Dateline: 29 May 2017, Toronto, Canada
"Can't you just give me a chance?"
And the living is easy, too easy. An additional 5 pounds in 2 weeks too easy
No, I haven't forgotten my responsibilities to my adoring public out there, France, as ever, is France and the effects of unlimited wine, G'n T's and random acts of croissants having long since left the Indian subcontinent behind.
May 28th Toulouse, France
We are nearly home, France, being France is lovely, of course, we've done it lots of time, it doesn't change, and down in Sigean, we don't want it to.
India: what a chaotic, dirty, colourful, poor, vibrant, astonishing, exotic, wealthy, dynamic, alive, multi religious, multi ethnicity, multi education, multi scamming country. the list is almost endless. It's different from just about every other place I've ever been to, and we only explored about 20% of it
It's ancient, it's diverse, it's a nightmare, it's a paradise. It's alive, it's frustrating it's civilised, it's chaos like you have never seen before or could imagine
What am I coming away with? Why will I be going back?
As Kayla so aptly put it, everything smells like a latrine, but the food is just, well another world. India comprises of many ancient kingdoms and civilisations. You don't need to go far to see many aspects of it's culture and history
Its also a landfill. Trash is everywhere, all pervading, and I mean everywhere (except Punjab), its jarringly very noticeable, from the roads, railways, in town. To me, very depressing. You can get sick of it. Nepal is even worse: some high rises appear to just toss the stuff out of the windows. Everywhere uses rivers to simply wash everything away in the rainy season. The entire population is unaware of environmental issues
In Delhi, Kayla and I walked over a bridge that was, quite literally, a fast flowing river of stinking sewage. Shit to be exact.
Education and specifically civics regarding just throwing everything away could at least make more people, especially the young, be more accountable, or at least more aware. Animals appear happy to take all the rubbish in their stride. They simply roam around, usually cows, always dogs, sometimes pigs. All existing, as far as I can see, on this endless supply of waste. God knows how many die of ingested plastic bags? Who can say.
People are also all pervading. The human potential is truly staggering, sadly, however, most of this potential is simply lost as there is relatively little for this human mass to be employed on. Walking the streets, at train stations, outside of tourist areas, there is an almost endless supply of cheap labour, mostly dreadfully under educated, mostly doing mindless and or brutal labour or in the never ending expanses of farming fields.
There is a great difference between potential and actual achievement of this mass. One time we sent out laundry out via the hotel. Everything came back with a tiny red thread sewn into it. Someone had to insert this thread into every item of our laundry (you got it, cruel and unusual punishment indeed). Absolutely mindless stuff, but income, however tiny, can make an incredible difference, especially where you are only officially poor if you earn less than $0.80 per day. There are no safety nets here folks
Of course, if families can afford to send their kids to good schools, university and study abroad, there's no limits. But for the average kid. Well, as Ilge repeated her mantra almost daily, "I'm glad I was born in Canada".
Ooooomm to that brother.
Poverty is everywhere. There are many signs of this around the streets. Beggars are in many places. Usually mothers with babies, or deformed men and old skinny ladies somehow getting by, day by day .
Everyone is trying to make a living. Everyone you will meet will be anxious to supply some form of service, occasionally by trickery, hardly every by straight theft. If someone wants to "help", especially if they are "security officrs" or loosely defined "inspectors" without uniform or id, then they are fake and will be trying to sell you something. The simple directive is "don't trust anyone"
The best introduction to this seething mass, if you're up to it, is Chowdni Chowk, a subway stop in central, now "Old" Delhi. Try walking to the fort without holding tight to everything you have with you
Welcome to India folks
Animals:
They simply roam around, usually cows, always dogs, sometimes pigs.All existing, as far as I can see, on this endless supply of waste. God knows how many die of ingested plastic bags? Who can say
People:
There is an almost endless supply of cheap labour, mostly dreadfully under educated, but everyone a tourist will meet will be anxious to supply some form of service, occasionally by trickery, hardly every by straight theft. The human potential is staggering, but there is almost nothing for this human mass to be employed on. There are many signs of this around the streets. Beggars are in many places. Usually mothers with babies, of deformed men, somehow getting by, day by day education and specifically civics regarding just throwing everything away could at least make more people, especially the young, be more accountable.
Of all the experiences in the Indian sub continent, I think this more than anything, can give the insight into the Indian dynamic.
There is a great difference between potential and actual achievement. One time we sent out laundry out via the hotel, everything came back with a tiny red thread. Someone had to insert this thread into every item of laundry. Absolutely mindless stuff, but income, however tiny can make an incredible difference, especially where you are only officially poor if you earn lest than $1.50 per day.
When it comes to food India has a lot to teach the world. Especially about vegetarian and vegan based diets
Yep, often vegan actually, no eggs or milk products I found I could quite happily survive and thrive on such food. Amazing eh?
The essential difference is that Indian food in India, does not try to emulate a non vegetarian diet.
Getting around is often a problem, rail is very reliable and, for most routes, much faster than roads, its also generally very old and accidents are not uncommon. Roads, and certainly new (toll) highways which are very good, are often adequate, just avoid the cows. Some routes however, often turn into quarry road quality. In towns and cities, the most corrupted are the ones with appalling streets. Uber and more recently Ola, offer incredibly cheap and effective transport, even for very long distances. A great way to travel, once you have adjusted to the incredible traffic and "driving" aka missing everyone else and how surprising it is that there aren't many many more accidents. It should be the organ donor capital of the world, but I guess in the heat there, organs don't last long enough, even for rich medical tourists.
Which actually brings me to the traffic, or more specifically the driving
As there is a total lack of tax revenue, only about 4% of the population pays anything. Probably due to this, there is an obvious lack of many things. Whether this directly relates to the often terrible state of the cities, education, environment, or it's more a cause of endless corruption.
Possibly because he's apparently doing something about this deeply rooted problem, everyone (well, almost) simply loves Modi.
India is also incredibly cheap. Three of us can live quite royally, literally, on say $cad100 per day, easy. But you need to be a vegetarian
Of all the experiences in the Indian sub continent, I think one thing more than anything can give some insight into the Indian dynamic. It echoes around my head as a cry for help, a clarion call as it were. It's from a Tuk driver in Varanasi who, when he saw me walking, couldn't quite comprehend why I was out in the outrageous heat (42C+) when he had a Tuk available. As I walked into the hotel, without taking him up on his offer, he asked plaintively "Won't you give me a chance?"
I think that's what India and certainly the population is after, a chance to prove themselves.
They certainly deserve it
Good luck I say
What sticks in my mind so much about the place? The trash, the food and the ease of loosing weight (about 5kg which suddenly reappeared in France)
What do I miss most, don't miss at all, hate about India?
The never ending adventure and the food, the seething mass of humanity and the incredible heat, the acceptance of so much filth
Will I miss India, can I not wait to get back back or dread it?
The jury is out, but yes, we will no doubt enjoy our return in November
Indeed, "Can't you just give me a chance?"
Toronto, May 29th 2017
"Can't you just give me a chance?"
 |
| The Ride from and to Hell. Pure India |
And the living is easy, too easy. An additional 5 pounds in 2 weeks too easy
No, I haven't forgotten my responsibilities to my adoring public out there, France, as ever, is France and the effects of unlimited wine, G'n T's and random acts of croissants having long since left the Indian subcontinent behind.
May 28th Toulouse, France
We are nearly home, France, being France is lovely, of course, we've done it lots of time, it doesn't change, and down in Sigean, we don't want it to.
India: what a chaotic, dirty, colourful, poor, vibrant, astonishing, exotic, wealthy, dynamic, alive, multi religious, multi ethnicity, multi education, multi scamming country. the list is almost endless. It's different from just about every other place I've ever been to, and we only explored about 20% of it
It's ancient, it's diverse, it's a nightmare, it's a paradise. It's alive, it's frustrating it's civilised, it's chaos like you have never seen before or could imagine
What am I coming away with? Why will I be going back?
As Kayla so aptly put it, everything smells like a latrine, but the food is just, well another world. India comprises of many ancient kingdoms and civilisations. You don't need to go far to see many aspects of it's culture and history
 |
| For 80% of the population, life will always be hard or even unbearable By our Western standards and expectation, appalling |
Its also a landfill. Trash is everywhere, all pervading, and I mean everywhere (except Punjab), its jarringly very noticeable, from the roads, railways, in town. To me, very depressing. You can get sick of it. Nepal is even worse: some high rises appear to just toss the stuff out of the windows. Everywhere uses rivers to simply wash everything away in the rainy season. The entire population is unaware of environmental issues
 |
| A shell of a man, my pedicab driver still working to put his kids through higher education |
Education and specifically civics regarding just throwing everything away could at least make more people, especially the young, be more accountable, or at least more aware. Animals appear happy to take all the rubbish in their stride. They simply roam around, usually cows, always dogs, sometimes pigs. All existing, as far as I can see, on this endless supply of waste. God knows how many die of ingested plastic bags? Who can say.
 |
| The level of junk everywhere is simply appalling |
There is a great difference between potential and actual achievement of this mass. One time we sent out laundry out via the hotel. Everything came back with a tiny red thread sewn into it. Someone had to insert this thread into every item of our laundry (you got it, cruel and unusual punishment indeed). Absolutely mindless stuff, but income, however tiny, can make an incredible difference, especially where you are only officially poor if you earn less than $0.80 per day. There are no safety nets here folks
Of course, if families can afford to send their kids to good schools, university and study abroad, there's no limits. But for the average kid. Well, as Ilge repeated her mantra almost daily, "I'm glad I was born in Canada".
Ooooomm to that brother.
 |
| Tradition still rules. Our host couldn't believe we did not use the "cleansing waters" of Varanasi to purify ourselves |
Poverty is everywhere. There are many signs of this around the streets. Beggars are in many places. Usually mothers with babies, or deformed men and old skinny ladies somehow getting by, day by day .
Everyone is trying to make a living. Everyone you will meet will be anxious to supply some form of service, occasionally by trickery, hardly every by straight theft. If someone wants to "help", especially if they are "security officrs" or loosely defined "inspectors" without uniform or id, then they are fake and will be trying to sell you something. The simple directive is "don't trust anyone"
The best introduction to this seething mass, if you're up to it, is Chowdni Chowk, a subway stop in central, now "Old" Delhi. Try walking to the fort without holding tight to everything you have with you
Welcome to India folks
Animals:
They simply roam around, usually cows, always dogs, sometimes pigs.All existing, as far as I can see, on this endless supply of waste. God knows how many die of ingested plastic bags? Who can say
 |
| Scene of a life changing outrage, Amrizar is a showcase of political hypocrisy |
People:
There is an almost endless supply of cheap labour, mostly dreadfully under educated, but everyone a tourist will meet will be anxious to supply some form of service, occasionally by trickery, hardly every by straight theft. The human potential is staggering, but there is almost nothing for this human mass to be employed on. There are many signs of this around the streets. Beggars are in many places. Usually mothers with babies, of deformed men, somehow getting by, day by day education and specifically civics regarding just throwing everything away could at least make more people, especially the young, be more accountable.
 |
| Such stunning ancient wonders, in many places |
Of all the experiences in the Indian sub continent, I think this more than anything, can give the insight into the Indian dynamic.
There is a great difference between potential and actual achievement. One time we sent out laundry out via the hotel, everything came back with a tiny red thread. Someone had to insert this thread into every item of laundry. Absolutely mindless stuff, but income, however tiny can make an incredible difference, especially where you are only officially poor if you earn lest than $1.50 per day.
When it comes to food India has a lot to teach the world. Especially about vegetarian and vegan based diets
Yep, often vegan actually, no eggs or milk products I found I could quite happily survive and thrive on such food. Amazing eh?
It's not a conscious choices, many areas are of a particular religious ideology, like Pushkar which is a very holy place for Hindus, no place sells anything other than vegan. There's a general feeling in the Hindu religion and offshoots, that killing animals is a big no no
The most amazing part is that you don't notice, all the food we eat, was mostly, incredibly tasty, so no animals needed to die to feed anyone, not a problem. And no, none of us were in bed for 2 weeks with "Delhi Belly" or anything like it. Yes, all 3 of us had some minor form of stomach problems, but typically for a few hours. For us, it was zero problem. More maybe, a fantastic introduction to excellent food, totally different, and in most cases superior to western dead animals based quisine
 |
| A lot of India is very under publicised Great for tourists like us |
Getting around is often a problem, rail is very reliable and, for most routes, much faster than roads, its also generally very old and accidents are not uncommon. Roads, and certainly new (toll) highways which are very good, are often adequate, just avoid the cows. Some routes however, often turn into quarry road quality. In towns and cities, the most corrupted are the ones with appalling streets. Uber and more recently Ola, offer incredibly cheap and effective transport, even for very long distances. A great way to travel, once you have adjusted to the incredible traffic and "driving" aka missing everyone else and how surprising it is that there aren't many many more accidents. It should be the organ donor capital of the world, but I guess in the heat there, organs don't last long enough, even for rich medical tourists.
Which actually brings me to the traffic, or more specifically the driving
As there is a total lack of tax revenue, only about 4% of the population pays anything. Probably due to this, there is an obvious lack of many things. Whether this directly relates to the often terrible state of the cities, education, environment, or it's more a cause of endless corruption.
Possibly because he's apparently doing something about this deeply rooted problem, everyone (well, almost) simply loves Modi.
India is also incredibly cheap. Three of us can live quite royally, literally, on say $cad100 per day, easy. But you need to be a vegetarian
Of all the experiences in the Indian sub continent, I think one thing more than anything can give some insight into the Indian dynamic. It echoes around my head as a cry for help, a clarion call as it were. It's from a Tuk driver in Varanasi who, when he saw me walking, couldn't quite comprehend why I was out in the outrageous heat (42C+) when he had a Tuk available. As I walked into the hotel, without taking him up on his offer, he asked plaintively "Won't you give me a chance?"
I think that's what India and certainly the population is after, a chance to prove themselves.
They certainly deserve it
Good luck I say
 |
| That all conquering Hindu thing will become a big problem on Modi's watch |
What sticks in my mind so much about the place? The trash, the food and the ease of loosing weight (about 5kg which suddenly reappeared in France)
What do I miss most, don't miss at all, hate about India?
The never ending adventure and the food, the seething mass of humanity and the incredible heat, the acceptance of so much filth
Will I miss India, can I not wait to get back back or dread it?
The jury is out, but yes, we will no doubt enjoy our return in November
There's probably lots more, but I'm just coming in to land, and tonight we will sleep in our own bed after nearly 3 months on the road, so anything else you want to know, fire up the barbeque and lay down some good wine.
Namaste 🙏Indeed, "Can't you just give me a chance?"
Someday, all of India will be given one
Toronto, May 29th 2017
From Your Correspondent
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