I moved to India in early 2010 and live here to this day. Of course, you have to come to Russia periodically due to the limited time spent on a visa. At first the visa was issued for one year, but now for some reason they are issued only for eight months. I’ll tell you in more detail about the beginning of my journey.
Around 2005, I became passionate about yoga, and as you yourself understand, from yoga to India and its culture, it’s just a couple of steps. About a year after my all-consuming penetration into Indian culture, I met a girl who was a fan of yoga and meditation like me.
A year later we got married and in December 2010 we left for India together. We had a very small reserve of funds, I would even say, most likely modest. It was decided to earn a living by freelancing, because it is almost impossible to find work with an official salary in India. In general, after some time of living in India, this system began to bear fruit, and now I can say with confidence that this is the absolute truth - in India you can live on 50 dollars a day.
But it's better to start in order. There were a lot of people on the plane on the way here, and needless to say, it was packed to capacity. Although such a crowd of people at this time of year is not at all surprising, because during the Russian winter in India it is the warmest time, and, therefore, the most touristic. On the plane we were fed buns and coffee, which in itself was very pleasant. So, we arrived comfortably. At that time, I was an ardent supporter of everything Indian, so neither I nor my wife had any vaccinations before the flight, and let me tell you, it was completely in vain. But more on that later.
It should also be mentioned that before traveling to India you should take a large, or better yet, a huge first aid kit from home. Many medicines familiar to Russian people are simply not available in India, for example, good antibiotics, enterosorbents, no-shpa and citramon.
So, we ended up in India. And this country met us...mmm...specifically. Having immediately arrived in Goa, we went towards the ocean. It’s 6 am, the whole village is sitting on the beach... why do you think? I don’t even know how to say this literary, I’ll probably say this: “all the local residents, or almost all, sit out of great need right on the ocean shore. But then I didn’t care at all, I was at the height of bliss from the mere thought that I was in India.
Naturally, we first had to look for housing. Of course, I wanted something completely inexpensive and preferably close to the ocean. And here it is - a house in Bramakan... It was just a miracle - 10 minutes walk from the sea, behind the mountain, an empty hut, standing alone in the jungle. We found the owner who lived in the city, he arrived on a moped, gave him the key and said - live, don’t worry... so we did...
Cashew trees twist intricately, and the flowers exude a delicate aroma! Nothing disturbs the peace and gives complete freedom for meditation. Only a lonely, silent neighbor passes by a couple of times a day to let an artificial river flow onto his property. The sacred lake was very close to our new home, and the underwear with powder in it is washed simultaneously with the ritual ablution.
And again, at that moment it didn’t seem strange to me at all. Everything is fine, everything is as it should be, I am in nirvana. Something like these thoughts lived in my head at the time. I smiled constantly and was absolutely happy. But it didn't last long. Literally before the first food poisoning, which occurred a few hours after the first meal in India.
At first I felt as if piranhas had taken up residence in my stomach. Then, within five days, I had to use all the anti-diarrhea medications brought from Russia. An unforgettable sight, I tell you. And this despite the fact that with such total dehydration it was necessary to naturally drink water only from a bottle. I’ll tell you right away about Indian water. I would not advise anyone to drink it raw, rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth, or even just wash your face. All of the above should be done with bottled water. Fortunately, it is sold everywhere, but I want to warn you, be sure to pay attention to the fact that the bottle is tightly closed, and the local seller does not open it, even in your presence. Otherwise, you will not be able to avoid poisoning. It’s me who is so smart now, but then I was completely not so knowledgeable about what seemed to me little things.
I'll tell you about our hut. As you can see in the photo, this is a structure consisting of walls and a roof, the floor in our house was stone, there was no door. True, there was only jungle around, so it did not cause any inconvenience. Naturally, there were no facilities for a toilet or shower. And if we managed without the latter quite simply, then without a sanitary facility, especially during the period of illness, it was, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. In general, except for the above, we were satisfied with everything. Every day at dawn we chanted mantras, meditated almost constantly and ate mangoes and coconuts. Speaking of coconuts. These are the only fruits in India that are safe for Russians to eat, especially during the adaptation period.
We lived in such a hut for about three to four weeks, and then we went to visit Russian friends and lived with them for a whole month. The whole family spent the winter in India. Since they lived with children, it is natural that their living conditions were excellent. Food and water were also radically different from what we had in the first weeks of our stay in India.
There, both my wife and I got stronger and almost completely adapted to life in India, or rather, I’ll say so, it seemed so to us at that time. We ate mostly rice, stewed vegetables and flatbreads. They drank only boiled water. On the advice of new acquaintances, they began to soak fruits in laundry soap, and before eating, peel them and pour boiling water over them. There was never any poisoning during the period the Russian family lived in the house.
Every morning we started with yoga. Then after a small breakfast we usually played the violin or surfed the Internet. Our new friends even had it in their house; there was no need to go to an Internet cafe.
I would also like to say to all those who are planning to move to India, remember that I only came across an ATM there once, and even that one did not work, so I advise you to arm yourself with cash. I would also like to warn newcomers against stealing from local residents. Everyone steals here, and not only people, but also monkeys. And monkeys in India are considered sacred animals, just like cows and snakes. Monkeys are not punished for stealing. If a person is bitten by a snake, then it is sent to prison. This is the paradox of India. And by the way, the deceased after being bitten by a poisonous snake is not burned, but simply put on a raft and sent sailing, most often to the Ganges. This is done because it is believed that this person did not die, but simply fell asleep in a very deep sleep. Let me tell you that it is an extremely unpleasant sight to see bloated corpses next to a crowd of people bathing or washing clothes. But this is the whole of India - a country of absolute paradoxes. The Ganges River is considered sacred among them, and many pilgrims come to it specifically to perform ritual ablutions. As for me, despite all my immersion in the world of India at that time, I could not bring myself to dip even one toe into this, to put it mildly, not very clean water. Although this water actually disinfects a lot of things, and there is a completely normal explanation for this - under the depths of the water there are huge deposits of silver, and it is this that contributes to at least some cleansing of the local reservoir.
India is a country that loves children very much. Here they touch them on the cheeks, it’s something like our Russian “pat on the head.”
During the entire time I lived in India, I was able to see little girls running to school barefoot, and adult students studying right on the ground.
India still never ceases to amaze me. Everything is somehow wrong here, the slow and very measured flow of life, the constant laziness of the locals, dirt and feces on every corner, snakes and monkeys, creepy insects and very well-mannered dogs. Well-mannered, they never bark and lie very neatly everywhere. Hungry, skinny, but with some kind of proud expression on their faces. I once gave a treat to one dog, and with such an arrogant look he took a piece of pie from me, no wagging of his tail, nothing like that is observed in local dogs.
After staying with Russian friends, my wife and I decided to live closer to the mountains. The beauty there, of course, is indescribable, although no, just completely described, however, not only described, but also... Then I think you guessed what I want to say. This is the case here almost everywhere, it happens, and there is nowhere to step. Full public toilet.
And on the mountain next to the cave there is a convent. There was a heavy downpour and we asked an old nun to wait it out.
She happily checked us in, fed us and put us to bed... and in general she did everything somehow joyfully, constantly chanting mantras and saying nothing else. So we lived in this monastery for some time. I couldn't learn the names. Drinking water had to be obtained from a closed well through a narrow hole. Although I skipped a bit. The difficulty of obtaining water had to be faced a little later. In the monastery they eat right on the floor from some plates that look more like pieces of cardboard.
Everyone is fed here, or maybe we’re just so lucky. I was never able to find out this, and maybe I didn’t try very hard. There is a constant smile on the nuns’ faces, often toothless, but certainly very joyful and open. Every morning there was a service in the monastery, the nuns sang beautifully and looked at us cheerfully.
I would like to clarify that throughout the time described above, we lived on money from freelancing and on the small financial savings we had accumulated in Russia.
After the monastery, for some time we rented a room for 100 rupees. When leaving the house, the ocean was visible. In the heat it's just bliss. True, local residents there constantly asked us to photograph them.
But this, however, did not bother us in any way and we enjoyed photographing the children and, in general, everything we saw around us. Nowadays we are so used to everything that we don’t carry a camera with us all the time, but back then everything was a novelty and we wanted to capture everything.
Now I will tell you about how we moved in India at first. Life in India means there are no traffic rules. And the longer I live here, the more I am convinced of this. There is practically no oncoming traffic; whoever has the bigger car is in charge. Drivers constantly press the horn. The noise is such that there is probably nothing to compare it with. Once, during our next move from the northern part of India to the southern part, we noticed that the pass was closed and there were no cars. And then a jeep full of people and knapsacks drives along. He drives by, then backs up, the driver shouts - get in! Where??? It’s okay, let’s get compacted! And in fact, in some way still unknown to me, we were able to not only get into this generally not very large car, but also get there calmly. As calm as it can be in a country like India. I even remember an incident when we spent the night in almost the same conditions that I just described. It was something...Local residents are sexually dissatisfied and this affects everything. Every now and then they try to touch or stroke your woman. It was for this reason that the night for me that time passed completely without sleep.
Public transport in India is also packed to capacity, although it is somewhat similar to Russian buses at rush hour. Nobody ever pays for a ticket, at least we never paid, and we never saw any locals do it. There is also dirt everywhere in transport. It is better for women to try not to travel on public transport at all for the same reason as described above. One day we found ourselves in some kind of baggage car, where Indians were packed in three layers! I found myself between the shelves...more precisely, between the butts...The girls were sitting upstairs, sandwiched between the men, who were devouring them with passionate glances!
So you can only drive in India with extreme sports and nothing else. We lived in northern India for quite a long time; we also rented a small house without amenities for little money. Everything suited us there, only the view was sometimes blocked by a strange shadow. I didn’t immediately realize that a monkey had come to visit us.
We ate there, mainly fried bananas, which we happily prepared ourselves.
Now I hate bananas, especially fried ones, but back then they seemed like the food of the gods. Bananas in India are not at all the same as in Russia, there are many different varieties, and the ones we are used to in our homeland are not eaten in India even by sacred animals, cows.
Now I’ll tell you about our living in India at the moment. I received a rather lucrative contract and now live in India on a work visa with my wife, of course. We live in a big city, in comfortable conditions, but I am still under constant fear of being poisoned or contracting something infectious. And we don’t even think about children until the contract ends. After all, a small child constantly puts his hands in his mouth, and in India this can even be deadly.
Even in the city, seemingly among luxury and wealth, every morning I see beggars or people from the lowest caste on the side of the roads. Some are just lying on the ground, others are sleeping in houses built from cardboard and tarpaulin.
And the children, according to my initial observations, are now very happy here in India.
They absolutely do not care about the concerns of adults. By the way, young children here are not only given dots on their foreheads to protect them from the evil eye, but also have their eyes rimmed. How they manage to do this still remains a mystery to me.
In cities, as in villages, all locals love to be photographed, as I mentioned above. And they even ask for it themselves. Agree that it is difficult to imagine Russian people, for example on a bus, who would come up to you and ask you to take a photograph of them as a souvenir.
Now I will summarize a little my chaotic story about India. If you decide to move here, then be prepared for constant poisoning and fear of becoming infected with something. Living in India requires you to get all the necessary vaccinations before moving. There are many of them; any infectious disease specialist at the clinic will give you a complete list. For the first time, stock up on antibiotics; there are few of them in India. It also doesn’t hurt to take so-called “homeless bags” from home. They will help you survive in the extreme conditions of India. Remember that you may have to live in huts or just in the open air, and theft in India is very rampant, so carry documents and money on you at all times. Beware of snakes and monkeys. The latter, too, like people, engage in theft. They very cleverly confiscate all your things, and then take them to the market and exchange them for food. And don’t be surprised, this is exactly what happens. Do not drink freshly squeezed juices in India, although this is a great temptation, you should not do this, otherwise there may be unpleasant consequences for your health. One more piece of advice: never drink tap water, even in five-star hotels, or even rinse your mouth with it. Buy drinking water only in bottles. In restaurants and cafes, never order dishes made from raw vegetables and do not eat if your order is served slightly warm. Food in India should be hot, preferably scalding. Believe me, I’m already an experienced person in this matter and I won’t give bad advice. Another wish from an experienced resident of India - be sure to carry a flask of alcohol with you everywhere, the stronger the better. I'm not advocating binge drinking, I'm just saying that if you take a sip before and after every meal, you'll be less likely to spend the next day cuddling with your white friend. And of course, when moving to India, take as many anti-diarrheal medications as possible.
Night Delhi was tightly shrouded in a thick layer of smog, through which thousands of dim yellow lights winked. Unfamiliar smells penetrated the cabin of the quickly descending plane, and all passengers almost simultaneously smelled India, it smelled of burning, incense and something else indescribable - the smell was very strange, it excited and surprised. Before boarding, I leafed through the brochure, it turns out that the name of the country in Sanskrit sounds like “Bharata Varsha”, and all tourists should prepare for shock - I was ready for anything! Therefore, the homeless people, snuggled comfortably on the stone floor of the long gallery leading to the parking lot, did not bother me at all, and the crowd of uninvited helpers, although they took me by surprise by demanding 1.5 euros for each lifted suitcase, were sent to Krishna without any special ceremony. The dimly lit streets at night were no surprise; even the dirty linen in the room of my fellow travelers did not upset me. And what could be shocking here? - I thought, dropping my heavy head onto the pillow.
Thus began our two-week journey through the country of kind people, terrible poverty, miracles and fulfillment of desires. For many years I wanted to come here, but each time I put off the trip under various pretexts - most recently because of the dirt and fear of disease. Having read tourist stories, we carefully prepared - packages of bactericidal wipes, kilograms of medicines and antiseptic gels were waiting in the wings in our suitcases. The first days, looking at the incredible dirt around us, we wiped our hands with napkins every hour, then only before eating, we did everything correctly - there were no poisonings in two weeks.
Breakfast at the city economy class hotel Metro Heights 3* in the Karol Bagh area is very meager and, thanks to the almost unbearable spiciness of its dishes, almost inedible, but at the entrance to the hotel a personal Toyota jeep was waiting for us - the tour, purchased at group prices, turned out to be individual. The attentive driver Kundan, in Hindi-English, was glad that a Russian-speaking guide was waiting for us in the city, and dashed off through the streets, literally drowning in a thick milky fog. India is finally starting to shock: the road makes strange turns between construction fences, clouds of dust are in the air, and on the side of the road there are miserable huts covered with various pieces of tarpaulin, burlap and cellophane, probably picked up at the nearest garbage dump - this is how local beggars and migrant workers live. The city is in full swing with a grandiose construction project - additional metro lines are being built in Delhi at Stakhanov’s pace. But this is not the most surprising thing; the strange habit of Indians is striking - they go to the toilet. In principle, there is nothing special about this - the whole world is doing this, but they do it right along the roads, in front of all honest people, only slightly turning away from the roadway. The guide explained that there are many Indians, but there are few toilets, there are not enough for everyone, so we have to get out of the situation.
The first monument that came our way was the Qutub Minar - one of the tallest in the world (72 m), built of red sandstone and belted with white marble, it was built in the 12th century. the conqueror of Delhi - Qutub ad-din. The tower was built by forced Hindus, so many of the inscriptions on it were made in Sanskrit, translating curses against Muslims - the languages had to be taught to the conquerors! Qutub's son decided to outdo his father and build an even taller minaret nearby, but, as often happens, something went wrong with the financing, and only the lower floors of the next Babylonian tower have survived to this day.
Green grass on red soil, strange trees with bright light green leaves, palm trees with their crowns raised high - an excellent backdrop for ancient Muslim buildings covered with fine and unique stone carvings. It’s a pity that the thick fog there didn’t clear up, because it’s impossible to even properly photograph the minaret of extraordinary beauty - it turns out to be a long gray stick on a light gray background. But I have already seen similar Muslim architecture in other countries, and here something else is striking - the seething animal life around: a dozen wild dogs lazily lying on the ground, they are very thin and, most likely, hungry, but unlike their Moscow counterparts, they are not at all malicious. Guttural cries are heard from the surrounding trees - this is a flock of green parrots sorting things out, simultaneously scaring away a few crows. Large green birds, loudly flapping their wings, fly from one tree to another, from ruin to ruin, creating a lot of noise out of nothing. Nimble chipmunks literally “fly” underfoot, there are so many of them that sometimes it dazzles the eyes, but at the same time the animals are so trusting that it is enough to snap their fingers near the ground, and they run to see what kind of treat these strange bipeds brought. High in the sky above all this bustle, kites proudly soar, only occasionally glide smoothly onto the lawns and strut about there importantly.
At the foot of the minaret is the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque(the power of Islam) - it was the first in India, and it was created in 1192-1198. the same tireless Kutub, easily rebuilt the temple of the god Vishnu in his own way: all the Hindu idols were thrown out of it, and the Hindu stone carvings on the walls were chipped away. In front of the central arch of the mosque rises a supposedly stainless iron column of the 4th century, weighing six tons. The most surprising thing is that in one and a half millennia it has not turned into rusty dust. I read about this 7-meter wonder in a children's encyclopedia almost half a century ago, but I never could have imagined that I would find myself nearby, but here I am standing, taking photographs - miracles, and that’s all. They write that the column is made of meteorite iron, that’s why the rust didn’t eat it up, maybe that’s true, but there is rust on the surface - that’s a fact. There is a belief that if you lean your back against a column and wrap your arms around it, you will be happy, but today access to happiness has been closed, the column is fenced off.
Children are the wealth of India, there are very, very many of them, it seems that all the schools in the capital went on excursions to the sights of the city at once. Children, young and old, are dressed in the same cute uniform - these are students of paid schools, local students go to school from the age of 5, and study for 12 years - poor fellows. Everyone walks in formation and stares at us, smiles, shouts: “Hello, How are you?”, and there is so much positivity in their attention that you involuntarily begin to smile back, and your mood rises to unattainable heights.
Our guide is a local - the Russian language is held in high esteem here again, everyone who is not too lazy is learning it: now Rousseau tourist is not only the face of morality, but also a fat walking wallet from which you can fish out a lot of money. The guide is no storyteller or expert on history, he doesn’t even know the tour program, but his arrogance and ambition are through the roof. For some reason they take us to the Bahai temple - this is one of the movements that emerged from Islam. The temple is completely new, although it is not devoid of attractiveness - its shape resembles a lotus, you need to be silent and meditate inside, but overall, it is not at all worth the time wasted on it.
Another drive by car brought us to the famous structure - Humayun's Tomb. This is not just a tomb, but a whole complex of structures built in the 16th century by the main wife of the second emperor of the Mughal dynasty, Hamayun. The grave itself is located in a large mausoleum made of white marble and red sandstone, to which you need to go through a long public garden, overcoming several intricate gates. The guide said that this complex - predecessor of the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra, built later. Fog, silence, tranquility, eagles soaring in the sky - an ideal place of eternal rest, but all this is not for long, as soon as crowds of schoolchildren appeared on the paths, not a trace remained of the former peace.
I really want to eat, needless to say, despite our request to find a budget restaurant, the guide takes us to the most expensive one. The open secret is simple - cunning guides and drivers dine at the expense of the tourists they bring. We order Indian cuisine to try, the main thing is not to forget to tell the waiter “no spicy”. They serve for a long time, the portions are small and spicy, if after eating there is sweat on your forehead, it means the meal was a success. Almost any Indian dish is chicken or lamb, drenched in various sauces - nothing special, but Naan flatbreads with garlic and cheese are delicious. In addition, in Indian cuisine there are many tandoor dishes - meat and chicken similar to kebabs, only usually overdried. A modest lunch for two cost 1200 rupees, of which a bottle of Kingfisher beer costs 140 rupees. It is better to eat in Chinese restaurants - the portions are large, much tastier and cheaper.
Excursions are more pleasant on a full stomach, so we eagerly make our way through traffic jams to the mosque Jama Masjid, in the courtyard of which 25,000 people can fit - the most famous and largest in India. The path to it runs through the back streets of the huge Chandni Chowk bazaar, which is striking in its disorder and poverty: dirt is everywhere, goats, cows and dogs are busily scurrying around in heaps of garbage. In addition to animals, hundreds of pedicabs move along the alleys of this human anthill, carrying entire families of Hindus for urgent needs. Narrow and dimly lit alleys go deep into neighborhoods lined with long-dilapidated houses. Power poles are entwined with bizarre intricacies of wires - there are thousands of them on each pole, and you've heard about electrical safety techniques here. The people sell everything that can be sold, porters and women carry large bales, boxes, whole basins of flat cakes and all sorts of things on their heads. Here, on dusty roadsides, fish are cut, meat is sold, and flatbreads are fried on smoky baking sheets. It is difficult to understand what three white women and one equally white-skinned man are doing in this pandemonium of peoples. Unsmiling, mustachioed Sikhs in multi-colored turbans look sternly at us, and not only them - hundreds of questioning eyes are directed in our direction, but there is no hostility - only surprise and curiosity shine through in their glances.
Men in India, it’s worth talking about them in more detail, almost all of them dye their hair with henna, as a result, even the hair of burning brunettes turns red in the sun. Sikhs are generally characters from oriental fairy tales: they cannot exist without a turban, mustache and beard, their eyes are usually menacing, because any Sikh is, first of all, a warrior. Under the turban there is uncut hair - religion forbids them to shave or have their hair cut. In the morning, every Sikh puts a special net or rag on his beard so that the hair does not bristle, but fits tightly to the cheekbones. Sikhs, like Hindus, have their own temples - white and austere, they look very solemn.
Well, Indian women are actually real fairies. Each of us has seen Indian women in movies more than once: colorful saris, necklaces, big brown eyes - these are not only the wonders of cinema, almost all real Indian women look exactly like this. Almost all women here are thin, plumpness is a rarity, plump women are contemptuously called baby elefant. A sari is a must-have outfit: a long piece of brightly colored fabric is skillfully wrapped around a woman’s body - no two saris are alike, the bright colors delight the eye and create the impression of a constant celebration. Even beggars, with the inevitable baby in their arms, are dressed in sari, no wonder, because at a sale this attribute can be bought for only 150 rupees.
Mosque Jama Masjid, built by Shah Jahan from red sandstone, like most of the monuments in Delhi, is monumental and majestic. Four towers rise in the corners, the inner part can be accessed through three gates, two high minarets rise above the mosque - the builders did their best. It is said that a hair from the beard of the Prophet Muhammad, his shoe, an “imprint” of his foot in stone and one of the chapters of the Koran, allegedly written under the dictation of the prophet, are kept here. The strict gatekeeper does not allow anyone into the mosque with shoes on, no problem, we have medical shoe covers in stock - an invaluable thing in India, plus every woman is obliged to throw on a dirty robe.
The traffic on the evening streets is simply stunning - everyone goes wherever they want, without paying any attention to other traffic participants, so the reaction of local Schumachers is simply lightning fast, which is probably why there are few accidents. During rush hour, the roads become crowded: thousands of cars, tuk-tuks, pedicabs and motorbikes are jammed together in dense traffic jams. Suffocating exhausts hover over kilometer-long mechanical rivers, while everyone considers it their duty to press the horn - this is the favorite pastime of every Indian driver.
Before dark we still have time to visit the Raj Ghat Memorial Park, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated and his ashes were scattered. Despite the approaching evening, there are a lot of people, children chase each other, lie on the emerald green of purely English lawns, and adults, sitting on the grass, slowly carry on conversations, condescendingly, but with hidden pride, looking at the children's antics. Nice place, but you can also completely miss it, because... Because of the time lost here, we got to the Gateway of India - a huge triumphal arch built on Radgpath Street in memory of those killed in World War II, in the dark, and we only saw the Delhi Red Fort from afar and only briefly. We already passed here during the day - thousands of Indians were walking around, now there are almost no people, but all the lawns are covered with wrappers and bags - I wonder if this garbage will be cleared away before morning? We looked at the Presidential Palace and the House of Parliament in almost complete darkness - their huge buildings stood without illumination. The result of the day is simple - Delhi, shown by our guide, did not make much of an impression.
DELHI-JAIPUR
Early the next morning, the first pleasant surprise was found in the Toyota interior - a bottle of the famous Indian rum Old Monk was found. Yesterday the caring driver asked me: “What wines do your women prefer to drink?” I blurted out to him as a joke - they don’t drink anything but strong rum, the result was in front of us - wishes come true very quickly in India! Despite the thick fog, you can see something on the roadside - at the exit from the city, a family of wild monkeys is frolicking in the treetops. The driver, suddenly hearing our enthusiastic screams, began nervously squeezing the steering wheel and turning his head around. Only later, when I told him the reason for our delight, did he smile condescendingly - what a miracle they found, there are more monkeys in India than dogs. Jaipur is only 260 km away on a good road, and the drive took seven hours - miracles, that's all, but, strangely enough, I liked the road much more than yesterday's Delhi. Having driven away from the capital, we finally managed to escape from the suffocating fog, and then such pictures began to open up! Slow oxen slowly drag tall carts: huge horns stick up like peaks, a large hump crowns the scruff of the neck, their eternal destiny is to carry heavy loads. And why all? - in ancient times, according to legend, an ox carried Satan - and now he is paying for the mistakes of his youth. But this is not possible with cows - they are sacred, because a long time ago one cow gave Shiva himself a ride, and since then it has forever become a holy and untouchable animal. What about a cow!, take rats and mice - here, they are feared and destroyed, but in India they are loved and revered - after all, they are also sacred animals, the rat carried the god Ganesha on its back. Not a single Indian would think of putting a mousetrap in the house, so gray animals run around the rooms and in expensive stores. Even the lion, the king of beasts, took part in the transportation of the gods; the ominous goddess Kali (Durgu) herself sat on it. One poor cat was unlucky in India; she did not have the chance to communicate with the gods, so she is considered a harmful animal, not worthy of affection and participation.
Everything on the road aroused our frantic interest and the driver had to constantly stop in order for us to take the next shot. There are children chasing a flock of sheep along the road, men can barely stay on the running boards of speeding tuk-tuks, trucks, painted with bright patterns and decorated with Christmas tree tinsel, rush past. But the loudest squeals came from the car when we first saw a line of camels harnessed to carts filled to the brim with firewood - all of them covered in intricate tattoos!
She took us to a roadside restaurant - a real holiday home: strange birds with bright blue backs are flying (they are called kingfishers here), colorful swans are splashing in the ponds, the lawns are green, short-cropped, bridges bent over man-made streams are bristling, curly bushes stand along the paths, There are shady gazebos for tourists and well-trained waiters respectfully follow you. Everything is fine, only the prices in this place are not Indian at all, but rather European. We looked through the menu from cover to cover, were surprised and decided to punish the driver - we only ordered coffee, which would have been fine if the coffee was good, but they poured us nasty Nescafe. When the hour of reckoning came, the discontent only intensified: in India there are unusual menus - the price tag is indicated without taking into account taxes, which must be paid additionally - 12-14%, but it turned out that in some restaurants they include another 10% for service in the bill. As a result, I had to overpay a quarter of the price, and one cup of tasteless drink cost 3 bucks. Out of disappointment, we opened the rum in the car - it turned out to be a good thing, especially with the s/c sausage, even if satirists laugh at Russian tourists as much as they want, but without a bar of my favorite product, I feel deprived abroad. After the third toast, we managed to quickly convince the chef to stop by the “right” restaurant, and from there Jaipur was just a stone’s throw away.
To be continued
Sergey Vasilets, 2009
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4,8 /5 (69 )
Thank you for the detailed and frank description of the trip, all the impressions come from the heart, I wish you further trips to countries and villages and great happiness for everyone, as my husband says - we only live once, we have to do everything in time.
We are waiting for the continuation)))
Guestluba Thank you for your kind words. You have a wise husband, I try to follow his commandments - to have time to do everything, and above all to see the world!
MARINA Next week I’ll definitely post it, as soon as I come to my senses after the trip to Crete
Beautifully written! Only the plane is sealed before landing.
alles-gute Thank you for your feedback, you are right about the tightness. But there is one technical subtlety - outside air enters the cabin through a valve system after it has been enriched with oxygen.
Who: Marina
Where: Delhi, India
At first:
It all started with an unusual call that changed my life forever. The voice on the phone politely asked for my first and middle name and said that I had won a trip to Turkey for two, that I was very lucky, since I bought my favorite perfume at the right time in the right place. Strange as it may seem, everything turned out to be true. And even the rest was a success. But after this week in warmer climes, a completely different Marina returned to Moscow.
It turns out that the Mediterranean Sea changes people a lot. Everything inside me became completely different. I realized that the world is huge, and I need to get to know it better. A desire was formed to explore the entire planet - my planet - the one on which I was born and raised, the one that I love very much.
In any country you can live the way you are used to
I was drawn to the East. I fell in love with Istanbul, but this is not my city - people are too closed. And it was decided to go on a 7-month exploration trip along the India-Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam route. It was very difficult to leave my job, but I didn’t even think about changing my mind and staying in Moscow.
I came to India and realized that this is my country, my soul is from here, even though I look different and don’t know the language. There were problems on the street - local residents treated me aggressively, grabbed me by various parts of my body for the first three months, and blatantly deceived me. I constantly moved around the country and slowly got used to it and felt the local flavor. It became much easier.
After the end of the trip, already in Moscow, I did not doubt for a minute that I would return to India, to Delhi.
Now I return to Moscow only occasionally - to sort out some work, communicate with loved ones, extend my visa.
Why and details:
Already in Moscow I realized that I wanted not only to go to India again, but to stay there as long as possible. Living in Delhi is what I wanted. At first, friends helped, giving me the opportunity to work remotely on interesting projects, then they called me from my last place of work and allowed me to work remotely. Without thinking twice, I left for India on a tourist visa for six months. By the way, it's easy to get. Either through an agency or through an Indian visa center, submit a small package of documents, pay a service fee, wait 4 business days - and the visa is yours.
Visa processing time - 3-4 working days, consular fee - 1600 rubles, service center services - 315 rubles.
It was he who told me about the intricacies of doing business in India
Of course, living here is not very easy - the white girl stands out a lot. But the place is touristy, there are parts of the city where there are a lot of foreigners, it’s quieter there. The main thing is to have friends here, I have them, it’s much easier to drive and walk the streets with them. And you can meet people directly on the Internet. Compatriots easily make contact: they advise, share, help.
I am sure: in any country in the world you can live according to your own rules, the way you are used to, making allowances for local laws, customs and universal morality.
For example, if a girl is used to walking alone, but this is not customary in the country, you should not deny yourself such a pleasure. You just need to dress more decently so as not to provoke aggression from others with your non-standard appearance for this area.
As soon as I started traveling, I immediately realized that I did not want adventures in unfamiliar countries associated with diseases and hospitals. Therefore, on every trip I take insurance from one of the largest Russian insurance companies, a minimum set of medications and brains (that is, I try not to eat in suspicious places, use mosquito repellent in places where there is a high probability of contracting malaria, etc.). You can calculate the cost of insurance yourself, depending on the length of stay - about two euros per day.
How to earn money:
I make money by working remotely via the Internet. I moderate a website and promote a company in Russian industry media. By the way, even a modest Moscow salary is quite enough for a normal life in Delhi. Here, on $500 a month you can lead a truly bourgeois lifestyle. Groceries, restaurants, internet in Delhi are much cheaper than here. Despite the fact that the real estate market here is one of the most expensive in the world. Yes, buying an apartment is difficult. In all other respects you feel quite comfortable - you can even afford a maid.
Story:
One day one of my Indian friends took me to see his business partner - the head of a very famous university in Delhi, Mr. Gupta Ji. Sitting in his office, I could not take my eyes off his hands - a weighty ring on each finger. He couldn’t even pick up a cigarette normally—his fingers simply didn’t fit together. A real Indian Raja sat in front of me: a mustache, cunning eyes and a typical smile. It was he who told me about the intricacies of doing business in this country. If you are a person on the “left”, the path to many places is closed to you. If you know the right people, all the doors are wide open in front of you. Communications are absolutely everything here. Not money. And if you are a foreigner, then it is easier to get to know the right people - many are interested in other countries and cultures and are happy to meet you. My experience confirms: India is exactly the place where dreams come true!
Psychologist's comment
Anetta Orlova, family psychologist, candidate of sociological sciences:
This is happening more and more often. People get tired of this constant race for success. Marina worked in a large company where the vast majority of employees were focused on material achievements. In such situations, a person has difficulty understanding how to live here and now. There is only a goal: to be better, stronger, richer. A sort of “society of achievers.” The significance of the specific present moment is lost; the priority is tomorrow, when everything will finally come true. This leads to depression, neurotic disorders, and mental illness. If a person understands this in time, he tries to leave, hide in some place that is associated with spiritual power. In the case of Marina, this is India. This is not bad, you can relax and learn something. But it is very important that it doesn’t happen “from the frying pan into the fire” when people slide into downshifting and completely lose touch with reality.
Embassy of India
It is difficult to track the number of Russians permanently residing in India, since these people are most often there on a tourist visa. Those who live in India and work remotely in Russia usually simply apply for a guest visa every six months. It’s not difficult, you can prolong your whole life like this. The embassy has no reason to refuse if the citizen does not violate the laws of the receiving country. You can also get a work visa if you work in India, but this is for a maximum of a year. No visa is issued for longer than 12 months.
Tickets
Aeroflot planes fly to the capital of India daily, and the minimum price of tickets to Delhi from Moscow for a 6-hour flight is 17,000-18,000 rubles. The cost of tickets to Delhi for flights with transfers from a number of foreign low-cost airlines starts from 16,000 rubles, and for a flight with Lufthansa, Finnair, Air France you need to pay at least 26,000 rubles. Cheap plane tickets to Delhi can be bought even at the height of the season if you carefully monitor the promotions, sales and discounts offered by carrier companies. Sometimes you can save 50% of the cost this way.
Hotels
The average price of a five-star hotel room is 110-140 dollars. The cost of rooms in four-star hotels is from 60 to 90 dollars. Three-star hotels offer rooms for 40-60 dollars, this is the most popular budget option.
Is it possible to walk alone at three in the morning? Why is it better for a girl to take the first subway car? What about those who don't like spicy food? Our friend Anna talked about how she lives in India.
“I have been here for 10 months, with a break of 2 months in winter (September to December and March to now). From time to time I travel to other cities in India for work for a week or two.
I live in a three-story house in the suburbs of Delhi. But these are not suburbs like those in Moscow: all the infrastructure is there. I don’t feel like I’m not living in Delhi itself, even though it takes 30 minutes by metro to get there.
This is our villa.
Finding a common language with the locals is not difficult. They are quite open and interested in Europeans, especially European women. But they are interested without any ulterior motive - they are simply interested in communicating. Nowhere have I felt as safe as here. You can completely calmly walk along the streets at 1-2-3 o’clock in the morning, without being afraid of anything. All interest among the local population ends at the stage - to observe, at most - to talk, they will never lay a finger on it, not to mention any kind of violence. By the way, you can be almost as calm about your things; they won’t snatch something from your hands and run away or something like that. Of course, there are exceptions. Fortunately, I have not encountered this.
Sometimes Indians are naive and spontaneous, like children. Many of their concepts are childish; their perceptions and values are very different from ours. For example, no matter what happens, at 13:00 they will go to lunch, but work will not go anywhere. It is impossible to explain to them that deadlines are running out and it is better to work before dark. They will sit down calmly and eat.
Indian cuisine is quite spicy, except for salads and sweets. You can get used to this, although not right away. I started enjoying spicy food probably after six months. But still not very spicy. At some point I realized that I could still taste the food, but now it was somehow different due to the spices.
They have very tasty and varied sweets. My favorite is gulab jamun.
“In India, pan, a betel-based mixture, has been consumed for as long as the world has existed.” It is banned in the states of Kerala and Tamil and is temporarily banned in the state of Bihar. It is prepared from betel leaves, crushed betel nuts, lime and spices: cardamom, vanilla, sugar, pepper, cinnamon, patra, nutmeg. This “dish” has the most unusual taste among those that I have tried. In Delhi it is prepared in many places on the street, but in Calcutta literally at every turn, it costs 10-20 rupees (about 6-12 rubles).
If you wish, you can eat European style. There are cafes like Rostix, McDonald's, Friday's and other European eateries. There are Japanese restaurants (as a sushi lover, I was interested and found them). In addition, almost everywhere you can ask for no spicy food.
The stores sell vegetables, fruits, meat (only chicken and goat meat), fish, and shrimp. There is a fish market in Delhi, where there is always fresh seafood.
They weigh it on the street, make juice – everything is the same as a century ago. I even saw a coal-fired iron, like in Russia about 70 years ago.
There are some beautiful rituals that are pleasant to watch. There are several major holidays: Hali is a festival of colors, when both children and adults have fun by dousing everyone around them with colors from water pistols. Diwali is a holiday similar in scale to the New Year in Russia. Everywhere they light a lot of candles, decorate homes, streets, shops, and give traditional gifts. I was given a set of national clothes. A festive puja is performed - a ritual performed for prayer.
Oddly enough, I still haven’t gotten used to the culture and mentality. Probably, these are individual characteristics of the perception of a new place, but I was more accustomed to some everyday things. For example, there are no street names anywhere on the houses, only along the roads there are signs indicating the turn to such and such an area. I'm already used to driving on the left. We travel not only by taxi and public transport: we have our own car here.
Life in Delhi October 3rd, 2012
Is it possible to walk alone at three in the morning? Why is it better for a girl to take the first subway car? What about those who don't like spicy food? Our friend Anna Ilyina talked about how she lives in India.
“I have been here for 10 months, with a break of 2 months in winter (September to December and March to now). From time to time I travel to other cities in India for work for a week or two.
I live in a three-story house in the suburbs of Delhi. But these are not suburbs like those in Moscow: all the infrastructure is there. I don’t feel like I’m not living in Delhi itself, even though it takes 30 minutes by metro to get there.
This is our villa.
Finding a common language with the locals is not difficult. They are quite open and interested in Europeans, especially European women. But they are interested without any ulterior motive - they are simply interested in communicating. Nowhere have I felt as safe as here. You can completely calmly walk along the streets at 1-2-3 o’clock in the morning, without being afraid of anything. All interest among the local population ends at the stage - to observe, at most - to talk, they will never lay a finger on it, not to mention any kind of violence. By the way, you can be almost as calm about your things; they won’t snatch something from your hands and run away or something like that. Of course, there are exceptions. Fortunately, I have not encountered this.
Sometimes Indians are naive and spontaneous, like children. Many of their concepts are childish; their perceptions and values are very different from ours. For example, no matter what happens, at 13:00 they will go to lunch, but work will not go anywhere. It is impossible to explain to them that deadlines are running out and it is better to work before dark. They will sit down calmly and eat.
Indian cuisine is quite spicy, except for salads and sweets. You can get used to this, although not right away. I started enjoying spicy food probably after six months. But still not very spicy. At some point I realized that I could still taste the food, but now it was somehow different due to the spices.
They have very tasty and varied sweets. My favorite is gulab jamun.
In India, pan, a betel-based mixture, has been consumed for as long as the world has existed.” It is banned in the states of Kerala and Tamil and is temporarily banned in the state of Bihar. It is prepared from betel leaves, crushed betel nuts, lime and spices: cardamom, vanilla, sugar, pepper, cinnamon, patra, nutmeg. This “dish” has the most unusual taste among those that I have tried. In Delhi it is prepared in many places on the street, but in Calcutta literally at every turn, it costs 10-20 rupees (about 6-12 rubles).
If you wish, you can eat European style. There are cafes like Rostix, McDonald's, Friday's and other European eateries. There are Japanese restaurants (as a sushi lover, I was interested and found them). In addition, almost everywhere you can ask for no spicy food.
The stores sell vegetables, fruits, meat (only chicken and goat meat), fish, and shrimp. There is a fish market in Delhi, where there is always fresh seafood.
They weigh it on the street, make juice - everything is the same as a century ago. I even saw a coal-fired iron, like in Russia about 70 years ago.
There are some beautiful rituals that are pleasant to watch. There are several major holidays: Hali is a festival of colors, when both children and adults have fun by dousing everyone around them with colors from water pistols. Diwali is a holiday similar in scale to the New Year in Russia. Everywhere they light a lot of candles, decorate homes, streets, shops, and give traditional gifts. I was given a set of national clothes. A festive puja is performed - a ritual performed for prayer.
Oddly enough, I still haven’t gotten used to the culture and mentality. Probably, these are individual characteristics of the perception of a new place, but I was more accustomed to some everyday things. For example, there are no street names anywhere on the houses, only along the roads there are signs indicating the turn to such and such an area. I'm already used to driving on the left. We travel not only by taxi and public transport: we have our own car here.
Here is our fleet.
As for the metro, in Delhi it is very quiet, you can talk without raising your voice. The first carriage of each train is for women. Men are not allowed to enter there. If you’re traveling in a shared carriage, they won’t give you a seat.”
Tickets to Delhi were purchased on the website Pososhok.ru
http://www.pososhok.ru/
