Nothing can really prepare you for the hilarious, frustrating and unpredictable events that you will come across while travelling throughout India. Here are some of the things that you will have to get used to!
Cows are everywhere!
Before coming to India, we knew that they had a thing for Cows. The reality of the situation is actually much more extreme! Every street you seem to go down has a heard of cows blocking your path, every bus journey stops and starts repeatedly as the cows slowly manoeuvre off the highway and every driver spends most of their journey honking their horn to get the massive animals out of the way. We found out that all these cows are actually owned by families. They spend their days roaming the cities, eating everything from plastic bottles to cardboard boxes, and then return home to be milked in the early hours of the morning.
Not getting straight answers
The phrase ‘everything is possible but nothing is certain’ is more apparent in India than anywhere else in the world. Indians just do not want to disappoint you by saying no. Upon asking any question, the answer, even if blatantly not going to happen, will inevitably be ‘it’s possible’. This often leads to mass confusion and frustration.
Squat toilets
The squat toilet can look very intimidating to the uninitiated user, and to be honest they are! You will find these everywhere from trains to restaurants. There is a certain knack to using these toilets with accuracy, and it certainly takes a few attempts to master it. Make sure to bring toilet paper or you will be stuck using a gross bucket of water to clean up.
Feeling like a celebrity
As a westerner in India you will have to adjust to constant stares everywhere you go and lines of people wanting to have their photo taken with you. This gets more extreme at major attractions like the Golden temple and Taj Mahal. We really can’t understand their fascination, as tourists are not really a novelty in India. Just what they do with these photos, we have no idea!
Being bombarded with stereotypical catchphrases
Casually walking down any street in India leads to endless calls from shop sellers and locals asking where you come from. Whatever answer you give leads to heckles of catchphrases that they have learned from each country. British often gets ‘Lovely Jubly’ or ‘Fish and Chips’, whereas Australian usually receives ‘Shane Warne’, ‘Bush Tukka’ or ‘G’day mate’. Needless to say, what first comes across as funny and endearing, quickly becomes the bain of your existence.
