Since I started traveling by myself, it is turned out to be addicting hobby. Each country brings you broader point of view, you become more flexible person as well as appreciate your motherland after all traveling…
I was planning to go India as it is the nearest destination. I was advised to go to the north part of India to get quite different experience and explore something different than Sri Lanka . So it was good enough, because one friend of mine (Eliza) was on the internship in Jaipur, so I decided to use the opportunity and make golden triangle (Delhi, Jaipur and Agra- Taj Mahal is a must in India). India is a huge country and one week is definitely not enough to gather all information about the country.
But this post will not be about my adventures and trips and what I have seen. This you can see by browsing my pictures. I would like to make analysis or literally comparison of two Asian countries.
Differences:
§ Climate: India has to three seasons wet (monsoon), hot and cold (December, January). Sri Lanka has only two: wet and hot, even though it is wet, it is still hot. I was not prepared for cold season, so imagine me in Delhi airport in slippers and summer trousers among people in winter jackets, hats and gloves. I already forgot what does it mean - cold!
§ Transport: Sri Lanka has tuc tuc (three wheeler), local buses and AC buses (small buses with cooler air than outside), trains with fans inside. India has more variety of transport: autorickshaws (much bigger than in Sri Lanka, capacity of 8 ppl), open rickshaws or bicycle rickshaws – human-powered transport (popular in China and all over the Asia), buses – there are a big choice between lower and upper class buses. Local buses (the cheapest for poor people), AC/Delux buses – for mid class people, sleepers ( for long distances) – bus with sleeping places on the top, volvo bus – the best and the most expensive version of the coach. Trains have several classes (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and you can choose between normal and express version of the train. Plane – India is a huge country, so domestic flights are also quite popular, especially among wealthy Indians.
§ Environment – there is a lot of warnings about global warming and pollution level in Indian cities. I’ve experienced the thick air in Delhi and Jaipur, you can hardly breath in these cities. I had an impression that both of these cities were covered by mist of pollution. I have no idea how my lungs look like right now, but I feel like I was smoking over one month. Ocean is a Sri Lanka’s salvation. Thanks to it or exactly thanks to the breeze from the sea, there no “dead” air in the city. However, most of the vehicles in Sri Lanka as well as in India are not environmentally friendly. In my opinion India is much dirty than SL, maybe because the island is a popular tourist destination and government would like to keep the impression of clean country. Most of the streets are covered with cows’, pigs’, camels’, elephants’, human “detritus”.
Most of the Indians are living with flow of the nature, so nobody cares when and where do their “business”. In Sri Lanka I have not noticed so massive peeing on the street as it is in India.
§ Food: India is a paradise for vegetarians, everything based on nans, paranthas etc (flat bread) and big variety of sauces. I was told that food is much chillier than in Sri Lanka. It is not true, because I find that Sri Lanka food contains much more spices and is based on rice and meat rather than bread and vegetables. Probably the food was not hot for me because after 5 months my tongue is kind of “inured” to spicy food.
§ Religion: I cannot analyze religion, because this topic requires a lot of months of observation, analyses and interaction with local people however during one week I could highlight some differences. North of India: typical Hindi religion, a lot of small temples and places of worship of thousands of gods! Inside the temple there are several small ones, for separate gods. In front of the entrance prayers are putting some rice mixed with sugar (optional bananas and nuts). As a sing of religious person, most Indian people are wearing woolen strings, which are placed around their wrists. Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, here in every corner of the street you can see big Buddha who is in vertical or horizontal position, gold or white one, big or small one…
§ Leaders: Gandhi, as one of the main leaders in India, had changed a lot of Indians’ minds as well as became the biggest authority for them most of the society. In every town and city there is Gandhi Street, Gandhi memorial museum is the main attraction in Delhi…It reminds me Lenin in post Soviet Countries or Mao in China… They were all leaders, fanatics with a lot of followers as well as opponents.
Similarities:
It is so common for all Asians countries, that people are much more open, they talk to, you smile to you, greet you on the street as well as they are trying to rip you off, cheat you. Before coming to India, Sri Lanka gave me a good lesson of Asian culture, so I was prepared to be concentrated and focused, and take “do-not-trust-anybody” attitude. I prepared how to be public person and I prepared for this celebrity feeling which followed me even though I cross the boarders of another country.
As in Sri Lanka and in India there is a lot of “suicidal drivers”, which are driving with one finger on the horn. In both countries you can meet all families on motorbikes and it seems that only person who needs cask is a driver (who cares about 2-years old child!).
All in all, the more I travel, the more amazement of such different cultures and unexplored lands I experience. I think we should get out of our “comfort boxes/zones” and experience as much as we can right now. Thailand next time?
p.s I would like to thank you all people who make my India trip unforgettable experience:)thank you to Johny -good friend from Nigeria- he spent couple of hours waiting for me in airport and then host me several days in trainee house (thanks to Olivia and Mikio - residents of Kalkaji house)to Eliza - you made me feel in Jaipur like at home, thank you for tasty food, thank you for tips and hints how to bargain with Indian people, thank you for hospitality and Brazilian atmosphere in your house:)
