India & Nepal - March 2016

The best way to describe a trip to India and Nepal is simply "an experience."  This is admittedly vague but it's hard for me to quickly explain using any other word.  There were many high moments like cruising on mopeds through Jaipur, and many low moments like relentless food poisoning (twice).  And everything in between.

Being (very) white the constant attention and shouts of "Hello my friend" and "Where you from" or "Welcome please" quickly became standard routine anywhere outside the hotel.  I was even asked multiple times to be in photos, or selfies (yes they love selfies too). Some of my most interesting takeaways from India included: Cows are considered holy animals and roam all the streets, straight men hold hands, everything is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, there is NO personal space, everyone cuts in line, security is tight, women have their own security lines, people are literally everywhere, men stared at me long and hard, men pee along the streets at any time, the honking is non-stop and lines on the streets are never obeyed, and everyone wears long pants and button-up shirts even in the heat.

In Nepal it was hard not to notice: heavy smog even in the Himalayas, very friendly people, reduced power and government allotted times to use electricity, ruins that still remain from the earthquake, a lively nightlife and a meal of buffalo dumplings that will never be forgotten.

Much of this may seem a bit negative from our perspective, but this 'experience' was exactly what I wanted from India and Nepal.  It was a sensory overload, but if I had even more time in these countries, I would have become even more accustomed to the cultural differences. This became apparent after meeting several Indian guys during the Holi festival that were so eager to show us around.  They even took us into one of their homes for a "party".  Spending the afternoon with this group convinced me that everyone on this planet shares at least some common interests regardless of nationality.