India wants to see you dead!!!

Hello Dear friends,

As I Travel in India there are many aspects that I like and others that I absolutely and with no doubt hate. No matter how much I try to avoid the dirt, the half dead dogs, the stomachache with the heavy cramps, the beggars, the sickness, they are always there. This experiences really makes you appreciate health. If you are in India, you will definitely get sick at one point--It is just a matter of when. A couple of weeks ago, I caught the wost cough I have ever had. I was laying on bed and could not breathe because my lungs were completely stuffed with who knows what. My eyes teared the whole night. This is something that I have never experienced. I must say that I got a bit worried. In fact, as we were eating dinner with a few friends in a restaurant in Calcutta, everyone was saying mentioning how they had stomachache, cold, diarrhea, or something. I was so annoyed with my cold that I told them " India wants to see you dead." They laughed at me and I felt so silly because I was exaggerating a little. This line become the joke of the week and I couldn't help but to accept how silly I was.

Once you get over the" India wants to see you dead" feeling you can go on and enjoy what India is really about. I love taking the trains and talking to people. I have learned a great deal from other travelers and their patience. Sometimes when I am dealing with someone who is really difficult and when I am about to snap, I see other traveler dealing with the same person and his/her face is very serene. That has helped me to somewhat control my impulsiveness. You need a little patience when you are traveling in the trains because Indians want to ask you about everything.

Like I said, trains have become my favorite activity. In India, you can take the first or second class train or the third class. I have traveled once in first class, but I prefer second class. One because it is cheaper and two because it is a bit more interesting. My trip in the first class train was really eye opening because here is where you see the prosper Indian. The ticket price is doubled and the people in the first class seem more refined.

In the second class, it is different because you can deal your sit if you don't like it. There a wider variety of smells and sounds. In the second class train you usually get woken up at around four or five in the morning by the sound of annoying voice saying Chai, Chai, Chai and then another saying Canebole, Canebole(food man). This absolutely did not happen in the first class train. This is the only thing that makes me angry in the train.

However, in the second class people are more wiling to chat, sing, play games, and share food(something that the guides recommend to avoid, and you should). For example on my way to Varanasi, I was traveling with a mix of foreigners and locals. With this group, I ended up singing, and playing a strange game that is played with the fingers. You eliminate players as you go along and the player who gets out last gets a good hand beating. Trust me it is fun. This story will continue.....