India Travel: Intentional Inconvenience

Off to India…and then other locales

An inveterate seeker, I lived abroad three-and-a-half over the course of six years. As an expat, escaping the States and its depressing political and social atmosphere was sufficiently motivating for a lengthy stay overseas.

The locales selected were neither the most comfortable nor glamorous. And I chose not to travel or live as a typical tourist.

In addition to living in Thailand and Bali and traveling to Nepal and Egypt, I spent half my time in India. There, day-to-day life often proved downright frustrating or exasperating.

On more than one occasion during my first six-month stint in the country legendary for its chaos and clamor, I was ready to pack my bags and scurry off to a saner, cleaner, quieter place. Each time, though, upon vowing that it was ‘time to leave,’ invariably, a unique random act of kindness from an Indian would generously be given to me.

That first India trip to Mother India was undertaken for personal self-growth and inner spiritual exploration. Hence, I needed to stay. I needed to endure resultant pain and discomfort. I needed the myriad daily lessons.

Inconveniences in India were plentiful, consistent, and unpredictable. They were chosen and accepted intentional inconveniences. If one stays in comfortable, western-style hotels, visits only guidebook-recommended locales, and never meanders the streets with locals, why not stay home and watch documentaries or the Discovery channel?

From south to north

Wandering through eleven states from South to North, I settled in magical Rishikesh on the sacred Ganges River at the foothills of the majestic Himalayas. A town of 300,000 inhabitants, it is a spiritual destination renowned for pilgrimages and populated by countless ashrams.

Its international acclaim in the 1960s resulted from stays by The Beatles and other rockers with the Maharishi, who was famous for his Transcendental Meditation (TM) programs.

After that first journey to Rishikesh, it kept beckoning me back. I lived there for varying lengths of time on four separate occasions over the subsequent decade.

Of all the places explored throughout the country, Rishikesh felt most like a real home. With the climate mimicking my native Arizona, I reveled in the warmth of summer. Winters not so much, though, due to the lack of heating.

Someone published a piece on this site about never feeling ‘at home’ again anywhere, including back in his native country, as a result of his intrepid globetrotting. My experience has been different. I felt at home everywhere. Finding the next new abode became an exciting quest.

But, I agree with that author on another point. Now, my own country of origin feels less so. Instead, a feeling of home becomes wherever in the world I am living at the moment.

The challenges of India

I returned again and again, despite the typical daunting inconveniences of India:

• Daily power shortages — often multiple times and for many hours at a stretch.

• Intermittent functioning Internet.

• No hot water or air conditioning when electricity was out.

• Language challenges communicating with locals.

• Lack of air conditioning in 100+ degrees F temperatures in a couple of apartments.

Then, there were the outright rip-offs, scams, touts, and overcharges. They're always a given in India:

• Rickshaw drivers charging foreigners more than locals.

• Attempted charges of four to fifty times the actual value of an item or service.
• Taxis with conveniently non-working meters.

• Claims your previously booked hotel was closed.

• Attempted routing by drivers to friends’ shops for the inevitable commissions.

• Even more distasteful, uncomfortable occurrences were not uncommon:

• The occasional bout of Delhi Belly.

• Aggressive locals never abiding queues while freely shoving and pushing ahead, regardless of disabled, women, or children in their path.

• Bathroom stenches leading anyone with germ phobia or queasy stomachs to escape with all possible haste.

• Perennially wet toilets from shower use

Heart-rending givens endemic to India are never far from one’s consciousness:

• Gripping poverty abounds. Countless beggars of all ages, along with lepers and seriously disabled, often limbless, live on the streets.

• Wandering saffron-robed sadhus — some bona fide, some not — carry begging bowls, moving from place to place.

• Scraggly, barefoot children with mesmerizing smiles tug at one’s heart, selling flowers or pointing to hungry mouths or tummies.

• Overcrowded train depots serve as makeshift homeless shelters.

• Ever-present olfactory assaults overwhelm.

• Incessant sound pollution from continuous horn-honking and barking dogs permeates everywhere.

• Sleep is regularly interrupted by some religious festival, event, or fireworks.

• Stuffy trains often have gruesome loos.

• Dangerously unhealthy air quality from vehicles and industry, agricultural dust, and smoldering garbage are commonplace

Upscale travel options

All that, and more, defines Incredible India! It’s the country's slogan.

Budget permitting, one can choose to travel first-class. All range of options exists from palaces and 5-star hotels, or even 6-star (India is also the Home of Hyperbole, and the only country I’ve seen a 6-star claim) to $2 per night rooms.

Experiencing the life of the locals

However, it seems silly to me to visit countries only via air-conditioned coaches and posh accommodations. Instead, my desire is to understand a country’s authentic culture and to experience how locals live and survive. Without a doubt, however, checking into a luxurious hotel occasionally or riding in well-air-conditioned SUVs are welcome, even necessary reprieves to maintain sanity.

Traveling more humbly provides an exceedingly diverse experience and connection to the fantastic local residents.

I had seen a plethora of movies filmed in India and had numerous friends and family who had traveled there. Hence, I felt relatively prepared for the onslaught of all senses in the paradoxical, bewildering place. Nevertheless, there isn’t adequate preparation for what anyone will find and endure.

Still, everything is Amazing. Fascinating. Magical. Intriguing.

It’s why we Indiophiles keep returning again and again.

Why Incredible India! continues to beckon

Far overpowering the craziness and gut-wrenching aspects of India are:

. The exquisite, bold colors of its architecture.

. The mesmerizing varied styles of temples, forts, and palaces.

. The stunning-attired women in vibrant saris and gold bangles.

. The thrice-daily chai routines.

. The incredible food, different in every region.

. The haunting chants that emanate from temples everywhere.

. The unbelievably welcoming hospitality, generosity, and kindness of India’s people.

. The smiling, playful, black-eyed children.

No place in the world like India

Repeatedly, I heard from tourists in other countries who had traveled to India, the precise same refrain: “Oh, there’s no place like India.” Although I’ve certainly not traveled to many corners of the world, I suspect that’s an accurate assessment.

Why on earth do people— myself included—choose a life of intentional inconvenience and chaos? Why suffer uncomfortable circumstances never experienced in one’s native country? Why not head to less physically challenging countries? Why endure the stench, the grime, the heat?

An inexplicable magic of paradoxes

There is no simplistic, one-size-fits-all answer to those questions.

Suffice it to say, I met people who had made more than a dozen trips to India and countless others who love the country and return again and again. Others who traveled there only once salivated to return. The only given is that we are outliers in some respects.

For me, in addition to the palpable, indelible imprint of its underlying centuries of deep spirituality and the phenomenally generous people, other tantalizing draws beckoned.

I admit to loving change, thriving from adventure, needing new experiences, and being easily bored by the mundane.

India checks all those boxes.

✓Life is never boring or dreary. Each day explodes with some new experience or worthwhile memory, even if unpleasant.

✓One, indeed, can view life as if through the eyes of a child.

✓Acts of kindness and generosity are practiced routinely by perfect strangers…all the time.

✓Local residents in India and other less-developed lands appreciate the simplest treasures of day-to-day existence.

✓Time and time again, someone goes out of his or her way to help, answer a plea for assistance, or ask to take the zillionth selfie together.

✓The innocent smiles on gorgeous children’s faces bring a spark to each day.

Indians, Thai, and Balinese are patient, accepting people. The Balinese are incredibly gentle and kind. Life, especially in Bali, Nepal, and India, moves at a far less frenzied pace.

Every single day I learned a worthwhile lesson or reminder about acceptance, love, kindness, patience, flexibility, or gratitude.

Hence, when queried, “Should I visit India?” my reply is always a resounding “YES, absolutely! You’ll not be disappointed.”

When contemplating travel there, people frequently raised concerns about their ability to handle the lesser hygienic conditions and grinding poverty.

There is no simple reply to that reality, except to share: “If one goes with an open mind and heart (and yes, expect to deal with some uncomfortable, challenging moments), it’s a near certainty the person’s life will be impacted forever — in unimaginable ways.

Thailand and Bali

As for Thailand and Bali, my experiences, too, were largely positive.Bali “tops my list” of all-time favorite places to reside, primarily because it’s simpler and less challenging emotionally and physically than India.

For me, in the later stages of life, Bali’s infrastructure and conveniences are benefits. Hence, traveling or living there receives a hearty “thumbs-up.” Despite an abiding, deep love for Mother India, daily life in Thailand and Bali was far easier.

An American expat I met in India once told me precisely that about Thailand (he’d lived in both). However, I didn’t fully appreciate his meaning until personally experiencing the differences until residing in both countries.

Daily living is easier in both Bali and Thailand

For example, there was electricity and hot water every day in Bali and Thailand.

. The power never went out unless occasionally in a bad storm, which happens everywhere.

. Internet could be sketchy or wi-fi slow at times, but overall, its functioning and speed exceeded that in India.

. Standards for sanitation and cleanliness were better as well.

. The mere fact that neither place suffers from the crushing mass of humanity of India’s 1.3 billion souls impacts all aspects of housing, infrastructure, services, and transportation.

Weather in India, Thailand, and Bali

Regarding weather and temperatures, India can become miserably hot in certain areas. However, in the North, for example, in Dharamsala especially and Rishikesh as well, summers were not unbearable.

Rains are a certainty throughout the country, with monsoons typically commencing in June. Usually, they lasted an hour or two; hence, they rarely interfered with activities or being outdoors.

The weather in southern Thailand and Bali was mild and fantastic. It is more tropical than India and has rainy seasons, but living in both, the winter and spring months were delightful overall. Air conditioning was standard in all apartments and hotels. Therefore, one never suffered in summer.

Foreign life is an adventure

A certain level of intentional inconvenience exists when living in any foreign culture for an extended time. But, the benefits — if open-minded and sufficiently adventurous — far outweigh the drawbacks. And the memories, tales, and photographic imprints are mere bonuses!

Books available on Amazon

If intrigued by travel and living in India — both the joys and challenges — I’m always humbled when people choose to read my books, Welcome to India: A Westerner’s Spiritual Journey (Volume One) and Welcome to India: One Woman’s Adventure (Volume Two).

Your time is valuable. Thanks for spending some of it here. Victoria🙏🕉

© Victoria Kjos. All Rights Reserved. 2024.