Excuse the week or so since my last post. It has taken me a while to collect my thoughts. When I arrived in Bangkok I spent several days doing nothing. I was really lazy, lacking energy to do anything (apart from buy the coolest Transformers t-shirt ever). Initially I couldn’t understand why but it occurred to me that I was suffering from reverse culture shock having left India.

I saw so much in India. There was so much to take in, yet so little time. All the madness blurs together and becomes normal. Once I arrived in Bangkok, along with being hit with the normalness of the place (a far cry from my thoughts of the horrible noisy, crowded and polluted city back in 2003), I was hit by a wave of tiredness. I’ve likened this to my uni days of coursework deadlines; non stop work for the week before including a frantic last 24 hours then nothing. One should be elated but instead you are left drained and empty.

That is exactly what the first few days in Bangkok were like. Even causing tensions between Espe and I. Now I’m in Kanchanaburi in the most amazing guesthouse. I’m able to swing in my hammock on the wooden hut suspended above the River Kwai and reflect on the last two months while watching the sun set over the water with the occasional turbo charged long tail boat rushing past.

So, what was India like? Madness. Pure madness. I saw so much that there is no way I can sum it all up, never mind remember it. India is a huge geographically and culturally diverse country that there is no way that 7 weeks can do it justice. Thanks to the Rickshaw Run I was able to see more than most, crossing the country, south to north in 15 days but at the same time it was so rushed that we didn’t get to see anything properly. Highlights there were seeing small villages of the beaten track, eating some of the best and cheapest food we’d had and taking in the reaction to us (what on earth are this bunch of crazy white people doing here in and auto rickshaw?).

Having started in Delhi (possibly the worst place to start) and taking in the rest of the Golden Triangle, although stunning, tainted my view of the people. Many people on the Rickshaw Run were amazed at how friendly the locals were. Unfortunately I didn’t feel the same as after bad experiences in Rajasthan I was always paranoid that everyone who approached me was out to get my money (as is normal when traveling you are torn between feeling bad for the poor and hating getting ripped off). It is a real shame as most weren’t but once bitten twice shy. I will, however, remember fondly the chap who came to speak to me purely out of curiosity in a train station: “From where coming kind gentleman sir?”

It is clear how big a part religion plays in the lives of the people. All life stems from it, from general guidelines for behavior to the caste system that seems so cruel. At the same time you see such contradictions. Hinduism teaches of an honest living by treating others fairly, yet there are so many people out there doing just the opposite, be it tourist being harassed, ripped off or physically harmed in some kind of scam or Indians being treated in humanely due to circumstance / caste. Even more alarming is how a country that is unable to provide reliable electricity or water supplies to the masses, a country that suffers from huge poverty stricken slums in all big cities has such huge military might with nuclear capabilities. Priorities people, please.

That said, the place is amazing. In two aspects particularly; the food and the landscape (two things very close to my heart). As for the roads, I’ll let the our Rickshaw Run blog tell the story there. All I will say is what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.

Five things I learnt in India:
– Curry for breakfast is a good thing.
– 300 people will fit into a carriage / bus made for 72 without problems.
– Things move out of the way when you use your horn (maybe the Spaniards do have the right idea after all).
– Everything is of interest to your average Indian. A crowd will gather to see absolutely nothing (normally within 2 milliseconds).
– Living in poverty does not signify unhappiness (ok I believed this already, but seeing it was more than the proof I needed).

In short, although very tough, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in India. I’m also glad to see I’m not the only one out there seeing the world and taking in local culture. Check out Alan’s recent adventures in Southport