India - An Experience of Extremes

 

India – Awesome and Appalling at the same time

by Raewyn Hamilton


Yes, you can smell India as your ship nears the shore. And at the same time be thrilled to see the open smiles of the people and the glowing colours of the women’s saris.

I’ll never forget the plaintive wail from the friend I was travelling with as we saw our cruise ship leave Cochin harbour from our hotel room. “I think we’ve made a mistake she said”, as we talked about what was likely to happen in this strange land over the next few days of the land excursion we had opted to take before re-embarking again in Mumbai. I, on the other hand, was very excited about seeing Delhi and the Taj Mahal and staying in the adjacent Amran Villas.  Not the least put out that our husbands had declined the adventure and opted to remain with the ship.

“Look, let’s settle your nerves with a gin and then see what the restaurant has to offer in the way of local dishes of seafood”, was how I consoled her and off we went - never to suffer another misgiving. What a meal, what gorgeous people, scenery, buildings, monuments, temples we experienced amidst the appalling poverty, shocking scenes of cruel treatment of animals and neglect of children. For the first day we were both close to tears at the sight of yet another lame horse or begging child then in an instant we were given electric smiles from a group of locals or were asked extremely politely if they could have a photo taken with tourists. Maybe we looked oddities – who knows.

One of the highlights of the trip was lunch at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai approximately a year to the day before it was over-run by terrorists and the scene of terrible loss of life.

Would I go back – Oh yes, in a heartbeat.