India!

While we both had enjoyed Nepal, we were excited and nervous about heading to India.  India was one of the major destinations on our trip (we will be spending more time here than any other country), but it seemed that every time we mentioned that we were traveling to India we received a warning.  We were told to be ready.  To be ready for the people; for the noise; for the smells; for the touts; for the dirt.  Even native Indians had expressed some reserve about our visiting their country, out of fear we might not like it.

They shouldn’t have been concerned.

We crossed over the border by foot (in Sunali), after many hours in a bus and bike rickshaw.  The Nepal side of the border, as we had come to expect from all Nepali cities, was crowded with people, trucks, motorbikes, and rickshaws.  We had the negotiate, as usual, a fare for the bike rickshaw.

The border (stolen from Google Images because I didn’t want to risk pictures at the border).

The Indian side?  Exactly the same.  That was the biggest surprise for us upon entering India.  We had heard so many warnings, and had been told to “be prepared” so many times, that we were expecting a BAD, BAD country.  The Jules Winnfield of countries.  But that was not our experience at all when we entered, and has continued to not be our experience – we’ve really liked India!  After Africa and Nepal we’ve become used to the touts and the haggling, dirty streets and close calls with motorbikes.  By the time we arrived in India, it all seemed normal.

Getting used to “normal”

Instead of being concerned, we loved everything that we were encountering with India – beautiful countryside, an efficient train system, cheap hotels, decent Internet connections, great food, and lots of friendly people.  Our entry into India was made much easier by a friendly Hawaiian couple we met en route to the border.  Unlike us, they had done their homework, planned their trip, and booked their trains.  They were lifesavers in showing us how to get around, and we largely hitched a ride with them as we made our way to our first Indian city:  Varanasi.

Jai Ho!