| India |  |
| February 28 to August 20, 2001 |
India - the land of adventure and mysticism. India - a place that means many different things to the people who visit it. For some it's the spiritual fascination. The search for a guru or spiritual teacher; to find the inner self, who we really are. For others it is a land of forts, palaces and ancient history, and for still others it is a place to relax and have a really good time on the beach or at a wildlife park. Even if one traveled in India for years he or she would not see everything India has to offer.
Anything anyone says about India could be true. Equally true would be the opposite view! To describe India is like the story of the five blind men, each of whom touched one part of an elephant and gave a different description of what the elephant looked like. Likewise, each visitor to India will inevitably, hold a different opinion. It is a land of great variety, seemingly of contradictions, where the past of thousand of years is living and vivid. The people, their color, the intermingling of the past and the present are India's greatest charm, her great attraction.
India is basically divided into three parts: the Himalaya mountain area, North India, and South India. Each state within these areas can be totally different - just as if another country. If you lay a map of India over a map of Europe, it covers the area from Denmark to Libya, and from Spain to Russia. As different as these European countries are, so are the different parts of India. Rajasthan is the land of forts, palaces and ancient history, Himachal Pradesh is a place of mountains and relaxation, Uttar Pradesh is the home of important holy cities. Goa is a place of beautiful beaches and relaxation. In South India there are many ancient, huge, unbelievable carved temples, and some great beaches. About one billion (one thousand millions) people live on 3,287,590 sq.km of land. They speak 325 different languages and practise more than 7 religions (sometimes two or more at the same time). Each area of India has its own distinct culture, and Uttar Pradesh is as different from Tamil Nadu as Finland is from Italy.
For many, India is the perfect vacation. A place you come back to many times, at least wish you could. But for others, India is pure stress - the heat, the pollution, the omnipresent poverty, the bureaucracy, etc. can be very tiring, very exhausting and very strenuous. Either you love India or you hate it. I'm sure I belong to the first group. Somehow India has a certain kind of emanation on me - there is something that is fascinating me... and that something I want to discover.
India, a country where you can expect nothing and everything at the same time.
India is an experience I will never forget; I will go away with memories that last a lifetime, and without a doubt have many interesting stories to tell when I go home.
To learn about my unforgettable time in India, check out:
