India 2013

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” - Terry Pratchett,  A Hat Full of Sky

And the trip was done. Just slightly over 2 weeks, but finding myself wanting to stay longer. 

Even though when somehow, everybody back home was still surprised that I wanted to go India, and to some's horror, that I went on my own to Agra for even a day. Horror stories abound about the dangers of women travelling in India, one which allegedly happened on the day that I flew home, that friends and family were obviously quite disturbed to know that I had also took the auto rickshaw on my own to the railway station, Nizzamudin no less, the day before. Hearing all these stories, i could only thank my lucky star or guardian angle for watching me at every turn, in staying safe and sound.

Horror stories aside, it still amazes me the people that I have met along the trip are generally friendly, which I doubt even Singaporeans would offer the same politeness or (gasp) friendliness to the tourists that we get here. I have met passerbys, shop keepers, service staff, fellow tourists, who are willing to chat a little more with you, if only you are willing to start or continue the conversation with them. 

Of the 3 places - Boyd Gaya, Amritsar, and Dharamsala - they were so seeped in culture of the history and anthropology, that, having not blogged from the start of the trip, I got my hands on a notebook at Dharamsala and sat for 3 hours straight at a cafe just to journal down what I had seen, heard or thought for that 1 week of travel, writing non-stop that the woman who shared my booth seat tooted her amazement to me before she was leaving the cafe. 

It leaves me to wonder about what the other places in India can offer. Obviously more than I can imagine, given by what I have heard from my fellow travelers, as even within the same country, the people are so diverse at its different corners, that it sounds to me that that would almost be like visiting a different country altogether. 

Really hope to see the other parts of this country soon!