How to prepare for India

Basically you don’t prepare. India is a big country far away from anyone’s expectations. It’s colorful, religious, interesting, chaotic, and charming. After months of not much planning and anticipation I finally experienced India and let me tell you I was not expecting what I experienced.

Objective days to stay – 30 days
Days in India – 17 days
Budget- moderately cheap

Here is my journey…

I arrived to India very optimistic with an open mind and knowing that India is a challenging country like I never experience before. I braved my soul to encounter every type of experience and to be strong. My purpose of this trip was to capture the culture and find peace. My boyfriend and I didn’t planned this trip with high end hotels, a duration of stay and where to go next- basically we decided to go with the flow.

Delhi 

We arrived to Delhi with an objective to stay 2 full days. Our first day in Delhi was raining (monsoon season), chaotic, crowded and colorful.

We visited a few temples, had awesome Indian food, got soaking wet, pretended nobody was staring at us (because they were, like we were aliens), and had an amazing experience with a man who works daily giving rides in his rickshaw.

I remember a moment when I was sitting on the rickshaw and I tried to feel present since I felt too overwhelmed by the chaos. I tried to feel the rain in my arms and tried to appreciate the beauty of this city, even if I was very uncomfortable for the man giving us a ride in his rickshaw, which cost $2 of 1 hour of his time.

Delhi was very overwhelming -let’s not forget there’s 18.6 million there, so the city is very crowded. So, we decided to pack our bags and travel to a peaceful place.

Dharamsala

This city is the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. It’s certainly a beautiful place to be, but the back bone story of how this place was build and how got to be so special now for a the buddhist community got me a little bit overwhelmed (again).

I learned so much about the Tibetan past that got me sad knowing they have to live in a country that is not theirs and how they witness the death of thousands of their people under the rule of the Chinese government. Thinking about that made me think about my home and the people who have left my country, Puerto Rico, in search for a better life- but hey, that’s another topic. I encourage everyone to read about the Tibetan exile and the actual P.R. situation if you want to know more of what I was referring.

Unfortunately, his Holiness was not there when we visited, but visiting the temple where he lives was an amazing experience. There’s monks and students everywhere and there’s a feeling of hope. Also, doing a meditation class in a beautiful temple at 9 am was priceless.

It’s a definitely a beautiful town full with little stores, restaurants, a waterfall and nice people. There was a handful of tourist, most of them young and adventure seeking peace.

After a few days in this city we decided to leave north and go deeper into the mountains. We took a 9 hour night bus and let me tell you it was not peaceful. I felt I was going to fall from my chair every 2 minutes, which ended up building stress.

Manali

Wow, arriving to Manali was a mission, but soo worth it. It’s a beautiful town surrounded by mountains. We decided to stay in a local homestay with the most charming family owners.

This place is a combination of Western hippies and India culture. There’s so many nonchalant stores, the vibe is enjoyable, the people are so nice and the atmosphere is sublime. 100% this was my favorite time in India. Although, I became sick after the bus ride for 7 consecutive days (explain later).

Manali has everything to offer to a newcomer who’s looking for deep introspection and some peace. My favorite day over there was doing a trek for 2 hours to a wonderful and powerful waterfall. I felt lucky and blessed to be in a place like that- finally I was in peace.

I discover I didn’t need much to be happier. Less material things make me feel better. I enjoyed the simplicity of the life of the Indian people and how nice and courteous they were, even if they didn’t have much. I realized what really mattered was having love and compassion for others instead of thinking too much about unnecessary things.

Shimla

Well, I barely have photos of Shimla because I got very sick. During my time in Manali I started to feel bad and went to a doctor where I got better for a whole day. During this day we decided to leave to Shimla and keep discovering, but after another horrific and terrifying bus ride, where I imagined more than 15 different ways of dying; no kidding, I got sick again.

Being sick sinked me to the button of a deep hole. I went into a negative state and for a moment I thought my life was ending – yes, I got very dramatic. Honestly I never been this sick, ever. Good thing about that experience? I realized how fragile life can be and got very compassionate about the sick people. I could relate to the fear, the pain and how powerful you have to be to feel better and positive for yourself and those around you. Also, I became more in love with my partner after his patience, love and compassionate way through my suffering.

So, basically 2 days in Shimla, shifting from a guesthouse to a hotel, to change the energy; and being in bed, I saw nothing of this city besides the ride to the airport. Feeling better we decided to seek more peace, yet again, in another city.

Rishikesh

It’s difficult to describe a place that you had so much expectation, since it’s the capital of yoga ( I love yoga), and realizing that was not what you were looking for. Irony of life, perhaps?

My first day in this city I thought “yes, I arrived to a nice place”. I thought the town had a humble atmosphere and regardless of how poor it was I was going to make the experience magical. Unfortunately, after a few days I got bored with “let’s do yoga today!” and stepping in cow shit e v e r y day.

Rishikesh is a perfect place for a yogi or a person who is looking for healing and a spiritual retreat. They don’t serve alcohol (which is OK for a few days, but come on at least 1 glass of wine- Jesus created this?- oh wait I was in India), the people are very poor, the water smelled so bad that brushing your teeth made you have a stinking smell of pooh all day ( YEP) and there’s not much to do besides considering being a yoga teacher and live there for a month– umm not for me.

My favorite thing? Reading my Vedic horoscope (Indian astrology). In my past life I was a famous healer and in this life that’s my purpose too. He gave me tons of information and honestly I think it is true. So, get ready to be healed!!! Besides that, we decided to say goodbye and head to Thailand the next day- where I thought it was heaven compared to India.

Resolutions of the trip – As a backpacker India is a great place, but not for everyone. Trying to experience the local life was hard for me since I got ill and I couldn’t enjoy everyday. Eating and staying in place on a low budget was OK for me (even squatting to go to the bathroom), but seeing the poor and knowing the sanitation problems was hard to swallow, especially coming from NY where I had everything and I could even drink water from the sink.

Getting sick also was very rough on me and made the experience 50-50 good and bad. The food also was a big factor since not every place caters to enjoyable Indian food or a decent pizza (if you are looking for Western commodities this is not the place to go).

However, the north of India is a beautiful place and I encourage everyone to go, but especially those adventurous souls. I suggest doing research beforehand of places of interest and honestly expect nothing because India is very unpredictable. I know 17 days is not enough and for now I won’t close my chapter on India, but I need a few years to recover from my experience and try again.

My suggestion? The best way to go to India is with an open mind and open heart. Everyone’s experience is different and mine was challenging, so please don’t compare my story to what you will encounter. I suggest keeping a journal of your experiences and reading a good book in a place that makes you feel in peace.

Have a great day!

Cristina