It's been precisely one month since Kerryn and I were basking in the fires of the Indian summer. We've noticed coincidentally or otherwise, that a number of close friends have expressed a very keen interest in visiting the vivaciously vibrant and vastly spiritual sub-continent, so we've decided to compile a short list of 20 of the most important lessons that we've learnt.
Lessons learnt during our 3.5 month epic adventure
1. Just because it’s on the menu, it
doesn’t mean that it’s available (i.e. on most occasions you will need a plan
“B” ready to go).
2. There’s no such concept as
queuing in India, rather a “line” resembles more of a rugby scrum.
3. When the waiter says, “it’s just
a little bit spicy,” he really means that your dinner will burn you from the
inside-out into a cinder.
4. You don’t have anything on your
face, starring is simply a national Indian pastime.
5. Women are made of glass in India,
they can’t expect any acknowledgement. Taxi drivers and hoteliers alike address
Deep only to be responded to by Kerryn.
6. Take a nose plug into any public
toilet, trust me…
7. The purest air in the world is
found near Mount Everest, though there isn’t a whole lot of it.
8. Mathematical rule of shopping in
India: quoted price divided by 3 = real price.
9. If a tuk-tuk driver asks if you
want to visit an independent carpet shop and you say “no,” you will still end
up going there.
10. Don’t trust camel drivers to cook
your dinner in the desert. Kerryn’s belly will attest to the results of failing
to adhere to this rule.
11. Dancing is reserved for men. As
is holding hands.
12. Flights leave early or not at all
without any warning or notice. Never expect it to leave at the scheduled time.
13. The smallest denomination of
currency in India is the lolly. One and two rupee coins are in short supply so
gum or lollies are used to pay back the smallest change.
14. There’s no personal space in
India, anywhere. Be prepared to get well acquainted with your fellow travelers
armpits when using a local train.
15. Just because a fish is
brilliantly coloured, it doesn’t mean that it won’t chase you all the way back
to shore. Kerryn was less scared snorkelling with reef sharks in the Maldives than
with the Titan Trigger fish.
16. In Indian airports, one's bags
will be scanned 3-4 times while in Nepal one will be frisked about 43 times.
Even the janitor will scrutinise your boarding pass.
17. Nepali and Tibetan locals are
amongst the happiest and friendliest that either of us have ever encountered.
18. Yak butter is like Aussie thongs
– it can be used everywhere! Yak butter is widely used as a type of candle wax
in monasteries as well as common Tibetan favourite – yak butter tea.
19. Never trust a monkey. He may be trained to steal the sunglasses off your face.
20. Two lanes have sufficient space for at least 3 vehicles. Don’t waste your money on rollercoasters, a trip through India and Nepal will get that adrenaline flowing.
With those hot tips in mind, we'd like to say a very big thankyou to all our friends and family for your lovely support during our adventure abroad. We really do hope you've enjoyed reading our blog as much as we've enjoyed writing and photographing for it.
20. Two lanes have sufficient space for at least 3 vehicles. Don’t waste your money on rollercoasters, a trip through India and Nepal will get that adrenaline flowing.
With those hot tips in mind, we'd like to say a very big thankyou to all our friends and family for your lovely support during our adventure abroad. We really do hope you've enjoyed reading our blog as much as we've enjoyed writing and photographing for it.
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