Brian and Jackie Cross: India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives - Day 53 - A roundup of our India trip from Sri Lanka

Sunday 24 March 2024

India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives - Day 53 - A roundup of our India trip from Sri Lanka

Iconic view of the Taj Mahal - yes, that is my photo!

First Jackie:

A few more thoughts. India is filthy, there is no getting round it, the litter everywhere is indescribable. Maybe worse in the north, but everything is 'more' in the north. The cows that wander around, doing what cows do, along with the dogs, doing what dogs do, and the humans doing what humans do. Men just wee any and everywhere and the early morning views from the train of people in the countryside left nothing to the imagination! The cows that produce some of the mess are occasionally fed, but mostly they just drift from rubbish pile to rubbish pile along with the dogs, rats, crows and destitute. I'm sure plastic bags aren't good for cows but they do seem to comprise much of their intake.

Varanasi, a sacred place, but it's also unsanitary

So because of this mess in order to enter temples, churches and some shops shoes have to be removed. Occasionally in the north we had footbaths to walk through, though even without it didn't actually seem too bad, we would take our socks off as well as our shoes working on the theory that feet are more hard-wearing and easier to clean than socks. In the south, socks were put on though this was mostly to prevent burned feet!

The Golden Temple at Amritsar, a real highlight

The private beach where we spent the last couple of days seemed to be a lunch spot for local business men. (You could buy a beach ticket), but to see quite smartly dressed men receiving their lunches covered with tin foil which they removed and dropped on the sand, followed by the sauce sachets and napkins was, to our eyes, shocking. If they litter, their children litter, everyone litters, everywhere, and there are bins, so this is just a social change that would make so much difference to the view, the smell and the spread of disease.

Using the trains were not the best experiences, but they certainly gave us an insight into daily life

The other side of this is the number of ladies we've seen sweeping the grass to remove leaves, and the washing of their own steps. (I'm currently sitting on the plane and have just seen a lady in a sari and a high Vis jacket sweeping by the next door plane on the apron). Nobody really cleans in the hotel rooms though, surfaces may be gently wiped over, but usually aren't, and wouldn't it be nice if the flip top lid of the poo paper bin looked clean?

By contrast, the newish metro system in New Delhi is modern and clean

On first entering a toilet cubicle and finding the floor wet your immediate thought is negative however it is actually most likely to just be water as the hosepipe is used liberally for personal cleaning which particularly in a squat toilet includes the feet incase of splashing. The hosepipe does work for washing, you just have to practice a bit because even if you've taken paper with you there is often no place to put it. So, the liquid on the toilet seat, water or wee? Probably water, but who can tell, so you hover, before realising that using a squat toilet is actually easier than hovering over a western toilet. On the toy train from Shimla to Kalka I was talking to a British man on a train going in the opposite direction. Behind him was the open door to a toilet (quite clean from what I could see) but the Indian in the seat behind me asked him very forcefully to close the toilet door as it wasn't something he wanted to be looking at. The smell is what gets me, which probably isn't as you imagine, it's the smell of the blocks that are used in urinals and here even in the sinks.

Brian in a turban experiencing Punjab rural life

Every restaurant of almost any size has a tap for hand washing before and after eating, but I guess if you eat with your hands this is important. When drinking from a plastic bottle it never touches the lips but is carefully poured from a great height, much more hygienic than how most of us do it, and quite a talent. There is however something off about watching a waiter pick a water jug up off a table to pour some into his mouth while he's standing around ignoring you. If you watch Rick Stein's tour of India food is only tasted after dripping the spoon on to your hand so there is no danger of anything going back into the cooking pot.

The magnificent Viceroy building (Rashtrapati Niwas) at Shimla

We have had no sign of a dodgy tummy (apart from Brian feeling full for a couple of days, but he's had that at home) but we have been relatively careful. We have had samosas from 'motorway services' that are just plonked out of the display cabinet onto a paper plate by hand and we have tried sweets and snacks that have just been handed to us! We've tried to only drink water from big bottles to minimise plastic waste, and if reverse osmosis filtered water has been available we have drunk that, though mostly from our own water bottles that have a filter inside that in theory means we could have drunk from the Ganges, though we weren't going to put it to the test!

The little toy train from Shimla winding through spectacular scenery

Water is obviously meant to be an issue, as I said we were careful and our bottles with filters in give us confidence, but a lot of places now seem to have filters installed. Water is available, tankers deliver to containers on the street where it is used for drinking and washing. Many places have cubicles where for a few rupees you can fill your own bottle with osmolised water. Walking the canal in Alleppy and seeing crockery washing, body washing, clothes washing and teeth cleaning, all in the canal does make you wonder how anyone survives.

The amazing Hawa Mahal in Jaipur

The air pollution is everywhere, from coming in to land in Delhi in the smog so we couldn't even see the runway to the sun not setting, just vanishing into the haze, even in Kanyakumari the southern most point. You'd think the air would be a little clearer there! Of the 100 most polluted cities in Asia 83 are in India, and this is despite the electric and gas powered vehicles and the particulates checks that cars have regularly.

There is no conclusion to this, it is just a series of thoughts and observations.

Cold dawn safari in Ranthambore

Brian's review of India from our air conditioned beach facing room in Negombo, Sri Lanka. It's hot here, not as hot at South India, but it's very humid as we had a big thunderstorm last night with another expected this afternoon, hopefully clearing after that.

I know Jackie has written about the cleanliness of India so I wanted to talk about the highlights for me. All that Jackie says is true and, on first arrival it can be a culture shock, particularly New Delhi, it is so very different from ours. But that's why we travel, to see different cultures and see how people live. In some ways they seem to be about 50 years behind where we are in the UK, in others almost ahead of us. There were IT 'cities' on the outskirts of Delhi and Chennai with modern buildings with all the big names associated with Silicone Valley in the US, laws that force modern cars to run on both petrol and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) that still isn't clean, but better for the environment, Tuk-tuks that in some cities are all electric and modern metro systems under construction in most cities we saw, all electric and taking the strain from the roads.

Bird spotting in Keoladeo Ghana National Park near Agra

The north and south could easily be two different countries, the north very Hindu orientated, particularly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi currently in charge who is introducing a new bill contrary to the secular Constitution of India that will discriminate against Muslims who wish to enter the country as immigrants. The South seems to be more integrated from a religious point of view, most people we spoke to respecting all religions and all celebrating each others holy days. Means more holidays each year I suppose! PM Modi seemed very well regarded in the north, not so much in the south, but a lot of people we spoke to seemed to think that the best thing the British did during their time in charge was to unite India as one country. When you consider there are something like 17 languages spoken (it might be more than that), a cold, mountainous climate in the far north to a hot tropical climate in the south and many religions all in evidence in varying degrees. Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism and some Christianity in the north, with greater influences of Christianity and less Sikhism in the South.

Our 'first class' cabin on the overnight train from Varanasi to Kolkata was an 'experience'

The north seemed very hectic to us, we didn't go as far north as Kashmir so can't comment on that and, in February it was a nice temperature, 18 to 20C in the daytime away from the mountains, perhaps 13 or 14 C at night, requiring a warm jacket. We understand summer temperatures in the central north can, however get up into the high 40's or even 50'sC, hence the reason the British retreated up to the highlands of Shimla, where the climate seems to be nearer to Britain (there was evidence of snow when we were there in early February and in single figures in degrees C during the day). The South was hot in March, mid to high 30's C and a sun than can burn you to a crisp in no time if you're not careful and, we were told, the temperature variation is not as severe between winter and summer as in the north, low 40's C in the summer, high 20's C in the winter. They have a monsoon season in the south that shuts everything down and seems to vary from June to September in the west and middle South and a bit later in eastern south, the rain going on into maybe late November around Chennai, but that's only what we've heard, we have no direct experience.

The nice people we met who just wanted a photo with a strange white person

I liked both the north and south (we didn't see any of the central part of the country), but for different reasons. The variety of customs and religions were more noticeable in the north and I loved Amritsar and the area up in the north west by the border with Pakistan. Our Sikh guide, Param gave us a great insight into Sikhism and our visit to the Golden temple in Amritsar, the Wagah border ceremony and our visit to a rural Punjab family with him were real highlights for me. Have a look at our blog posts listed on our trip description page: click here then click on the links towards the bottom of the page next to each city or location. Other highlights after that were Shimla (loved the Viceroy building, what fabulous architecture), Jaipur and the Pink City, Taj Mahal at Agra (of course) - and the bird nature reserve that was a real and unexpected highlight for us, Lucknow for its tragic history (not many people visit, which was great for us) and Kolkata. Loved the history in Kolkata, particularly with our guide Manav who, although he was quite old and walked very slowly, had a great knowledge of history and was great to talk to. I had a particular fondness for the old Hindustan Ambassador car, in great evidence on the roads of the city. It was based on the old Morris Oxford from the 1950's, that was so similar to my first car, an Austin A55 Cambridge. They ceased production of the Ambassador only in 2014 so there are still many of them on the roads in various conditions and they are the most recognisable taxi in Green and Yellow.

The Hindustan Ambassador in Kolkata, a classic car!

I've missed out Varanasi, which we did visit, but neither of us liked it very much. Firstly our guide wasn't very good, talking at us rather than to us, but also as it represented the worst of Jackie's description above. It was filthy, we saw a dead cow and dog floating down the Ganges along with rubbish, ashes of the dead thrown in as well as some weighted dead bodies of people not burned for certain reasons we heard. The cremation areas next to the river had remains of clothes and offerings next to and in the river and, of course black walls, ash, stacked wood for cremations and smoke rising from cremations in progress. People were bathing, submersing themselves in religious rituals in the Ganges, just downstream from people washing themselves and clothes and all the other things just mentioned. We know its a site of particular significance to Hindus and how the burning of their dead and return of the ashes to the holy river for reincarnation and we respect that, but it all seems very unsanitary and wrong for us westerners to be there at what is a private moment of mourning.

Brian with his first car circa 1973 and how similar it is to the Ambassador (look at that hair!)

The other place we visited that we haven't mentioned was Ranthambore National Park, where we'd hoped to see tigers, leopards and sloth bears. We didn't see them, only deer and antelope, so we were disappointed. It's not the parks fault, we're sure other people who visit and see them all would rate it as one of their highlights, but we didn't so we can't!

The South and in the tea plantations in the hills of Munnar. It could be a different country

The north was also very hectic and we began to feel in a whirlwind there was so much to see, but overall I loved the insight into the Indian culture of the north and I'm so glad we went.

The south, on the other hand has been much more relaxed. Hot, yes and Jackie has been suffering somewhat. I've coped with it a little better, but it still is exhausting. Our visit into the cooler (all relative!) hills of Munnar and Periyar were great highlights. The tea plantations, views and our hike up into the hills very worthwhile. We were disappointed in the boat safari in Periyar as it was just a big, overcrowded, smelly diesel powered boat at an odd time of day where wildlife viewing was unlikely anyway. The walking safari with just us two and a guide the next day was much better and, at least we did see some elephants albeit at a distance away.

Our delightful Homestay in Munnar

The houseboat cruise in Alleppey was just magnificent, an absolute highlight. Just us two with three crew to gently guide the fabulous ship through the backwaters of Kerala and cook delicious meals for us while watching birdlife and sunsets over the water was unforgettable!

Elephants in Periyar

I loved going to the southernmost point of India because I like things like that and then the unexpected things like Chettinad and the amazing palaces they built and Mamallapuram up near Chennai and the amazing temples carved from solid granite. These were the unexpected things that Ranjeet at Magic Tours of India had added as he thought we'd be interested in them. We were and we're so grateful to him for that.

Our fabulous houseboat in Alleppey

I look back with great fondness to our trip to India, yes, everything Jackie has said is always in evidence, but so is the unique culture that is this friendly place called India. I'd recommend anyone to visit.