tourist” and someone who spends a little too much time on pictures and social media content, I thought I was safe taking pictures of the clothing I bought, but apparently not. I was shopping for some traditional Indian dresses and I tried one that I absolutely adored. As they were packing it, I tried to take a picture of a poster that had a model wearing the exact dress, but I was immediately and publicly yelled at. I guess the reason behind it was so that the design wasn’t stolen from a competing clothing company, but also, that meant public humiliation. I left. I walked out with my dress of course. It was too cute not to buy!
The walking here is not for the weak:
The midwest of the U.S. has its cons but it also has pros. For example, to visit something, you can just park in the parking lot and walk into a place not too far from the parking lot. In India, it is a whole different story, you are either dropped off by someone else, or you park about 3 miles away from where you need to go. We were visiting a monument in Chennai. After we parked, we walked about 3-4 miles in rainy, muddy weather and when we finally got there, it started raining so hard that we could not see anything! Make sure you have walking shoes on and that you are ready for some exercise, cuz damn!
The food simply cannot be beat:
If you want to eat good food, come to India. There is no question about that. We had everything from upscale dining to street food. Anything from Italian to homemade Indian. The possibilities of dishes you could have were endless. The prices are phenomenal too! You can essentially get street food for about equivalent to 50 cents and it will be filling! If you ever want to have a foodie experience, India is the place to go!
The drivers are so nice here:
One thing about Indian people is that they are always willing to lend a helping hand, no matter where you go! Specifically, the drivers that took us around the cities were incredibly helpful. Helping put in and take out luggage, taking time out of their day and salary to make adjustments for anyone. Indians are truly very kind people and the hospitality is unmatched!
Being the oldest cousin is hard:
Not many people know this about me, but I am the oldest of 6 cousins. That means, I am the leader of 6 very obnoxious children. Being in public is what I would describe to be my worst nightmare. They cry, they scream, they embarrass you, they get lost, they ask you uncomfortably personal questions that you don’t feel like answering, and they annoy you to the max. However, they are also really fun to have around. We bonded over so many things, and I feel like this trip really brought me closer to my cousins that live in India since I am not able to talk to them often. There was one point where we were all at the beach and my cousins were taking turns picking up stranded fish on the shore, twirling them around and throwing them back in the ocean. As a big sister, I was yelling at them to stop bothering the fish, but honestly it was really funny, and I’ll always remember it. A core memory for sure.
Cows are everywhere:
You best believe there will be livestock in every direction no matter where you go. You’re running late for work? There is a cow in the middle of the road. You are trying to get through to the mall entrance? You can’t. There is a herd of cows blocking it. There are so many cows, but you can’t even hate them. They are pretty cute and innocent.
Soda tastes so much better here:
Do you like the feeling of being electrocuted? I do. The soda in India is on another level. The static of the carbonation explodes on your tongue. The soda drinking experience here is beyond elite and you need to experience it.
It’s easy to get scammed:
My mom, my brother and I went to visit the India and Pakistan border where they have parades. It was a cool experience but getting to the actual stadium was a completely different experience. Right as we got out of our car, we were scammed into paying for face paint (which we didn’t even want), and there were constantly people around us asking us if we wanted a ride or if we wanted some type of service. It got overwhelming, but we made it. I am sure if I was a local, it wouldn’t have been so surprising, but it is definitely something to keep in mind. Everyone is trying to make money one way or another, so being cautious and aware of your surroundings is a good pro-tip to keep in mind if you ever visit.
The store names are insane but good for marketing:
This is super random, and not much of a lesson at all. However, it is funny. The store names in India were absolutely insane. There were car shops named “Big Daddy Cars” and Hospitals called ‘Pro Life Hospital”. Those are only a few examples, but the names were so funny. My brother and I pointed out each one we thought was funny. I will say, due to the sheer humor of it all, it is probably a good marketing strategy. I mean, I would want to walk into Big Daddy Cars and see what that’s all about if it were up to me!
Rickshaw rides are different when you have to fit 8 people into one:
We were coming back from visiting the Rock Gardens in Chandigarh, when we needed a ride for 8 people. Usually we went by car, but in this case, there were barely any cars or autos in sight. The only option was for 8 of us to cram into a rickshaw that comfortably seats 2 people. Yep. 2. At one point, I thought my leg was going to fall off into the road and the traffic. I have never been that squished in my life. Not an enjoyable experience.
White people are treated like celebrities:
The amount of American and European tourists I saw was insane. However, the amount of tourists I saw getting stopped by locals for pictures was even more insane. I remember seeing a group of American grad students being bombarded by people taking selfies with them. It was wild. And funny at the same time. I had no idea they were such a rare specimen!
Overall, traveling has always been an opportunity for me to see the world outside of my norm. It’s also a great way for me to compile lessons and little story-times just in case I were to tell stories about my experiences to others. This article made that possible! Hopefully, these lessons were entertaining and helpful. India is a beautiful country, even despite the roadblocks mentioned. I recommend it to everyone!