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I never had poor restaurant service in the two Indian Restaurants I have been in...oh wait the cook in one came out and he
did have a bad cough and one day I saw him picking his nose outside...I thought o.k. I HOPE he washed his hands before handling food and wasn't breathing over it...it was a buffet..
It DID make me not go back to that particular one for about 18 months..
What I love about India is the well-pronounced Spirituality of the people, India is considered to be the most spiritual country in the world. All I have to do is walk down a street in Kolkata or Mumbai and I feel like I've gotten a much-needed spiritual bath. Sometimes it takes just gazing into their eyes, an intense experience in itself.
India is also home to my spiritual guide, OSHO, Baghwan Rajneesh. India can be thankful they accepted him back to India after he was exiled out of the U.S., and after that, there were very few countries that would accept him. Even India wavered, almost didn't accept him back! And from what I've read, his Ashram/Center in Pune is now the 2nd most visited site in India next to the Taj Mahal!
I am a white American, and I've never been to India. All of the pictures and videos I have seen of it (except for the Taj Mahal) make it look like a horrid, squalid, Third World dump. I can't even begin to imagine riding on their trains, packed in like sardines (or standing on the roof) and having to worry about pickpockets and all, not to mention being hours and hours late to my destination. And I've heard enough about the misogynistic rape culture to make me NEVER want to take my wife or daughter there. So no, India is not on my travel bucket list.
My first job out of college, my boss was an Indian man, apparently one of high caste. I did not like him, to put it nicely. He was rude, condescending, arrogant, and just plain not very nice. More recently, there is a missionary couple at my church; the wife is a white American and the husband is an Indian. She is very pleasant and gracious, with a true gift for hospitality. He is a bit arrogant and carries an attitude of inflexibility, that people should do as he wants, even if someone is trying to do them a favor; though he does at least make an attempt at being polite. After my most recent interactions with them, I decided not to support the mission work they do (worthy though it appears to be). They spend most of their time in India (I cannot even begin to fathom why the wife would want to live there, but that's her issue), but when they're here, I don't go out of my way to socialize with him. (Their kids definitely got their personalities from their mother; they are delightful.)
So I guess you could say that, based on my extremely limited experience, I don't have a particularly high opinion of Indian people. But I don't dislike them to the extent that I would be mean to one or anything; I just don't go out of my way to connect with any of them.
I go to India every year because most of my relatives still live there. My main connection to the country is social and genetic. I feel like I need to be close to some of my cousins especially.
The truth is if you spend enough money then you can stay rather well in India. The squalid conditions mainly affect the poor. The upper-middle class don't have to deal with it nearly to that extent. Pretty much any modern comfort is available to those who are willing to shell out the cash - including 5 star hotels and shopping malls with name brand stores, etc.
The richness and diversity of Indian culture are worth it for me. However, I agree that it is a land of contradictions and it's like a social jungle. You need to have a certain amount of street smarts and connections to work your way through the hurdles in that society. I can see how that could be difficult for someone who is completely foreign to that way of living.
I gave up a trip to India (and lost $ 100 to the TripAdvisor thugs in the process, but it's another story) over health , food and environmental issues. When in Holiday I'm looking for pristine and not overcrowded places. I don't think India would fit the bill 'maybe I'm prejudiced'. Besides my wife and I got a weak stomach. I fear turista like the plague. The obvious possibility of getting food poisoning there was the dealbreaker for us.
I gave up a trip to India (and lost $ 100 to the TripAdvisor thugs in the process, but it's another story) over health , food and environmental issues. When in Holiday I'm looking for pristine and not overcrowded places. I don't think India would fit the bill 'maybe I'm prejudiced'. Besides my wife and I got a weak stomach. I fear turista like the plague. The obvious possibility of getting food poisoning there was the dealbreaker for us.
A trick I learned a few years ago is a to take a chewable pepto bismol tablet before every meal. And always drink boiled water or aquaguard. Works wonders in any developing country. And mainly dine at the higher quality restaurants whenever possible. If you try to go for the very cheap options or street food, then you may run into trouble.
The main areas in India that don't feel overcrowded are the villages. It's possible to have a serene experience there. However, they can be lacking in amenities, even though that's better than it used to be.
I have met Indians from different parts of India, the UK, US, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other countries. They are very different depending on the regions they came from.
The thing they have the most in common is their fluent English level, with Indian accent. It is easy to communicate with Indians in English. Most other countries in Asia do not speak much English.
I have some India male friends, thanks to them I know more about India. Most of friend I know is very friendly and funny. I realize that the culture of India is very complicated, they trust in their religion at all, sometimes as blinders. Love between male and female is not mentioned, even in some countryside still have underage mariage. They seem have no truly freedom due to culture, religion,v.v
Conclude:
- India is not compared to China, Thailand, Vietnam because these main religion is Buddhism, even many people have no religion so they are free in their life to decide everything relate themselves.
- India is the same to UAE, Pakistan
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