India: Is There Anything to Recommend?

Don't take the bus!

The two "travelin' grannies," rich black women from Chicago, tried to do a couple PC shows on Indian travel, but it was clear they were terrified and repulsed most of the time.

India has lots of interesting ancient monuments...but not so ancient. The Mughal sites are a few hundred years old, and even the old Hindu sites rarely much more than a thousand.

My ex was Indian, so we went several times to visit his family; they were like PFlag poster people. It is NOT "hell on Earth" but would likely be a culture shock. Mumbai (Bombay) is skip-able, there's nothing much touristy there. If you are curious, and know no one there, my STRONG advice would be: go as part of a tour group!

It will make you feel much better about home.

Don't go near the Ganges River. It's where they "bury" the dead and the sacred cows. Decomposing carcasses floating about as people bathe, swim, drink, shower in it.

I know India is far too vast to stereotype, but parts of it are just nasty.

I've been to India 6 times, to more than 15 cities, from Chandigarh in the north to Pondicherry in the south. Been to Bollywood parties in Bombay, hung out in the hill stations near Bangalore, stayed in the best hotels in Delhi, Calcutta, and Rajasthan, and went to raves on the beach in Goa. So I know India quite well.

And the answer is hell no.

India is a giant backward shithole containing the worst of humanity with none of the best. It really is awful beyond comprehension. At least Africa is naturally beautiful. There are no redeeming qualities to this part of the world. Even the deceivingly tasty but soon repetitively monotonous food is laced with dysentery and norovirus. And the people are liars, braggarts, and bigots.

I tried. It's not worth it.

I wouldn't visit that shithole for a million bucks.

This reminds me of a friend who was going on vacation to Haiti about 15 years ago. I was like, "What the fuck for?", and she said she thought it would be culturally interesting.

Her boyfriend got dysentery and they were robbed at knifepoint.

So I ask you OP, "What the fuck would you want to go to India for?". Most of the people in India are trying to get the fuck OUT of India. And for a good reason: it's a backassed, dirty, impoverished, disease ridden shithole of a country.

Go to Thailand, or somewhere at least a little civilized.

If you run into Eric from Dell customer support punch him in the throat for me.

I don't understand why they didn't go the way of China and implement a one child policy. It won't be long until it's the most populous country on earth and they'll literally be drowning in babies.

I guy I used to work with went for a few months traveling all around a few years ago. When he came back he was very angry. Not angry about anything specifically, just angry. Something about being there really brought up a lot of anger in him.

Or go to the Phillipines, which is poor but has very beautiful beaches.

Nice people, exotic food (to say the least) and cheap accomodations.

Stay the fuck out of India, and the Thais don't care much for westerners (can't blame them).

If you go to India you will get sick, possibly for life.

As with many things, there seems to be a generational component in the immigrants who come to the US from India. The older sorts came here because they wanted to live in a nice place and work with the best tools of their professions. They were fun, nice, open-minded and very hard working.

Now, the more recent sorts (post 1980 or so) want to bring all the worst of India with them and impose it on us.

[quote]the Thais don't care much for westerners

Despite this, they acted with pure heart and decency after the tsunami to make sure the tourists who survived were comfortable, and those who didn't were treated with dignity.

I will never forget their efforts.

Let's not forget that Indians also have a fascination with Hitler. They idolize him. Mein Kampf and other Hitler biographies sell well and usually displayed prominently at book stores.

are the bed bugs really as bad as I'm told?

I have something to recommend: Imodium

To R15's point...

Here's a clothing store named after Hitler:

It's weird that so many westerners go there and then see sites associated with Muslim empires and not Hindu culture.

My brother has lived there twice, a year each time, and he loves it. He plans to retire there. He taught at the college level both times, and lived in the north. He been back many times on shorter visits.

I've tried to ask him just what the attraction is, and I've never gotten a clear answer. In fact, he says many of the same things that have been written in this thread--he talks about the extreme poverty, the overcrowding, the corruption, the political and economic instability, it goes on an on, but at the end of the day he has a love for the place and its people.

I guess that when it's all said and done, the intensity of the place makes him feel alive like nowhere else.

Erotic art at the temples of Khajuraho.

Isn't the Hitler stuff all about the Germans being the enemies of their enemies the Brits?

The UK treated the Indian troops as mercenaries, so many fought happily for the Axis after being denied POW status by England.

A lot of Irish were like that too -- even JFK's Dad.

Make sure and read "A Suitable Boy" by Vikram Seth. It's a great story.

I've traveled extensively, from the west coast of Africa to the panhandle of Florida to drug addled Colombia and the tundra of Siberia and many more places in between. Each place has its own inherent charm. Except India. I hated everything about it. But that's just me.

R21 - he felt alive or superior? Being a college teacher he must have been well placed and had perhaps good housing with ability to afford servants, etc.

Better life than here - but I would say that's a rarified world he lived in.

The builder who renovated my house now works for a big building company that are building homes for fleeing Indians (the only people who can afford them) who are flooding here for IT and admin jobs. He can't stand them: he says they treat him like an Untouchable, and he says their sense of entitlement, of racial exceptionalism, is off the charts. But he's amazed at the amount of ready money their middle class have: very often they want two or three homes built at the same time for the extended family. All cash. But then, in addition to the high salary jobs that many are scoring, even the humblest Indian owns gold, and they are fanatical savers, unlike Americans who can't save a dime and live their lives on credit. That echoes something my financial advisor told me: an Indian family brought their nine and eleven year old children to the meeting so that they would understand the family financial position and their role in it -- e.g. not whining for expensive toys.

R25: Why did you go to Columbia and what was it like?

I read that they have major problems with running water. Even well-to-do people have to walk to fill up containers with water to bring home.

R7, I believe everything you say is true. But why did you go back 6 times?

Cab drivers in India are able to save over 30% of their salary. Try doing that in the USA. Poverty is relative. Anyone who is working in India is usually doing well compared to people here.

R4 here, [R20]

I had friends in New York who were VERY strong Hindu Indians, but considered Moghul (muslim) stuff *their* history, too. The Hindu-Muslim thing is an artificial construct since 1947.

India is a tough place, but it's not THAT bad. I just wouldn't recommend going alone, regardless of all the books put out by folks who say how great that experience was.

As for Thailand, I liked it.

It is hell on earth for Indian women. Indian society -- patriarchal, casteist, misogynistic Indian society -- where woman is worshipped as a goddess and yet where women are brutally burned alive for dowry, raped, beaten, overworked, aborted, treated as lesser beings almost as a matter of course.

Be sure and take a dip in the beautiful Ganges!

[quote]My brother...plans to retire there. I've tried to ask him just what the attraction is, and I've never gotten a clear answer.

It's simple, darling. Your brother is a paedophile.

R31 is booking his flight and cabbie license to India as we speak.

My friend Maggie S. loved it. We stayed at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I got the shits and was in the loo constantly. I personally will never return... Unless there's a sequel.

[quote][R21] - he felt alive or superior? Being a college teacher he must have been well placed and had perhaps good housing with ability to afford servants, etc. Better life than here - but I would say that's a rarified world he lived in.

You're right, I don't know how you avoid that if you're a Westerner, but from what I've seen and what he's talked about, I think he made an effort to live amongst the regular people. If anything he went out of his way to "go native." Of course that's no more actually going native than a week at a dude ranch is the same as being a real cowboy.

I know he travels around in 3rd class or even up on top of the trains, walks everywhere, even from village to village, and avoids the tourist hotels and restaurants with a passion.

He's also gone quite mad for cricket, to the point where he listens to obscure Indian matches on a shortwave radio.

Like I said, I've never gotten an explanation that satisfies me.

Wow a total shithole AND they have Muslims?!? Count me in!

R7 here, R30. I had a work project for two years and a good friend living there. Good money. But really, I now won't go without the entire trip being in 'the bubble': a European SUV with driver, a suite at a international chain 5-star hotel and complete access to western food, including beef.

On the highway to Rajastan from Delhi there was a tarp with something under it on the side of the road; the car driver announced to us, "It is dead body!"

Later, back in Bombay, my ex and I thought we saw a hedgehog, only to realize a moment later that it had been a GIANT rat!

Lots to enjoy if you enjoy history and exotic cultures. However, inconsistent infrastructure open sewers, non potable water, and squalor on an unimaginable scale. You can get wifi in the remotest village which says a lot about priorities.

The still have the plague there.

I've been told that the whole country smells like shit and piss.

When I was in England (I guess over a decade ago), it seemed like everyone wanted to either live in France or go on a trip to India. Do they still think it's cool to go to India?

I've seen pictures of places that look like my more unbelievable dreams, and I've been tempted to go.

I haven't yet, because I do suspect that these dreamscapes are smelly, crowded, and horrible.

Well there is the matter of the Indian head massage.

Poor, hot, and dirty. Not thanks. My vacation dollars got to places like Lake Geneva. Actually my next big trip I'm saving for is St. Petersburg during the Winter. I'm still a little iffy on that one.

That horrible music alone will make you want to kill yourself.

I recommend this!

Gay people only vacation in Paris, Barcelona and Ibiza. They don't do Anthony Bourdain.

Some people like feces --India was made just for them.

THIS is why it's worth going. Bombay is a Hunk fest.

Nice job finding the one hunk in all of India, R53. The vast majority of Indian men look like this:

Ewwwww!

R53 Is probably Hispanic, nice try.

lol @ r11

If you're into dick cheese go. They have absolutely no concept of personal hygiene.

...and I loved my trip to India. I ate everything, went many places, took the bus and never got sick.

Yes it is poor, yes it can be filthy, and at the same time it can be wonderful.

There's absolutely no need to go to India.

Cardboard suitcases permanently packed, prams stowed, India is heading your way.

The hunk in R53 is Indian. There are plenty of hot Indians, if you know where to look.

I am a certified "curryhound" - a name I invented to describe a white guy who is like a rice queen, but for South Asians. The place was incredible in that respect!

The country itself is technologically advanced, but you're not going to find anything resembling a Walgreens/CVS/Osco, etc. Their idea of a "pharmacy" makes a corner bodega look like Macy's. There were supermarkets as we know them, but very few and rather small. Their main highways are (undivided!) two lane affairs, with traffic barreling along as though it were an interstate.

I was ripped off (that I know of) once, by a tuk tuk driver in Bombay. The traffic there can be as bad as midtown Manhattan. One thing that was great when I was there years ago were (very!) cheap paperback books, but I understand those aren't the bargain they were. The food is usually very good, but again, you need to know locals to go to those places.

I also read 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' about the slums of Mumbai, but my reaction was not why should I visit this hellhole but to understand a little better why the place is in the state it's in. The grinding poverty, the corruption and the extreme gap between the wealthy and the poor all contribute.

In the book a couple of the teenagers end up commiting suicide by rat poison which was the suicide method of choice. When I heard about the rape victim who killed herself by poison, I wondered if it was rat poison.

This thread kind of disturbs me. Yes, this would not be my destination of choice. But there's this attitude on here that some of these people's poverty and desperation is a personal affront to you designed to mess up your vacations. It's kind of an ugly attitude.

If you love those coffee table books about decaying Havana, there's an absolutely splendid photography book on the decaying mansions of Calcutta's Chitpur Road precinct published by the great German publishers Hatje Cantz. The book is also great because it allows you to enjoy the mansions in silence and comfort - rather than the deafening noise and stink of the reality. (I'm one of the many who don't subscribe to the leftist 'Jewel In The Crown' handwringing, and believe the British in India were the best thing to ever happen to it (including infrastructure and rule of law), and it's been a disaster since they left!) Click the link for the intoxicating cover image.

[quote] Well there is the matter of the Indian head massage.

I could totally do that. It's ridiculous. Just pretend you are lathering someone's hair and throw an arm up to the music.

[post by racist shit-stain # 2 removed.]

When asked where he wanted to live -besides the U.S.- Christopher Hitchens said India. I have no idea why, as it's a stinky, primitive hellhole.

Are there gay bars in India?

I thought visiting India would be incredibly mind-altering, seeing such a different way of life yadda yadda, until I went (for work purposes). One thing you can't really brace yourself for is the overwhelming, all-pervading smell. It's a horrible mix of spices, sweat, pollution, urine, faeces (animal and human), all magnified by the heat, and it hits you as soon as you step off the plane.

Be prepared for everyone wanting a bribe to do the job they're paid to do - passport control, hotel clerk, driver, business contacts, everyone I had any interaction with wanted paid, and it was made clear that you would find your paperwork lost unless it was paid.

Be prepared for racism. Open, no-pretence racism. Be prepared for ignorance, rudeness, arrogance, nationalistic bombast, self-pity and whining.

What I've said isn't about mocking the poor or expecting western standards in an eastern country, it was just desperately unpleasant. They have a space program and leave dead bodies in the street.

I went there on a tour. (see link) The tour was good. We were a bit insulated from the real India as I think OP should be on your first visit. I loved it, every fucking bit of it. It is not Italy but they have their monuments and cultural heros. Some of the men are stunningly beautiful, others look like beasts, scary beasts. It was dirty and gross. I saw people shitting everyday. There is no country wide sewage system. I felt ripped off by the tour guide and some of the vendors he used but in the end I didn't care as I was leaving india and they were not. I was thrilled to escape it at the end of the tour. I was exhausted and needed to leave the incessant hounding of the Indians. Within a month or two I was far enough away from the discomfort of it to see it as a fantastic trip. I would recommend it.

Oddly, it seems that Out Adventure has dropped the trip off their 2013 schedule. It's a tough trip and maybe in these economic times people want to relax. A trip to India is no vacation. You should go. You will never forget it. You will forget Lauderdale.

I don't know why everyone hates me. Scarlett O'Hara was the bitch.

India is the jewel in the crown.

[R69] pretty much nailed it - I stayed with my ex's family much of the time, and the one time we did not do so, the experience qualified as a Trip From Hell. Still, we never paid a bribe, nor felt one was expected. I would not say they were racist at all, yes they expected tips, but I didn't feel they were sneering at me while taking my money at all. There is smell of India as described, the minute the boarding door opens, you'll never forget it. It is an exhausting experience ... and I was fairly coddled during my stays.

They're not racist towards white people, R72. India's racism is biult around the caste system, and it exists wherever Indians live on the planet. We have two Indians of different castes where I work, and the higher caste Indian refuses to even acknowledge the lower caste Indian's existence. He is a complete shit. And don't get him started on gay people. Indians are notoriously homophobic, and strangely chaste when it comes to public affection. Kissing in public is scandalous between straight people. Gays kissing would probably incite riots.

I just ordered "The Jewel In The Crown" from Netflix. Not to derail the thread, but has anyone seen it?

[post by racist shit-stain # 2 removed.]

Don't go.

I'm glad I went. I learned a lot, but the bureaucracy is a nightmare. It's like the IRS, the DMV and the TSA had a ménage a trois and created the ultimate government beast. They love the government bureaucracy so much it makes the people here look like libertarians.

There are not enough vaccinations in the world to get me to go to India.

[R69] here. I have gone on a couple of Out Adventures tours. I will do so again in the future. i'm not sure that came across in the post.

Frequently when I was alone I was approached by a young man or several young men that would ask me why I was in India and personal questions. Without exception they asked if I had a wife and children back home. When I told them I did not, invariably they would laugh and giggle. They would ask why I was not married and I would say that I did not want to be married and that I took care of myself. This amused them and we'ld move on to another topic. I could not figure out if they understood me or not. I wasn't even sure what signals I was throwing out. When I was in Varanasi a young guy, alone approached me and I could not shake him. I was in the last couple days of my trip and I was weary. When the guy asked me about my wife and kids I looked at him and thought, 'I could kick the shit out of this kid,' and I said, "I am not married and I don't have children. I am the Oscar Wilde type." He was silent and looked a little puzzled. I said, "I am a homosexual." he understood that, I think he understood the Wilde reference as well but couldn't believe I said it. For a while we walked in silence along the bank of the Ganges and then he said to me, "That's shameful. You should have shame." we separated soon after that. He wanted to continue to talk and probably would have asked me to buy school books for him. I was done with him... I was done with the whole country.

Go to India OP. Outing myself to that guy was not wise and I wouldn't suggest that you out yourself to people in India. I could have kicked the shit out of him but Varanasi is a crowded place. An altercation with a local could have easily turned into, Suddenly Last Summer. Go to India OP. Go.

R73, why is Upper Caste Indian's behavior tolerated at your workplace?

[quote]I just ordered "The Jewel In The Crown" from Netflix. Not to derail the thread, but has anyone seen it?

Yes. Enjoyable. But just understand that the books from which the series was adapted are written from a Guardian reader's perspective that the British did wrong. Er, no. They did magnificently, at least up until the partition, which was a total cockup. Blame Mountbottom.

[quote]I said, "I am not married and I don't have children. I am the Oscar Wilde type."

Ephebophile is such a complicated word.

I think it's only the British upper-class who have a strange fascination with India.

Nobody would miss anything at all if India were nuked off the face of the planet. It is a fucking shithole beyond compare, and the vast majority of the population would really be better off dead anyway.

What about Pakistan and Bangladesh? Will two weeks in those countries make me nostalgic for the joys of India?

[post by racist shit-stain # 2 removed.]

Thailand is HARDLY a third-world country!

Bring plenty of Axe body spray to spray on people.

Let me put it out there " I am an INDIAN living in US since early 90's and obviously I have a biased attitude.

I completely understand the bashing of India and the crowd mentality that you folks have against India. I personally would not drink tap water there. However, the way some of you have described it is absolutely incorrect IMHO.

I guess you guys have been going to the wrong cities and wrong places. If you want to have some fun in India, its NOT cheap. India is expensive as hell, but if you can afford it you will have a lot of fun. From food to travel to entertainment, its all there but you have to spend a lot of money.

You can't compare India to Thailand or Africa in terms of natural beauty. However, I think its much better than STD infested country or a continent where there is no regard for like ( Rwanda, Nigeria, Sierra Leonne and even South Africa ). You should not compare India to US / UK / Germany since India is relatively a new country post freedom.

Go to Delhi, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Banglore, Hyderabad where you will see more BMW's, Merc's and other Luxury cars than you would in your hometown.

Go to Pune where you will find the finest young chicks from all over.

Go to Diu / Daman / Goa for nice Beach Resorts.

Just my opinion. Travel safe.

[quote]Go to Delhi, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Banglore, Hyderabad where you will see more BMW's, Merc's and other Luxury cars than you would in your hometown.

Oh, Sam -- it is mostly that attitude that makes the Silicon Valley such a bore.

The divide between the rich and poor is appalling in India. It has some of the richest people on earth, who do nothing to help the millions of starving and living below the poverty line. I expect R88 is from one of those families. They are truly horrible people. The idea of taking a luxury tour through India would make me feel like I was living during the Raj.

I think 88 may be part of the problem. It's not about how much money you spend, you can do that anywhere in the world. Difference is in India no-one seems to see that it's a problem. If you're driving by a dead body by the side of the road it's still dead, doesn't matter if you're in a Merc. European cars don't mean you've got it sorted.

Start by sorting out the caste system, stopping the endemic violence towards women, educate the people, provide clean water and for the love of any god you like, a sewage system. Then say India isn't so bad.

R88 is a typical arrogant, racist Indian who thinks himself superior to Africans (and African-americans.)

I would like to know how easy it is in india to find a cock to suck,I love indian men. i'm planning to go to india to look for very poor and handsome men willing to let me suck their cocks in exchange of money,I did that in Morocco so I have experience doing this.I want to know about the cruising scene in india in detail

[quote]Difference is in India no-one seems to see that it's a problem. If you're driving by a dead body by the side of the road it's still dead, doesn't matter if you're in a Merc. European cars don't mean you've got it sorted.

I don't want to start a war, but I've seen that same attitude here in the USA. We're just as blind to many things--think back to threads about the street people in San Francisco on DataLounge, and you'll find "we just ignore them" there as well.

My point is that I'm not sure it has anything to do with India or Indians as much as it's about out inability as humans to fully process horror in any form.

I thik if I saw a line of dead bodies on the streets of any town or city in the US, I would stop and call 911.

India can't be that anti-gay. This Indian film was big hit, about two gay guys, starring John Abraham (hot Bollywood star).

It's kind of funny how India (and neighboring Nepal) was all the rage in the 60s and early 70s due to a variety of reasons mostly having to do with Hinduism and its "philosophy", Ram Dass, the Beatles and hippies from the US wanting to go there in large part because of the aforementioned. Now it seems, and probably rightfully so, that it is fair game for all sorts of criticism. They could really do with getting rid of homophobia as they sure as hell can't get the hang of birth control; quit pounding out so many fuckin' kids and half their problems might be solved. BTW, do they still let cattle run freely through towns and cities? I never understood that. I think their culture is based upon the Hindu idea that everything is illusion. Would anyone dispute that India is better off without the British running things after nearly 70 years? Would anyone say that England would be better off without millions of Indians (and Pakistanis) in their midst (and I would like to hear from English people on this too)? Now the disclaimer: no racism bitches, just asking....

PS--Yoga is OK, I have always thought that American PE classes ought to be based on that rather than boys especially being indoctrinated to always "win" at some stupid game in the name of physical education or fitness. That way, PE teachers could be more like gurus rather than insecure ex-Marines with anger issues. Also I am one of the few people I know who really likes Indian music--light some incense, get stoned, listen to Indian music; but then I am also one of the few people I know who likes Gershwin, could there be a connection?

"Racism" isn't really the correct word when applied to India. Technically, they are all white (yes, even the darker lower castes).

For those who have been there and really experienced the culture, is it true that Untouchables still exist and that some people in higher castes believe that even coming within an untouchable's shadow somehow defiles them? Didn't anybody Indian "get" the idea that the British, who ran India, probably didn't give a shit about talking to Untouchables or coming within their shadow? Didn't Gandhi try to encourage people to do away with Untouchability? Are widows really still encouraged in rural areas to throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands and didn't the British try to end that practice as early as the 1820s? I know there is a name for it but can't think of it.

"Go to Pune where you will find the finest young chicks from all over."

Wrong crowd, toots.

Women who throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre and die too -- suttee, I think.

Rhett discussed the practice with Scarlett, who was still wearing her widows weeds.

When I was institutionalized for depression a few years ago, I had a psychiatrist who was German, lives in India, does charitable work for literally no money, and supports himself by working "in locum" - fancy phrase for taking 3-4 month "gigs" as a psychiatrist at different hospitals around the U.S. I thought that was really neat! but now I wished I'd asked him, as has been mentioned on this thread:

Why?

.

As more of them come to the US and take all the medical and technical jobs, I fear we will have to start living by their rules.

Pink is the navy blue of India, darlings.

Well, it's one place where being gang-banged by 250,000 nasty guys at a time is possible, without one of them being worth rolling over to look at.

R88 - God Sam, you didn't do yourself any favors. You underlined the materialism of Desis and no number of European cars is going to fix the horrible problems of your country.

Did I mention that I blame the Beatles?

Problem-solving always has an aesthetic bent and smart countries are always cleaner countries. For all of its hype regarding IT abilities, India is just too filthy to function. Hygiene = functionality.

When we in the West say "cleanliness is next to Godliness" we really mean that problem-solving requires healthy living, freedom from filthy streets, gentlemen's agreements regarding businesses, honest discourse, etc.

Violence is dirty and bloody and is not "Godliness," therefore we try to monitor and diminish violence.

Critical thinking is the hallmark of the western world, and critical thinking also involves compassion. It is smart to be kind. Things run better on kindness and compassion.

Somehow, India cannot balance the two brain hemispheres and is almost disordered in its thinking.

this thread needs psychiatric help.....as for India, it's a place that requires acertain amount of patience, but I found it less overwhelming than I expected. yes, lots of places are crowded and there is a lot of visible poverty, but English is widely spoken, there is a good if not always on-time transport network and so much to see from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh cultures. There some of the highest mountains in the world and tropical beaches.

My god I am an Indian living in India and the ignorance by you fugs is appalling and alarming! So you just believe the stereotypes? first of all just keep in mind that India is huge and there are tons and tons of different cultures..Each state has different cultures and languages. Each of the states have different characteristic looks.. People of south have tanned and darker skin with being hairy(mostly)..while men from northern India are mostly light skinned..People from Eastern India have Mongoloid looks etc... Ofcourse you can't generalize but still I am giving the idea... And don't forget that India's population is 1.22 billion i.e 1222 million. It 3.5 times the population of U.S.A. so you can't really generalise And what caste system are you guys talking about? O.o It has been abolished long ago...yes there was caste system earlier but its almost abolished in most of the places except some rural areas but that also is fast diminishing.. There are reservations of people from the so called 'lower caste' to combat this problem.. And yes I fully agree 'THERE IS IMMENSE POVERTY IN INDIA'.. You will find beggars in many places.I don't know what to say about them :( There is indeed a large difference between Rich,middle class and poor..its a harsh reality.. Our country's immense diversity coupled with vicious and corrupt politics have decelerated the country's growth..Around 28% of Indian population lives below poverty line... With each state you will find different cultures,Thousand year old temples,Churches etc(If you are interested in cultural heritage). different exotic beaches in states of Goa,Kerala etc...Jammu and Kashmir is also good if you are looking for natural beauty etc..Yes there are gay people, mostly they are in closet, yet you will see gay parties underground in major cities like Mumbai,Delhi,Bangalore etc... If you don't shout 'I am Gay ,I am gay', nobody will bother to give you a second look.... And one more stupid stereotype...India and Indians smell? WTH? Its like saying Americans are Dumb.... And I can definitely see A PAKISTANI troll here...

R112 is proof that an Indian education does not make one employable. Or literate.

The dude who works at my local gas station/convenience store in the mornings where I buy cigarets is from Northern India.

He used to be so good looking. He worked out at a gym, and it really showed in his big biceps and tight gut.

Then he got married, to some woman from India of course. Probably it was arranged when they were like 7 years old.

Now he's growing this gross beard that totally hides his once handsome face. What's up with that? I don't even notice his body anymore.

For people like R113 , culture shaming and country shaming is a bliss.. Lets see where your Holier than Thou attitude will take you..Maybe your own country's education is world class and you have decided to take credit for that and feeling good about your pseudo existence? :P :)

[R112] - sadly, no Pakistanis, just plain ole garden variety racism.

R112, if you work for Dell and pose by the name of "Eric," I know a poster who seriously wants to meet you.

And we all hope he gets the opportunity.

[quote]Go to Delhi, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Banglore, Hyderabad where you will see more BMW's, Merc's and other Luxury cars than you would in your hometown.

Well that's worth travelling across the world for: be still my beating heart. Squalor and stink is so much lovelier enjoyed through tinted glass.

But Curry Bitch, just a pointer: the Universal Indexes of Wellbeing for the vapid and grasping are more like Lamborghinis and Hermès Birkin bags: not lower middle class BMWs and Mercs.

Work harder, harder, harder, harder, harder, harder!!!!

R112, I was on the posters upthread who has traveled extensively but found nothing redeeming on my trip to India. I wish I had, but I just didn't. You listed many of the reasons why in your own post: the intense poverty, the still evolving caste system, the gross differences in the lives of its people, the fact that "gay life" has to be underground and secretive, the corruption, the almost obscene overpopulation. All of these things combined made my trip less than desirable.

I am sure that countless Indian people are wonderful and fantastic. But being a tourist there isn't something I'd ever want to do again. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate Indian people in general.

r112, you are one to complain about bigotry calling us fags and calling out Pakistanis.

R120 ? O_o where did I say 'Fag'?? I said 'Fug'(Internet slang right?)...How can I demean others with that word when I am gay myself? lol...And regarding Pakis, I have nothing against them but can make out 'who it is' when the same kind for abuses are spewed by a particular group....

Girls, girls... I'm sure we can all agree that Akshay Kumar is very, very sexy.

[quote}And don't forget that India's population is 1.22 billion i.e 1222 million.

Which meads me to a question: why do you have 3.5 times the population of the US in a country that's not anywhere near as large as the US? Do Indians not understand the concept of contraception? At least China's trying to do something about its overpopulation, but India seems to revel in shitting out babies to lives of intense and never-ending poverty.

India may be a nightmare, but Pakistan is hell on earth. Look at another boy? Mom will mutilate you or set you on fire; be thankful she doesn't kill you then and there. And if you're gay? Let me get some stones.

Questions: Why are there so many Indians in England? Why are there so many Indian doctors in the US, aren't they needed moreso in their own country? Are the first two questions answered by "following the money"? I am still waiting for English people especially to comment on why so large an Indian presence in England. I guess there has to be some kind of presence for somebody to cook the curries, but there must be more to it than that. Why do Indians breed so much? What do the dots on the forehead mean? What's the thing with the cows? Do people drink the Ganges water when they splash around in it, the same water that so many peoples' ashes are thrown into? Is India still governed by the Congress Party and should it be regarded as a socialist party?

Pakistan is one of the worst places on earth I can think of to live in, outside of Africa and North Korea.

I am well aware that "Africa" is not a country, but it seems to harbor a majority of the world's worst shitholes.

R112/R115/R121 embodies the national stereotypes we're riffing - in such an exquisitely absurd and pathetic way - that she cannot understand how she proves our points with every utterance. Just trying to read that drivel gives one a garbage-and-waste-with-curry-overtones headache.

And OF COURSE Pakistan is dangerously insane. At the same time, the men are much more attractive, by and large, than are Indians from whatever corner of the subcontinent you're drawing from.

"India: Is There Anything to Recommend?"

It's several thousand miles away?

r35 you beat me to it.

R127 Hi Paki? How is Bin Laden? Thik hai na? Bombing kaisa chalu hai? MAst hai na sab? :)

All you bitter queens complaining about India being a shithole will be the first to present yours the moment a marginally attractive indian guy gives you a nod.

Open your minds before you open your asses.. India has a lot to offer and enjoy.

Actually, r131, Indian guys or south asians in general are pretty well the only group I have almost zero attraction to physically. And the weird arrogance or sucking up only further repels on other levels. There are a few nice ones, very few, generally at least 2nd-gen immigrants thus very "americanized".

India and other such countries should have international sanctions against them based on the human-rights abuses of women and girls.

[quote]"Racism" isn't really the correct word when applied to India. Technically, they are all white (yes, even the darker lower castes).

Uh, no.

Genetically caucasian, perhaps, as the term "indo-european languages" may suggest. However that does not equate to "white" in any real sense.

I went to India about thirteen years ago, since I'd never traveled outside the US before and thought that would be a good start. I took a backpack and just went.

I loved it entirely.

Yes, you'll be shocked or appalled by some things, but I don't know that any of it was so overwhelming. I mean, I lived in the far East Village at the time, and frankly there were things in that neighborhood that left India in the dust as far as horrors go.

Throughout India, people were absolutely lovely to me, though yes, you need to keep an eye out for touts and others who might want to get between you and as much of your money as they can talk you out of.

All that being said, I went during the winter, and traveled around the south--I have no experience in northern India, where I have heard that things can become even more crowded and admittedly squalid. Tamil Nadu and Kerala were beautiful, though, and I'd go back in a second. I enjoyed Mumbai, too, though I'm drawn to cities in general.

Southern India is more laid back, and less chaotic -- the food there is much better also! Goa is a tourist trap, their version of Hawaii.

I have been doing slum tourism for the last eight years and travel nonstop. I don't have a fixed address and have been in hotels all of this time. I was always thinking India would be the ultimate slum and finally went last year. I was completely disappointed. Bengal was quite orderly and clean. The SE Asia cities really are bigger messes. So, is India worth going to? There is a great photo taken of Peter by Alan on the Howath Bridge. Being on that brdige many years after them made the trip worth it.

slum tourism?

Yes, I only head for places full of slums. India disappointed me being there were so few of them. Really, Hayes Valley in San Francisco back in the day was worse.

Giant Fucking Shithole! As soon as I walked off the airplane in New Delhi, I was hit by a wet blanket of humidity that smelled like a combination of shit, curry and sweat. Welcome to India! It only went down hill from there.

The masses use the street as a toilet, bath, and place to sleep and eat. Human life has absolutely no value. The poverty is SOOO overwhelming as to be mind numbing. Women holding babies pound on your taxi window begging for cash...this happened from the airport to my hotel. Cows shit in the same mud puddles where people are actually drinking the water...no joke. People piss and shit everywhere because there are no public facilities. It's worse than anything that I have seen in my travels through Africa.

Yeah...there's history and all that stuff. But, let's just say that the movie ”Slumdog Millionaire" sugar-coated just how abysmal India really is.

This is one shithole I suggest that you take a pass on. If you decide otherwise, remember this post when you visit....

For me livng in San Francisco on the edge of the Tenderloin was worse. India didn't live up to its reputation of being the worst place on Earth.

I've lived for a year each in both India and Pakistan. I agree with the poster who said that living in India makes you feel alive like no other country in the world. I hated it for the first three months, and then absolutely loved it. You just never have a boring minute there. Even haggling for tomatoes is fun. As for the smell, you stop noticing it after a couple of weeks, except when you pass by an open drainage canal. Pakistan is actually much more livable than India. It's also cleaner (relatively) and less crowded, and people mind their own business more than in India. The pakistani people are politer and surprisingly westernized, in spite of the Islamic influence. The men are hotter as well. However, I never felt in danger while in India, but in Pakistan I always felt as though I would be kidnapped at any moment. A couple of months after I left, Daniel pearl was kidnapped and killed. In both cases, I was sad to leave, and like the earlier poster, I can imagine retiring to either Delhi or Lahore.

[quote]Daniel pearl was kidnapped and killed.

Poor Dan pretty much ran into that kidnapper's car, he was so hot to get the story.

RIP

I'm guessing the visitors who loved it and never felt so alive are upper middle class white people.

Like businessmen who hire dominatrixes, they get a kick out experiencing suffering and despair.

For the OP, or anyone else curious about India, this thread has more than enough accurate accounts of the horrorshow you will find if you spend money to travel there.

Did you hook up with any locals, R141? Share your stories, please.

[quote]I've lived for a year each in both India and Pakistan

The way you phrased that makes it sound as if you're still living in both countries.

Really. India isn't so bad. I have seen the huddled masses sleeping in the streets in The USA too. India in many ways is so much easier to deal with than San Francisco's Tenderloin.

R146 has obvously never been to India. Get a passport and then we'll talk. Another DL loser Democrat.

I hope I have linked this version of the Pakistani national anthem correctly -- the guys in the chorus are SMOKING hot! Who knew they have a National Gay and Lesbian Chorus?

"Another DL loser Democrat."

Beyond stupid, Marco Rubio.

What is a DL loser Democrate?

What does Marco Rubio have to do with this thread?

r146 does sound like a complete fool. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

India seems like a terrible place. The bad far outweighs the good.

I went to an authentic restaurant down a back alley in Mumbai that had been listed in the Penguin Food Guide to India. Food was simple but VERY good: you got a thali (compartmentalized tray), with boys coming around ladling items onto it from buckets, all-you-can-eat style, sort of like one of those Brazilian "riodizio" grills.

Yes, I loved the food in India and found it to be a great place for a person who doesn't eat earthlings. When I think back on my India days I think of my mother. Just something to hug.

Guju-tarian food is among my favorite of Indian regional cuisines. That and South Indian dosas and such. Chicken Tikka at Indian restaurants in America usually makes me want to cry.

Thailand gets all the press about food but that place really pales compared to India. I did nothing but eat while there.

Interesting how R112/115/121 completely neglected to say anything about the horrible treatment of women in India but instead blathered on about beaches. First of all, if India is such a shithole, how clean can one expect the beaches to be?

Second of all, is it even remotely safe for female travelers like myself to go there?

Is it ever safe for any female to travel alone? India is a cesspool, but don't forget that South Africa is actually the rape capital of the world.

Here in the good ole US, we have a case unfolding in OH where the local police and DA seem to be turning a blind eye. Do we really have the higher moral ground when women in the states' lack protection themselves?

I'm not American myself R159, but yes, I'd say you do have the high ground seeing as how "turning a blind eye" to rape cases seems to be normal practice in India, rather than an aberration.

I don't get why people would even think to compare places like India and Pakistan where women are treated like subhumans to Western countries to be honest.

Well, India isn't a shithole in my opinion and I think most Indians would agree with me. As far as the treatment of women it has a ways to go along with most of the rest of the world. There are lots of female backpackers all over India traveling so I suspect it is safe. There are pitfalls along the way but it makes for a great destination. Now, too bad about the distance from the States. It's a long trip.

[quote] India is a cesspool, but don't forget that South Africa is actually the rape capital of the world.

If we go by reported rapes (and we know what that means) I believe India is till No1.

INDIA WIPES BACK TO FRONT

LOL

And don't forget Elizabeth Gilbert loves the place.

I wouldn't believe too much that is posted on Data Lounge. Ask them about Heaven and they will convince you it is Hell. So many people lie so much here that it destroys the credibility of all that is written here.

Can we not talk about gay sex with South Asians? This thread needs more sexual encounters.

Okay, I had sex with the bellman at the Broadway Hotel in Kolkata. It was very one sided with him getting the fun part and he had the nerve to ask me for a tip when we were finished.

Daniela Sea traveled there too and loved it but she went as a man. Maybe that should tell us something.

The same thing happened to me r168 but only in Thailand. What nerve those bellboys.

Yes, R163. With an open hand.

Just think -- if it wasn't for our US Civil War, we probably would not be having this discussion.

When the Union blockaded the Confederacy, Britain lost their main source of cotton and their mills pretty much went on standstill until they decided that India would be a better source -- best, because it was in their control. So not only was India now a good military stronghold, but it could provide both raw materials and some processed goods. Thus began the industrialization of India, a country that has evolved far more than its neighbors after this Victorian Age business boost.

[quote]you got a thali (compartmentalized tray), with boys coming around ladling items onto it from buckets, all-you-can-eat style, sort of like one of those Brazilian "riodizio" grills.

I think I'm going to be sick.

ITA with R160. Stop pointing to the extreme exceptions here in the US to say, "see, it's just as bad here." No it is not. Not by a very long shot. If it was, we'd all be clamoring to go there. No one leaves the US to live in India. But the lines are long for Indians desperate to leave that shit hole to get into the US.

really, r173--if you're that delicate, you probably shouldn't leave the house.

R174, Americans have gone to live in India--mostly young white women who get wrapped up in eastern religion (thank you Beatles jerks) and follow an asram.

I've met a few myself. I met a guy who followed an ashram into India, and from what he described, it was some sort of slavery system where they kept everyone busy with chores and other duties, and keeping them half-starved with small amounts of vegetarian food.

Of course, he didn't admit that he was fooled into becoming a slave but I could feel his remorse for having lost a decade off of his life. By the way, he was a real judgemental prick who looked down upon us mere mortals who enjoyed fun, food, and romance.

As someone who lives to recommend books, I'm adding a link to memoir of an American girl raised in such an environment.

Again, R176, don't point to extreme exceptions. The new age freaks who go to India to join ashrams are few and very far between. Indians are coming to the US in droves to live, work and raise families. Not the same thing or on the same scale.....AT ALL.

R148 has his quat goggles on, there is no hotness in that chorus.

I read the reason they have so many children is that most people in these countries get no sex education whatsoever and many do not know how babies are made.

R179 You're totally wrong. That's the one thing that they truly excel at. Uggghhhhh.

I've heard that you can see Westerners there who have become drug addicts and they are total zombies

R136, R138, R140, R146, R150, R155, R157, R161, R165, R168, R169, R170 are all the same sad little troll constantly replying to himself in agreement because he can't find anyone who wants to be his friend. He must've lost his meds.

I've been to India. In my experience it was an unworkable shithole where people do nothing about the horrors that are there every time they step out the front door but instead prefer to whine about how it's all someone else's fault while trying to impress you by showing off their wealth.

In today's news there's a guru saying how the girl who was raped and murdered IS JUST AS GUILTY AS HER ATTACKERS. I put that in angry caps because it's so fucking unbelievable. Other Indian people are denouncing him, but I'll guarantee that there are some who agree but are smarter about not saying it out loud. This is why it's such a shithole. This stuff happens in every country on earth but in India the police refused to even call an ambulance for her. That wouldn't happen in the US.

Friend of mine is moving to Mumbai for 6 months and I was thinking of visiting and doing some other travel in India. This thread has me pretty worried though. Does anyone have any positive stories to share from trips there?

The world between Morocco and Nepal should be firebombed, depopulated and used for resources for the West. Nothing good comes out of that area. Nothing.

You'll experience massive culture shock. My ex was raised in Mumbai, though lived in North America after high school, and he had trouble adapting. Mumbai has little to offer as a tourist destination, so I suspect you'd get kind of bored there after a few days. We never took a train there (always flew) because Arnie was afraid there might be nasty insects and vermin on board, but others travelers have been okay in that regard. Goa I found a bit of a waste, other than the historical aspects. That having been said, I urge you to consider going with this opportunity presenting itself.

Indian guys are physically attractive - well, I mean, the ones who are attractive are very attractive physically in my opinion, but what wilts my dick is the self-satisfaction they have for themselves, lol, and the obvious disregard they have for everyone NOT in their in-group.

Well, okay, then, but why don't you just go back home if that's how you feel? Can't be bothered with all their bullshit. Don't change diapers, and I'm not a psychiatrist.

Bring lots of perfume!

They openly shit wherever they get the urge. Some of the nastiest people you will ever encounter.

India is one of the last countries I want to visit.

Have never understood why the British are so mesmerized by India and Indian culture.

R184: Stormfront enthusiast. Collects SS dolls & sews uniforms for them as a "hobby".

Just thinking about being in India gives me a headache.

British are mesmerized by it because they used to control. The British the "best" thing about India? You sound very ignorant.

First of all, India has not always been a teeming cesspool. When the Brits showed up, there were nowhere near 100 million people in the place; and when they left in 1947, India had the population the U.S. does now (and it's a good warning about what could happen here if conservatives get their way). If you don't like Mumbai, Kokata, and Chennai, blame the British who built these places. Indians had avoided them as poor places for cities.

The British regime was also highly exploitive. You may not understand this, but INDIA PAID FOR ITSELF and then some, making numbers of British very rich. That's actually rare in the history of colonialism, but a possession to pay its own way. India did, mainly through an inhumane salt tax, enforced by building a hedge across the whole continent and then assessing internal duties for the goods on offer, but especially salt.

The British also left a legacy of homophobia and complete ignorance of family planning. Not just in India, but in all their colonial possessions. Look at Jamaica. Look at Uganda. Everywhere the British colonial system was operated, there was an emphasis on mindless, ignorant procreation and gay bashing. And though Britain is no longer like that, one has to remember the legacy of ignorance they left behind is the primary source of overpopulation and poverty in the world today.

(And in this we must include Wahhabism. I doubt that there would be a sense of war between Islam and the west today if the BRITISH hadn't catered with nods, winks, money, arms, and flattery to every last perversion and bloodlust of the most evil family on earth, the Sauds).

They seem to have big dicks

[quote]I guess you guys have been going to the wrong cities and wrong places. If you want to have some fun in India, its NOT cheap. India is expensive as hell.

Heh--that explains everything regarding an overrated, overpriced, "genuine" Indian "bistro" in my home town. They serve beef on the menu! Isn't that tabu in India? I refused to eat there again after finding ground bones in their samosa. Probably roadkill from I-35--or the remains of an irritated customer. The people who own this pretentious diner do not accept criticism gracefully.

[quote]They seem to have big dicks

Uhm, no.

[quote]Have never understood why the British are so mesmerized by India and Indian culture.

Caste system met Class system and it was love at first sight.

LOVE South Asian curry dishes. Don't care for the religious nutcases (which are the majority).

Two Words: Shit Hole!

Was I the only senior gentleman sexually harassed on the subway in Calcutta? Those Indian men pinched my butt.

"...the obvious disregard they have for everyone NOT in their in-group."

This is very odd to me. The South Koreans and Japanese have this as well, but their technological achievements have earned them the right to boast and brag. Where are the leading Indian technological firms? What recent contributions have they made to the global culture?

It also happened at the American Express office in Egypt to me.

Great gays of Indian history include their greatest military leader ever, Ala-uddin Khilji, who was taken with a eunuch slave boy who was so beautiful the sultan made him commander of his army, with spectacular results.

India is spoiled because it is dominated by Muslims. Islam turns people into bigots.

Don't take the train!

The USA will be like India in about 70 years if the fundies and Mormons get their way.

R67 there was one bar in new delhi that i was told was gay one night a week. ive tried sex with indians but they were all lousy sex - too repressed i think

India is great for bottoms.

I hear their water is great.

The home grown beef is fresh off the hoof.

I've had too many instances of Indian women here in the United States stare me down to the point of a confrontation. They are extremely rude.

It's a pit. And, they rape women tourists. Visit Detroit instead.

Why would anyone want to visit a country of such grinding poverty,social injustice and so few amenities?

And female tourist don't get raped in the USA?

[quote]It's a pit. And, they rape women tourists.

Why do they discriminate against men?

[quote]I've had too many instances of Indian women here in the United States stare me down to the point of a confrontation. They are extremely rude.

I agree. They are so bitchy. Who the fuck do they think they are to come to our country and then have shitty attitudes?

I have a female Indian doctor and she is nice.

R74 It is beautifully made, I liked it a lot.

India, like most nations, is an ethnic ghetto. The current conditions are remnants of British colonialism that killed hundreds of millions over the two centuries of British occupation.

The peoples of that subcontinent must migrant in a diaspora that covers the earth. Only then will hundreds of millions of individuals find their true individual destinies. That subcontinent must share the wealth of its people. And the same goes for all nations and ethnic groups. The only race should be the human race.

I visited it six years ago. Americans who are currently unsatisfied with their country should visit it too, it will give them some perspective and make them fall in love again with the good ol' U.S.of A.

R134 is definitely male. Can you imagine what would happen to a female who strapped on a backpack and traipsed around India?

All of you should remember your experiences in India and ask yourself, "What if I was female? Would I have been able to do 1/10th of what I did the way I did it in India?"

You can hide your homosexuality but you can't hide your gender.

r220 And women traveling in America don't need to worry about rape?

I hate the Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.

On the contrary R219, India is what this country will be like in just a few short years.

India: Is There Anything to Recommend?

Vaccinations

Like it or not I love India.

John Abraham

India smells like underarm.

Sites in Gujarat related to the Jain religion, the ancient religion which is the true source of everything unique about India.

The natives smell like crayons, so I have been told.

The holy city of the Jains

Ask Robin Quivers, expert on Indian civilization.

I think it would be interesting to watch a public cremation on the banks of the Ganges.

I was on the Ganges and did watch the cooking show. I swear burning flesh smells like chicken.

NO, It really is a shit hole. PERIOD

SICK MENTALITY RULERS and RULEES BOTH need treatment.

Orchha

The beauty of it is, everything is someone else's fault. They take no responsibility.

Want to be a global power...LOL Joke right?

Scary thought actually.

Homosexuality remade illegal. Let them wallow in their own feces.

R223 is correct; the cynical powers that be want to turn the US into India. Or turn the US and the West into some combination of India, China and the Middle East. Just so the very few can have more $$$

Cesspit of humanity, as yesterday proved. How awful a stain on humanity do you have to be to make Russia look progressive by comparison?

If you're gay, there's absolutely NOTHING to recommend. They decided to make homosexuality illegal now.

Fuck that filthy shithole.

drop a bomb on India

[quote]The current conditions are remnants of British colonialism that killed hundreds of millions over the two centuries of British occupation.

Really? "hundreds of millions"? There weren't anywhere close to that number of Indians alive.

If you like bacteria, raw sewage and feces, you'll love India.

Indians have a funny way of talking and smell funny too.

Indians remind me of lesbians with their bad hygiene.

The racism here is stunning. Would you be able to say similar things about any other group of people? Ok maybe you would. Sorry.

d

Wow. I just read r88 and it's so typical of a inferiority-complexed, racist Indian bragging about European cars.

Like already been said, at least Africa is naturally beautiful and while it's true parts like the Sierra Leones, Liberias, Somalias, Nigerias, Rwandas are frightening or with little regard for life; Others like parts of South Africa, Namibia, Gabon, Kenya, Zanzibar are some of the nicest places on earth, and not just for their wildlife and landscapes, but also the people. India, on the other hand, is all a big, stinking sewer with (quite frankly) some of the most repulsive excuses of humanity I've ever met.

e

Hi,

India is a very beautiful country. It has a lot of rich history and beautiful monuments. Its food is also a mixture of various cultures and influences.

BUT...Its people are an altogether different matter. The majority of them are idol-worshippers and devil-worshippers. You can imagine what a healty personality would develop from that kind of upbringing. They are a blood-thirty kind, where human sacrifices to the idols are not unheard of, even today!

They do not have tolerance for any other religion and they are just as ready to kill each other. None of them have any moral code, and being idol-worshippers do not fear repercussions from their mute idols.

This is why one hears of such horrific stories of rape, debauchery and corruption of epic proportions. Sample this - A mass murderer, a man who commits genocide by killing over 25000 people, in any other country would be tried and hanged. But here the people want to elect him the country's leader.

Go to India if you want to see how low men could sink...

[r250] I have a lesbian friend who said exactly what you did. She couldn't believe how far a society could slip. it was all pretty funny because what wasn't my experience with it. I was completely charmed by it all.

If you're the sensitive type join an expensive and small tour group. You'll move from one Oberoi Hotel to the next and have private visits to the sites.

You can do it this easier way the first time and decide if you'd like to go back and make your own way next time.

And don't forget Sri Lanka. Wonderful.

India has no right to judge anyone.

Especially when it comes to trappin' men!

Hello. I'm Hugh McClare, Marquess of Flintshire and the Earl of Newtonmore. Since my posting in lovely India, my wife Susan began an affair with her lady's maid, O'Brien, whom we brought along to India with us. Thank God my wife leaves me the fuck alone now. Oh, can one of you dear boys invent and send an air conditioner? Christ on a cracker. Kisses!

The smell is just horrid. Like deep fried curried armpit. It lingers in your hair and clothes. It made my eyes water.

How can a geographic land mass just reek like that, all by itself? AVOID AVOID AVOID.

[quote]How can a geographic land mass just reek like that

Heat, Dust and Turmeric.

R256 I loved that movie.

Well Injuns and Pakistanis stink as do Bangladeshis but they really all are the same. But at least they're not pushy like Chinks, Japs and Shovel Faces.

IT reeks because of the cumin not the turmeric.

I've been there four times, to three different cities.

Went 5 star all the way in both accommodations & restaurants. Was as careful as I could be about avoiding anything to do with local water or produce.

I got incredibly sick each time.

r260 sick while you were there, or after? What type of illness? Classic dual elimination? What did you do to recover?

My bf picked up tape worm in India but he was working on a UN project over some months. The meds he had to take back home were many over a number of weeks. Harsh.

Still, in this lifetime I believe one should tackle India at least once.

R261: Montezuma's, or in this case, Mahatma's, Revenge. To the 1000th degree. And I got sick there.

The 3rd time, they thought I had amoebic dysentery, which luckily, I did not.

I carefully read the indications on my bf's meds to fight the worms he'd picked up in India. Potential side affects : psychiatric disturbance, suicidal thoughts, blah blah blah

I'm ashamed to say I looked at him and thought better you than me.

One of the most God forsaken sh*tholes on the planet. The stench is unbearable. I will never be able to shake that smell.

The entire country is literally a toilet bowl....no joke. The masses defecate in the street. No...there are no public restrooms and most people live in abject poverty. The streets are their toilets...oh and also where they cook by the way. Yeah...real nice.

Going to India was one of the most scarring experiences of my life.

Vile...absolutely vile.

Said V.S. Naipaul in his first India book,

"Service is not an Indian concept, and the providing of services has long ceased to be a concept of caste. The function of a businessman is to make money. He might wish to sell shoes to Russia. He therefore sends good samples; the order obtained, he sends a shipload of shoes with cardboard soles. Overcoming foreign distrust of Indian business practices, he gets an order from Malaya for drugs. And sends coloured water. It is not his duty as a merchant to supply genuine drugs or good shoes or any shoes or drugs at all; his duty is, by whatever means, to make money. The shoes are sent back; there are complaints a bout the coloured water. This is the merchant's luck; these are the trials he has to endure...

"Caste, sanctioned by the Gita, with almost propagandist fervour, might be seen as part of the older Indian pragmatism, the 'life' of classical India. It has decayed and ossified with the society, and its corollary, function, has become all: the sweeper's inefficiency and the merchant's short-sighted ruthlessness, are inevitable. It is not easy to get candidates for a recently instituted award for brave children. Children do not wish their parents to know that they have risked their lives to save others. It isn't that Indians are especially cowardly or have no admiration for courage. It is that bravery, the willingness to risk one's life, is the function of the soldier and no one else. Indians have been known to go on picnicking on a river bank while a stranger drowned. Every man is an island; each man to his function, his private contract with God. ..It has led to the Indian passion for speech-making, for gestures and symbolic action."

That's what Wall st. wants for America.

Such a lovely, happy people. Why, only today, a young man was lynched for daring to date a girl of a higher caste.

"In a case of honour killing, a Dalit boy was killed and then hanged from a tree over his affair with a girl from an upper caste at a village near here.

The 17-year-old-boy was found murdered and hanging from a tree on the night of April 28 near Kanhoba hill, close to Kharda village in the district's Jamkhed tehsil, sub-divisional police officer Dheeraj Patil said today.

Later, the boy's father Raju Namdev Age registered a complaint against two persons - Sachin Hausrao Golekar (21) and Sheshrao Yevale (42) - for murdering his son over his alleged affair with a minor girl from an upper caste community, he said.

Both the suspected killers were arrested yesterday, police said, adding that an inquiry was on in the case.

The two accused would be produced before a local court today by police for seeking their remand."

listen to [R238]

beware the third world countries trying to take over the US and spread their evil and their religion of hatred.

Like it or not, you had better love America and Christianity--or your way of life--and your somewhat gay rights--will go away. research sharia law.

Hordes of them are descending in my area.

test

Very dishonest people

Jeebers, this thread was started in 2012!

[quote] Go to Delhi, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Banglore, Hyderabad where you will see more BMW's, Merc's and other Luxury cars than you would in your hometown.

This statement really appalls me. Who cares about BMWs or luxury cars?! And this attitude is why India is a shit-hole. I assume the person who made this statement is one of the rich Indians who would walk by a homeless child or a dead body of a poor person and would not flinch...or like that billionaire who built a mansion in the sky amid such startling poverty.

I've noticed many times that Indian parents only show affection and love to their male offspring. Girls are just 'there', unnoticed, not cared for beyond being fed.

They are very hard working people but very two faced too .

Unless I missed it, 275 replies and not one word about the Taj Mahal?

It's on my list of Things To Do Before I Die, but after reading this thread I'm thinking it might be something where I fly in, stay at an American-based hotel, see the Taj Mahal, and fly out, without exploring much else. Normally I look down upon people who travel around like flocks of clacking geese, but I recently had a bout of food poisoning in Phuket, and was very grateful I wasn't in some primitive backwater when it happened.

Anybody been to the Taj Mahal?

Went thru a yoga phase and became enamored with their religion.. But. Indias poverty and crappy men snapped me out of it. Worked w a few male Indians ; I am a female. They treat gals like crap.

I don't like that there kids are loud brats everywhere, but maybe that's just the rich Indians who immigrated here to take all the IT jobs.

R 278. Wait till you meet kids of poor Indians . They are worse . Far more entitled and arrogant

[quote] It's weird that so many westerners go there and then see sites associated with Muslim empires and not Hindu culture.

Why? India is not all Hindu. There are 185 million Muslims in India, and India was ruled by Muslims for centuries. Are you saying they are not really Indian? Are only Hindus representative of Indian culture? What about Sikhs, Parsees, Jains?

You know it's the only country that still has the plague? I mean, the plague! Please!

How about the Muslim areas of India? My ex-bf is from India and says you can tell the difference between a Hindi and Muslim neighborhood-- the cleanliness. Muslims do not allow the " sacred cow" on their streets and do their thing.... or people going to the bathroom.

They also have leprosy in India.

They have very rich, along with enormous poverty, people literally starving in the streets with no hope of healthcare.

In short, a lot like the U.S.

Everyone has B.O.

The upside is that you will lose pounds there from all the diarrhea.

My sister and father went to India together (because my mother had the foresight to decline). My sister is blond and very pretty and she said it was the most horrific experience of her life. When they weren't trying to grab at her, the men would just gather in crowds and stare. My dad took pictures of her and you could see all the men in the background. It was disgusting.

India is awesome. You have to forget all the norms you’ve learned in the West and go with it.

The experience can be life changing

A friend went. She said she didn't enjoy the trip at all, too much poverty, too many inconveniences, she got sick. But she said it was worth going, because everywhere she went, in spite of all the wrongness... there was "a sense of the holy in everyday life" that she found very profound and made her rethink some things.

But since I'm not religious or spiritual, that would be wasted on my. Not going.

I heard they have some of the world's greatest resorts or something, but I can't imagine what makes them so great. Even if they are great, you have to fly in and at some point breath city air. The airport would be a nightmare, even with top-class ushering through. Not worth it.

I've been to India three times and there is much to recommend. I'm interested in archaeology and history and religious art . My latest visit which included sites like the incredible rock-cut Kailasha Temple at Ellora and the The Penance of Arjuna frieze at Mamallapuram were worthwhile experiences and can't be duplicated anywhere else. Having said that, India is one place where it's best to travel in a group and pay extra for good accommodation. Also, be careful what you eat and drink - don't be tempted by street food and never drink tap water or even use it to rinse your tooth brush. Pollution is terrible in Delhi and Mumbai and there are piles of trash everywhere.

Are there many Indian boys looking like this guy from The Big Bang Theory? If there are, I'm moving to India.

Fun clip.

[quote]India: Is There Anything to Recommend?

earrings

caftans!

Seems like a lovely place to work.

Bloody Biharies . Very cruel people

I slept with my Taj Mahal tour guide the first time I went there several years ago. So there's that.

R291 Many elder gays will recall with affection the great Indian actor Sabu.

India has the biggest set on contradictions. There is extreme poverty, extreme affluence. Extreme selfishness and extreme kindness. Some of the smartest working woman in all spheres of life. Extremely beautiful men and woman while some are downright ugly One can lead a pretty decent life in certain cities. I think the villages in some northern parts are filthy and corrupt. I think the attraction for some is the complete lack of unpretentiousness in some ways. The elite are highly educated and classy. Most people speak English. In general, people are okay with what they have. Something refreshing about that. I traveled the southern part. Loved the plantations, history, museums, beaches, unfettered nature. But yes I wouldn't go back even though I enjoyed some aspects of it. The poverty & filth in some areas is very hard to stomach.

Go to Hawaii (again), OP.