My first impressions of being back in the UK - it's sooo cold!!! Hard to think that only a few days ago I was sipping lime sodas under the coconut palms in Mysore. But despite England being cold and grey, I've just enjoyed a Sunday lunch in Woodstock and walked through the grounds of Blenheim palace, all of which reminds me how beautiful England can be.
What I can definitely say is that I absolutely LOVE India - it's such a fascinating, colourful, crazy, complex country that gets under your skin and the more I go there the more I'm addicted. There are of course some less pleasant things about India - it can be frustrating, dirty, dusty, smelly, the apparent lack of order, the poverty...
But the negative things just make you appreciate the good things more, and so these are some of the things I love:
- Coconut chutney, aubergine curry, paneer masala, thalis, biryani, dhal, fish curry, masala dosa, parothas, chai, fresh mangoes, bananas, pineaples... South Indian food in particular is delicious, usually spicy and you really don't miss eating meat because the vegetable dishes are so good. Even at the simplest road side cafe you will get something cheap and fresh.
- The sunshine!
- How friendly, tolerant and hospitable Indian people are - and the friends I've made.
- Where else do you get buses and autorickshaws decorated with garlands of flowers or cows dyed pink and yellow with painted horns? Every day seems an excuse to decorate or embellish everything with flowers, paint and celebrate colour. Even the piles of fruit and veg in the market seem stacked for optimal colour and effect.
- Religion and spirituality is everywhere in India, from the great temples in Tamil Nadu to the humblest roadside shrine. Whilst it's hard to understand what goes on in an Indian temple or the 100s of Hindu gods, the basic philosophy of this ancient religion - that we are all essentially divine and all one - is something that strikes a chord with me. For Indians religion or spirituality is so much a part of everyday life, which is something most of us have lost in the West - just taking time to contemplate something that is outside our day to day existence and perhaps special or divine is I think important.
Masala dosa and coconut chutney - the ultimate Indian breakfast for Rs 30 (that's about 40p)
What I definitely know is that I'll go back...
ॐ
2 comments:
Couldn't agree more with your comment on spirituality....
Welcome back. And good luck assimilating post travels... it has taken me a long time. I can still get mournful for the people I'll probably never see again. But if I put on some American country music, i feel like I'm back in the Utah desert with the Salt Lake gang. And that type of memory will not leave you.
really nice blog you have anna.can you please add some of my important links.
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