Jaya's Indian adventures

[Nyingjé Tso]

Hi guys !

Was thinking, it's about time I share a little of what I've lived in India ! Many people don't have the opportunity to go or just don't know what the country looks like. So, here is some slices of this beautiful country for you !

This is kind of old, my first time to India, it was in Tamil Nadu... Still my favorite place of all. I just love Tamil Nadu. Why ? Just see for yourself, I think the beauty speaks for itself.

The first temple I've even stepped in: a beautiful, ancient Shiva temple up in hill. This very moment I became a Hindu.

Old abandoned temples... They are the most peaceful places on earth !

We went to a village school meet the teachers. Played with the childrens all afternoon, and offered all of them pens and useful school supplies they couldn't afford. Now I hope they have continued their education !

Small fishing villages are all along the coast. The fish is the best here, I have a very dear fisherwoman friend, I like to call her my Indian mom ! She cooks the fish and potatoes like a Godess. Oh, and forget all the "but is it safe ?" "What is this fish ?", "I am going to be sick !". Because I ate quite a weird things that I didn't know what it was and where it was coming from... And I've always been well during the trip. The only time I was sick... Is when I tried to eat spagetti. So Indian cuisine is the BEST.

Best thing to remember: travel India like a Indian. Not like a tourist. That's where the best experiences are !

More to come !

 

[ratikala]

jai jai , jayabholenath ji :namaste


so beautifull , Shiv ji called you there

yes please , ....more pictures ....

 

[ametist]

Very beautiful

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Some more of Tamil Nadu !

Fun at school

Communication

I look like a lone pilgrim xD

Shiva

Helping the village women fishing

Young priests... They are lucky

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

More of Tamil Nadu !

South indian temples: nothing compares to it <3

The temple where I became Hindu

Beautiful india

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Awesome photos! Thank you for sharing. I hope to visit one day myself.

JB, if I may ask, what was the most difficult thing about visiting India and what was the most wonderful?

Was there anything about your visit that caught you off guard or that you weren't expecting?

:camp:

 

[Sees]

Awesome I would love to visit India.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam sister !

Awesome photos! Thank you for sharing. I hope to visit one day myself.

I hope you will visit too ! It's truly a life experience

JB, if I may ask, what was the most difficult thing about visiting India and what was the most wonderful?

It's really hard to choose... I would say that the most difficult was to be confronted with all good and all bad of life at the same sight. I remember during my first time in India, I wasn't even finished to be astonished by the beauty of womens, that I was terrified to see people suffering of leprosy, then I was amazed again by the smell of flowers, then disgusted again by the sight of a dead animal left on the road... All this in what, 100 meters ? Everything is raw in India. You see the most amazing beauty next to the most horrifying sight. In the west you will never see things so beautiful, colors and smells so incredible... But in the west you also never see death and diseases in the face like this. In India you truly witness life and death in its most raw form, all the time. This is the most difficult thing to bear, and accept, while travelling for the first time there. Some people cannot stand it, some other are overcome by some sort of guilt... You either love India or you hate it, but there is no middle.

I cannot say any "most" wonderful thing because... There is a million most wonderful things ! The temples, the people, everything ! It's a festival of hidden gems, places and people full of beauty. Tamil Nadu was really the best I have seen so far, really. You will never see such beauty and smiles anywhere else. Magnificent ancient temples, local customs, and the people ! Tamil are truly wonderful and welcoming people, and I have experienced that. You don't make temporary travel friends there, but truly friends for life.

Was there anything about your visit that caught you off guard or that you weren't expecting?

First time I went there, I actually wasn't interested and didn't wanted to go to India. What caught me ? Everything. I dreamed of something that came true there, in the very temple you see on the photo. The first temple I went to and met ShivJi there. The smiles of the Sadhu seeing my pale face while leaving the temple after the puja. And then feeling my eyes really open and seeing India truly. Really, I was born a second time that day. This is what I wasn't expecting there. Realising I was Hindu.

:namaste

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Vanakkam sister !



I hope you will visit too ! It's truly a life experience



It's really hard to choose... I would say that the most difficult was to be confronted with all good and all bad of life at the same sight. I remember during my first time in India, I wasn't even finished to be astonished by the beauty of womens, that I was terrified to see people suffering of leprosy, then I was amazed again by the smell of flowers, then disgusted again by the sight of a dead animal left on the road... All this in what, 100 meters ? Everything is raw in India. You see the most amazing beauty next to the most horrifying sight. In the west you will never see things so beautiful, colors and smells so incredible... But in the west you also never see death and diseases in the face like this. In India you truly witness life and death in its most raw form, all the time. This is the most difficult thing to bear, and accept, while travelling for the first time there. Some people cannot stand it, some other are overcome by some sort of guilt... You either love India or you hate it, but there is no middle.

I cannot say any "most" wonderful thing because... There is a million most wonderful things ! The temples, the people, everything ! It's a festival of hidden gems, places and people full of beauty. Tamil Nadu was really the best I have seen so far, really. You will never see such beauty and smiles anywhere else. Magnificent ancient temples, local customs, and the people ! Tamil are truly wonderful and welcoming people, and I have experienced that. You don't make temporary travel friends there, but truly friends for life.



First time I went there, I actually wasn't interested and didn't wanted to go to India. What caught me ? Everything. I dreamed of something that came true there, in the very temple you see on the photo. The first temple I went to and met ShivJi there. The smiles of the Sadhu seeing my pale face while leaving the temple after the puja. And then feeling my eyes really open and seeing India truly. Really, I was born a second time that day. This is what I wasn't expecting there. Realising I was Hindu.

:namaste

Thank you for sharing all that! I appreciate it. My heart has been set on visiting India for a long time.

I have been told by many who have visited that people are not very friendly and that the streets are dirty etc. etc. And while I believe them (One must not be fooled into thinking that romantic versions of a country are the only reality) I had to consider the source. I tend to be the type of person who tries to look for the beauty in everything, but I also don't expect every kind of beauty of sensibility to be something I am familiar or comfortable with. I have grown up privileged and even if hadn't - different land, different traditions etc.

I am trying to mentally prepare myself for the best and the worst, although I know at some level it is impossible. But again, I am an optimist and an explorer, so some day when I go I will be as ready as I will ever be.

Thank you again for sharing.

One more question : If you have been to northern India, what would you say is the biggest difference between people in the north and people in the south. (I realize this is a very broad question)

:camp:

 

[Poeticus]

I have been told by many who have visited that people are not very friendly and that the streets are dirty etc. etc. And while I believe them (One must not be fooled into thinking that romantic versions of a country are the only reality) I had to consider the source. I tend to be the type of person who tries to look for the beauty in everything, but I also don't expect every kind of beauty of sensibility to be something I am familiar or comfortable with. I have grown up privileged and even if hadn't - different land, different traditions etc.

I hope Jaya can be kind as to permit me to offer my two cents:

Truth of the matter is that like many countries in the world and their respective regions, varying by region from region, India will and does surely have "un-friendly" people that a traveler or tourist or pilgrim may encounter.

Initially, this can mean many things at once: rude, impolite, xenophobic, sharp, backwards (albeit, subjective in its classification), amongst numerous other classifications.

For women traveling to India independently/individually, precaution is an absolute must. In my honest, well cultivated and observed opinion from reading countless news reports, cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi are very dangerous for women that choose to travel alone - especially at night time. EDIT: Recent and not-so-recent news reports attest to this horrid reality - something which Indian societies must address through educational programs or reforms and by other progressive means.

This fact must not be sugarcoated; it must be acknowledged at all cost.

Another thing to consider is that even a native from a certain region may and most likely will experience some form of rudeness or discrimination in another region of India. Therefore, travelers or tourists are not alone in their evaluation of various peoples of certain regions or areas of India being "un-friendly" with them. Natives face it amongst themselves from other natives.

One more question : If you have been to northern India, what would you say is the biggest difference between people in the north and people in the south. (I realize this is a very broad question)

Personally, I would say that the two are different culturally, linguistically, and socially. Some might even argue that there are distinct political differences as well.

Irrelevant note: My [travel] dream is to tour Finland one day.

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

That girl in the middle (8th person from the left) is like "oh my god!" Was she happy to see you, or just shocked?

Young priests... They are lucky

Young? The guy on the right looks like he's over 40, lol. By the way, are the vaDakalai shrIvaiShNava-s or rAmAnandI-s? I can't tell since their tilaka-s often look the same... I assume the former since you said you were in tamizhnADu.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Truth of the matter is that like many countries in the world and their respective regions, varying by region from region, India will and does surely have "un-friendly" people that a traveler or tourist or pilgrim may encounter.

Initially, this can mean many things at once: rude, impolite, xenophobic, sharp, backwards (albeit, subjective in its classification), amongst numerous other classifications.

Thank you for your response and you are correct. I think that's why I always take news of "rude natives" with a grain of salt because there area lot of different things at play. For example some say that Parisians and New Yorkers are rude, but from my experience with both, they are just busy city folk, in a hurry - which is different from rude.

Irrelevant responses: for Finland - bring your sun lamp. I think it still has one of the highest suicide rates of any country. Still I've heard it is a beautiful country

:camp:

 

[BespokeD]

Nice Photographs....