Chapter 27.01 : What Did It Felt Like To Travel To India
By steambunz - Friday, February 28, 2020
If there are 5 words to describe my experience traveling in India, it’ll be these:
Beautiful. Cheap. Grateful. Blessed. Happy.
I have traveled to many countries, but India was the only one that made me felt truly alive.
It’s been 3 days a week more than a month since coming back from India and I’m still flabbergasted by the culture and everything else there. I would have thought I would suffer or feel a bit more miserable or sick from all the unhygienic practices if I go there. Well, truth to be told, that’s almost the opposite of what I expected it to be.
In fact, when I returned to Malaysia to work the next day, I didn’t felt any working “blues” like how we usually feel after a good vacation. Instead, I felt extremely grateful. And for the first time, I felt that I was truly, really, happy.
Not all our traveling days are sunshine and rainbows of course. We still share a bit of diarrhoea and being smartly scammed by some assholes here and there. But despite all the controversies and propaganda that friends and family had warned us, India is not as bad as you think it should be.
Let me share the 5 words that made me felt so different after coming back from India:
Beautiful. Cheap. Grateful. Blessed. Happy.
* * *
Beautiful
Their architectures are extremely beautiful and so Insta-worthy! Even their ancient step-well (Malaysian version of Syabas Water storage) could look so jaw-dropping and is even free to visit!
There is a lot of forts and castles in India, and they’re made with every precision like a baker makes his cakes! Every carving, sculpture, texture, and everything else is made to fit every wall, and sometimes it comes with a meaning or story behind it. It’s a very thoughtful thing for an “engineer” to do those days. Even these days, there’s hardly any thoughtful architect who wants to do the same. I think the people in the olden days are even more thoughtful than your average boyfriend lol.
The most beautiful building that stands out from my trip was the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It’s definitely something not to be missed if you plan to visit India because the story behind each brick and wall has all the details it needs to make you feel amazed.
If you have any plans to visit Taj Mahal, it is recommended by the local guide to visit it at midnight during a full moon between March - April, where they’ll open up to the public to see the glimmering shining marble monument. It is such a rare occasion, that it only opens a few times a year!
Their architectures are extremely beautiful and so Insta-worthy! Even their ancient step-well (Malaysian version of Syabas Water storage) could look so jaw-dropping and is even free to visit!
There is a lot of forts and castles in India, and they’re made with every precision like a baker makes his cakes! Every carving, sculpture, texture, and everything else is made to fit every wall, and sometimes it comes with a meaning or story behind it. It’s a very thoughtful thing for an “engineer” to do those days. Even these days, there’s hardly any thoughtful architect who wants to do the same. I think the people in the olden days are even more thoughtful than your average boyfriend lol.
The most beautiful building that stands out from my trip was the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It’s definitely something not to be missed if you plan to visit India because the story behind each brick and wall has all the details it needs to make you feel amazed.
If you have any plans to visit Taj Mahal, it is recommended by the local guide to visit it at midnight during a full moon between March - April, where they’ll open up to the public to see the glimmering shining marble monument. It is such a rare occasion, that it only opens a few times a year!
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| Agrasen ki Baoli, a step well that was built centuries ago for the locals to use for their daily activities |
* * *
Cheap
Cheap! Super cheap! Almost everything and anything!
To show a clear comparison, a trip to Jeju Island, Korea, for 6 days cost a total budget of RM7,000 for 2pax. This includes car rental, flights, home stay, food, and everything else except souvenirs.
A 10 day trip to India, specifically to 6 parts of its cities, including visa, flight, train tickets, 3-star hotels, food, shopping and souvenirs (RM600 worth of Winter clothing and some Indian snacks) only cost RM3,000 per pax!
Even though it’s not a fair comparison, as the expenditure is always depended on the activities that was done at the location, but looking at the bigger picture, the transport and food in India is super affordable!
Their locally produced goods are way cheaper than any imported foreign goods, which are 5x more expensive due to the import tax and tariffs. A locally produced packed of 110-120g biscuit (almost same flavour) cost 10INR (60sens) in India, whereas it’s worth RM1.40 in Malaysia. That’s like more than 2x more than the local price! Besides that, the local transports are made so affordable for the locals to travel. You can get a ticket that cost only RM10 to travel a 4 hour journey trip from Jaipur to Agra (but also provided you choose the lowest of the lowest class).
Cheap! Super cheap! Almost everything and anything!
To show a clear comparison, a trip to Jeju Island, Korea, for 6 days cost a total budget of RM7,000 for 2pax. This includes car rental, flights, home stay, food, and everything else except souvenirs.
A 10 day trip to India, specifically to 6 parts of its cities, including visa, flight, train tickets, 3-star hotels, food, shopping and souvenirs (RM600 worth of Winter clothing and some Indian snacks) only cost RM3,000 per pax!
Even though it’s not a fair comparison, as the expenditure is always depended on the activities that was done at the location, but looking at the bigger picture, the transport and food in India is super affordable!
Their locally produced goods are way cheaper than any imported foreign goods, which are 5x more expensive due to the import tax and tariffs. A locally produced packed of 110-120g biscuit (almost same flavour) cost 10INR (60sens) in India, whereas it’s worth RM1.40 in Malaysia. That’s like more than 2x more than the local price! Besides that, the local transports are made so affordable for the locals to travel. You can get a ticket that cost only RM10 to travel a 4 hour journey trip from Jaipur to Agra (but also provided you choose the lowest of the lowest class).
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| Waiting for the night train in the freezing temperature which was 30-45min late. |
But of course, cheap always comes with a price. With the cheapest of the cheap, you can’t expect anything that you expect to get when you visit other foreign countries. Even if you are able to bargain your way for a very good tuk tuk fair rate, be prepared to be scammed as they will find ways to get more money out from you. A big group of tuk tuk drivers were looking for customers, we checked the market price from Uber to our hotel which was only 250INR, a tuk tuk agrees to the price although he initially asked for 500INR. On the way, they purposely took us to the wrong hotel, and demanded another 250INR to take us to the right hotel. We got down immediately and refused to pay. We got into a big fight and lot of yelling and shouting caught a few attention of a few passersby. Luckily, a kind local helped to tell off the tuk tuk and get us a trustworthy driver.
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| Our first meal in India, Jaipur which costs us less than RM7 |
* * *
Grateful
Out of the 5 words, this word definitely deserves the most written point. Plus, it’s the only word that I will tell anyone whenever someone ask me about my trip. You can send some ungrateful, spoiled, little brat here and let them live for a few months, and I can guarantee you, that little brat will become enlightened and wise by the time they get transferred back to wherever they are. Maybe I should tell my kids next time that I will send them there to suffer when they refused to obey me. Hmm….
Frankly speaking, I felt like I paid for an expensive survival boot camp overseas.
The 3-stars hotel felt like the worst place to stay with the white stained bed sheets. Hotel blanket that smelt like 100 Indians had used it before me. Cold running bathroom water that requires some time for the heater to work (and sometimes even requiring to call the receptionist to switch on the heater for you to use. Fascinating.). And not forgetting, the freaking annoying morning calls and countless knocks on our hotel door so that we will wake up and order our breakfast. Sounds pretty much like a boot camp to me. No?
I felt grateful because I felt so fortunate that my country didn’t have to deal with cow and dog poos everywhere and the stressful traffic all day. Even with a sheer distinct hate towards dogs by our Islamic law religion, the dogs in Malaysia still had better lifestyle than India. I saw dogs being kicked, tails being run over by tuk tuks, dogs limping, and sometimes bone sticking out of their body, skin badly infected by flies and germs. The only food they get is from the trash at the side of the road, and sometimes it gives them diarrhea and it’s really heart breaking to see them shitting so pitifully with their broken legs all over the place. Even the cows had better lives than the dog. I’m super grateful that my dog and all stray dogs in Malaysia don’t have to live like this.
Out of the 5 words, this word definitely deserves the most written point. Plus, it’s the only word that I will tell anyone whenever someone ask me about my trip. You can send some ungrateful, spoiled, little brat here and let them live for a few months, and I can guarantee you, that little brat will become enlightened and wise by the time they get transferred back to wherever they are. Maybe I should tell my kids next time that I will send them there to suffer when they refused to obey me. Hmm….
Frankly speaking, I felt like I paid for an expensive survival boot camp overseas.
The 3-stars hotel felt like the worst place to stay with the white stained bed sheets. Hotel blanket that smelt like 100 Indians had used it before me. Cold running bathroom water that requires some time for the heater to work (and sometimes even requiring to call the receptionist to switch on the heater for you to use. Fascinating.). And not forgetting, the freaking annoying morning calls and countless knocks on our hotel door so that we will wake up and order our breakfast. Sounds pretty much like a boot camp to me. No?
I felt grateful because I felt so fortunate that my country didn’t have to deal with cow and dog poos everywhere and the stressful traffic all day. Even with a sheer distinct hate towards dogs by our Islamic law religion, the dogs in Malaysia still had better lifestyle than India. I saw dogs being kicked, tails being run over by tuk tuks, dogs limping, and sometimes bone sticking out of their body, skin badly infected by flies and germs. The only food they get is from the trash at the side of the road, and sometimes it gives them diarrhea and it’s really heart breaking to see them shitting so pitifully with their broken legs all over the place. Even the cows had better lives than the dog. I’m super grateful that my dog and all stray dogs in Malaysia don’t have to live like this.
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| The only dog picture I have that looks more "presentable" |
Besides shits, the traffic in India is super congested, it’s even scarier to cross the road compared to Vietnam. There were a few times cars and tuks tuks came head to head with each other and they just dodge it with just a 5cm gap. Lines on the road served no purpose at all as everyone just drives as if it’s their grandfather’s road. The constant honking makes everything even more stressful (I heard it’s a way for drivers to communicate with each other). Even though some Malaysian drivers are dam inconsiderate, but after this experience, I’ll gladly embrace the Malaysian traffic no matter how bad it is. That 1 hour LDP jam ain’t that bad after all.
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| Look how close this motorcyclist is to our Uber car! |
Also, I’m also grateful that I have a strong immune body system that helped me recovered when I fell sick due to the cold weather and the fact we were really under-dress. Me and boyfriend fell sick on the 4th day of my trip at Lucknow, and with the polluted air and the 5°C cold, it didn’t help very much. We settled into a hotel with the filthiest hygiene care ever (due to our initial hotel booking issues, we had to shift to another hotel booked by the company). Our hotel cupboard was filled with bottles which contained some sort of poison. There was no hot water and we had to shower in cold running water during winter. The hotel staff was shitty and hopeless. I doubt they even clean the bed sheets and blanket. Safety was a concerned when there was no proper door lock system for our room (only using traditional padlock plus I had to ask the receptionist countless of times for the lock). Oh, did I mention that I found out there was a mice living in our room too? Despite the worst conditions that we had to stay, we still manage to live through this experience and recovered the next day, and that’s all we need to be grateful for.
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| After and before going out with our masks in New Delhi/Varanasi |
Grateful that not all Malaysians are liars and scammers, because we were scammed countless of times with their A+ acting skills. A press walk up to us being friendly and all, and even suggest us a tourist shopping location to visit which had very cheap price. He even helped us get a tuk tuk (whom miraculously appeared out of nowhere) with a bargained price. When we Googled the location, to our surprise, there were tons of reviews saying that tourists were scammed to coming here by a random stranger walking up and recommending to them. The same act as we’ve experienced. Doesn’t matter if Malaysians are not that friendly, I would rather meet people who won’t stick their butts into our business than those who tried to scam the shit out of you. So Malaysians, you are still the best!
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| We took 1 picture with this mascot dude standing outside the restaurant we dined, and he requested us for money after taking a picture. wtf! |
Grateful that Malaysia digital infrastructure and public transport is so much better even if DiGi or Maxis internet and line fails us when we need it. Getting a SIM card in India takes a longer time and we took a good 2 hours getting our numbers up and running. Even if Malaysia’s public bus is always late, still, it’s not as late as a delayed train that can be delayed for more than 12 hours. Worst still, the train wasn’t functioning well as it keeps jerking on and off, and yet they still force the train to go on working, like your mom forcing you to eat veggies even though you don’t like to eat but you still have to (worst example, I know, but you get my point). The lifestyle here in India is so chill and relax, I think it would pissed off all the Hong Kongers if we were to deport them to India to work.
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| Bf waiting for the store manager (sitting on his right) to get his SIM card, but the dude seems so chill |
* * *
Blessed
When I saw a family sitting opposite our seating berth, having nothing else but thosai or chapatti for breakfast and lunch. The only thought came to me was,”wow this family really love their bread so much.” But little did I know that maybe it was the only cheapest thing that they could afford to eat. A piece of chapatti or thosai cost only 5INR, that’s like merely 30sens in Malaysia. It was that cheap, but at the same time, I couldn’t harvest my thoughts to eat them everyday when I already grew sick of it on the 2nd day. This made me feel blessed that my love ones around me are able to enjoy the variety of good food to choose from back in Malaysia.
When I saw a family sitting opposite our seating berth, having nothing else but thosai or chapatti for breakfast and lunch. The only thought came to me was,”wow this family really love their bread so much.” But little did I know that maybe it was the only cheapest thing that they could afford to eat. A piece of chapatti or thosai cost only 5INR, that’s like merely 30sens in Malaysia. It was that cheap, but at the same time, I couldn’t harvest my thoughts to eat them everyday when I already grew sick of it on the 2nd day. This made me feel blessed that my love ones around me are able to enjoy the variety of good food to choose from back in Malaysia.
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| The family that sat across from us on our way to Varanasi |
Surprisingly, I’m blessed that we could eat the streets foods around India and never experience any stomach discomforts or diarrhea. The only issue is, only these symptoms appeared once we started eating restaurant foods. This somehow doesn’t makes sense, but I reckon that the restaurant foods were more unhygienic when it comes to food handling. Even so, at least I got the chance to go through a self-made “detox” program which allowed me to shit almost everyday. At the end of the trip, my body felt refreshed and lighter thanks to the spices and fermented stuff in most of their food. For a person who barely shits everyday, this is really a good thing!
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| Having Nandos in New Delhi which was closes to tasting like home food, but still have diarrhea |
On the last day at New Delhi, we travelled to Sanjay Colony, one of the slums which I planned to go tour around and maybe give out something to the locals. Sadly, all I could bring along with us were sweets. I could barely bring anything heavy with me and I have no idea what would the less fortunate want. After some time of walking, we came to an open area which we spotted many kids playing. The kids were all hooked to their games and didn’t bothered looking at us, while the adults passed us by giving us a curious look. I had no idea how I should start giving out the sweets, but once I started giving out a few sweets to 1 kid, all of them came launching on to me, pushing and pulling, everything seemed to happen instantly. The kids were trying to get in front of one another with their hands reaching out to me, begging me to give them something.
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| This was after the lady in the long scarf (right), help me to get them to queue up |
Even though I told them to line up many times, after once or twice, the line-up system just kept crashing and failing. The kids started pushing and pulling again, sometimes even yelling as screaming. It was a total chaos! And all these for just for a few sweets only! Until 2 of the locals had to come to my rescue. Oh, thank God for them! I wasn’t sure if I gave them all out equally, but each time I touched their tiny cupped hands, stained with dust and dirt, with their pitiful eyes looking at me as if I was about to give them their first meal in centuries, I couldn’t help but to feel sad for them.
“These kids are so lovely. They have the potential to be anyone they want to be, but yet they are here. I wish I could give them more.” These were my only thoughts when they came to shook my hands when I was about to say goodbye. The “Thank Yous” and “Happy New Year” were the only thing that made me felt so disheartened to leave. If these kids could feel happy for the sweets they received, why can’t we feel happy even if we don’t have much money to buy whatever we want?
Regardless of it, the kids were the best blessing that I have ever encountered in my life. Thanks to them, it had strengthen my view that no amount of money could ever make me happy if I’m never happy and grateful for what I have now.
“These kids are so lovely. They have the potential to be anyone they want to be, but yet they are here. I wish I could give them more.” These were my only thoughts when they came to shook my hands when I was about to say goodbye. The “Thank Yous” and “Happy New Year” were the only thing that made me felt so disheartened to leave. If these kids could feel happy for the sweets they received, why can’t we feel happy even if we don’t have much money to buy whatever we want?
Regardless of it, the kids were the best blessing that I have ever encountered in my life. Thanks to them, it had strengthen my view that no amount of money could ever make me happy if I’m never happy and grateful for what I have now.
* * *
Happy
Our trip ended when we finally flew back to Malaysia. Not only was I excited to be going back, I was so happy to see everything as it is when I arrived to the airport. I never once felt this happy ever in my life to be back. For a moment, the toilets in Malaysia, even though dirty, were as perfect as it be. The smell, inviting. The floor, very warming. My homesickness was instantly cured (by the toilet)!
What made me happy was the thought that Malaysia ain’t that a bad place after all. I felt safe. I have the freedom to go where I want to go. I don’t have to be scared of being scammed. The warm temperature and the delicious food. Everything about Malaysia, for once, I felt very grateful and fortunate to call it home. This is where India had taught me that gratefulness and happiness will come to you only when you have nothing and/or less of what you have. This experience made me live my life differently ever since.
India had taught me a lot of things. It was pretty tough for a modern city girl like me to adapt to the challenging culture and practices in India. No ordinary person would be able to make it out alive. Still, I will never regret going there even if I had to pay to go through such a “bootcamp” as it taught me gratitude, kindness, and appreciation. I made a choice to be there even when I knew I don’t have to go that far to experience all these factors. But I made this choice so that I can be reminded that littlest things in life means so much to someone else even when we don’t have it all.
Our trip ended when we finally flew back to Malaysia. Not only was I excited to be going back, I was so happy to see everything as it is when I arrived to the airport. I never once felt this happy ever in my life to be back. For a moment, the toilets in Malaysia, even though dirty, were as perfect as it be. The smell, inviting. The floor, very warming. My homesickness was instantly cured (by the toilet)!
What made me happy was the thought that Malaysia ain’t that a bad place after all. I felt safe. I have the freedom to go where I want to go. I don’t have to be scared of being scammed. The warm temperature and the delicious food. Everything about Malaysia, for once, I felt very grateful and fortunate to call it home. This is where India had taught me that gratefulness and happiness will come to you only when you have nothing and/or less of what you have. This experience made me live my life differently ever since.
India had taught me a lot of things. It was pretty tough for a modern city girl like me to adapt to the challenging culture and practices in India. No ordinary person would be able to make it out alive. Still, I will never regret going there even if I had to pay to go through such a “bootcamp” as it taught me gratitude, kindness, and appreciation. I made a choice to be there even when I knew I don’t have to go that far to experience all these factors. But I made this choice so that I can be reminded that littlest things in life means so much to someone else even when we don’t have it all.
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| Our happy faces when it's time to fly back home! |
One day, when I have run out of gratitude juice, India will definitely be the medicine to my ungrateful soul. Till then, thank you India, you have been amazing. Namaste!
