What I learned after spending one month in INDIA
At the time of the planning of my trip to India in 2011, I was working on private jets as a flight attendant. I remember I had been working nonstop for a while and was finally planning to take one month off to travel to India. When I told the pilots that I was going to India, their first response was, “ohh that sucks, I’m sorry”… They thought I was assigned to fly there for a job and when I told them that I was actually paying to go there on vacation, they burst into stupid laughter. As if they didn’t think I was “funny” enough to begin with. It didn’t matter to me what they thought. I was ready and I was going. These are the same people who travel the world for a living and eat at McDonald’s in Sweden…
“Mermaids don’t lose sleep over the opinions of shrimp”
India to me was always thought of as a “real travelers” destination and I didn’t feel I was quite ready to go there for many years. Once I had done Europe, South America, South East Asia, and Japan (all mostly alone)… I still wasn’t ready! It wasn’t until after I worked on private jets for four years catering to, and waiting on billionaires, I realized- I REALLY NEEDED TO GO TO INDIA! I traveled to India with a friend of mine and spent one roaming around the country in November of 2011. Here’s what I learned:
India teaches you about life
India is life-changing travel and it reveals to you the hearts and souls of simple people. What it truly means to be happy. The most valuable lesson I learned during my entire travel through India was simply ‘how to live in the present’. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but I was always thinking and worrying about the future. Always. Even if I was on a vacation I would think about what was going to do tomorrow or where I was going to travel to next. I didn’t even realize it but I never thoroughly enjoyed where I was in the present moment. My mind was constantly living and worrying about the future. India taught me how to live in peace with myself and to realize that the only thing that matters, is living in this very second.
I will never forget my time spent there and I hope to go back many times throughout my life. I hope this post inspires you to travel to India and in the least, to have a different opinion of a country that is totally misconceived by foreigners around the world.
About Indian people
Indian people have the kindest most friendly demeanor on planet earth. Most of them don’t have very much money or material things in life but they will share with you anything they could possibly give you starting with a smile.
The men are extremely funny! Everything you ask them turns into a head wiggling joke even if it’s an extremely serious question.
The women are always dressed in color. They wear their sari, sparkly bangles, and a bindi on their head proudly even if they are very poor and don’t’ have not much to eat. The colors in India are spectacular, an explosion of rainbows. They feel that women should be beautiful and adorned in color which a lot of the time, is all they have.
The children will break your heart in India. When they see a foreigner on the street they will run, jump with joy and wave frantically just to capture your smile and receive your attention.
Common Life in India
I went on a tour through the slums of Mumbai (a tour designed for charity to use the money from tourists to donate 80% to the children’s schools and the Dharavi community) and these people were sleeping in a house smaller than your SUV. Their homes were only four walls made of wood or tin with a roof and a dirt floor, yet every person greeted us warmly, smiled and said hello. I saw people happier and working more joyfully in this slum than 90% of the Wall Street bankers in Manhattan. There are no photos allowed while in the slum but these pics below may give you an idea of how they live. It’s not nearly as bad as you may imagine. I left there with a beautiful sense of community and sad for only myself and Americans as we complain so much about the material bullshit that we don’t have.
India is not for everyone, but if you have the need to get away from the western world and see how other people live without our insignificant modern problems, it may be worth the 15-hour flight.
The Luxury in India and Where to Stay
After talking about poverty in India, now I have to share with you the extreme opposite side. There is a glamorous side of India and the easiest way to see and experience true luxury is to stay in one of the 5-star hotels. Now a 5-star hotel in America or Europe can run you about $2000 USD and up per night… A 5-star hotel in India is around $300 and up per night. I was extremely fortunate to be able to stay in a few of these hotels during my trip to India and I have to say- I have never stayed in a nicer place or had better service in my entire life than the luxury hotels in India.
Starting with my favorite hotel in the entire world: The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. This place is extraordinary. The smells and the memory of the staff will forever remain in my memory. Somehow in this enormous hotel, everyone knows your name and addresses you kindly and with great respect throughout your stay. When dining at one of the many restaurants, before you can finish the thought in your head of what it is that you need- another drink, more spicy curry sauce… there is a waiter already headed over to you with exactly what you wanted before you can even summon someone to ask for it. The smells alone in this hotel deserve a 5-star review. The entire hotel smells like flowers and incense. It’s the most magical place I have ever been and I highly recommend starting your trip here with this incredible splurge as a warm beautiful, ‘welcome to India’ setting.
Ther are a lot of luxury hotels but definitely none like, or comparable to the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. I had stayed at the Taj resort in Goa as well which is also fabulous, wonderful and stunningly beautiful, but there is nothing like the one in Mumbai. I believe it has real magic that is never to be replicated or forgotten. If you head up north in Rishikesh, there is a famous resort where Oprah is known to visit called Ananda. It’s an extreme luxury spa hotel and resort and they offer week-long programs on detox, yoga, and various spiritual cleansing classes. The grounds are stunning and you will feel truly refreshed and anew after a long visit to Ananda. The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra is also a stunning and fabulous choice. Interiors to-die-for, straight out of a luxury travel magazine and like the Taj, they have many locations around India.
This post is dedicated to all the amazing Indian people I met while traveling in their country as well as the special ones I am fortunate enough to know in America. I am forever grateful to “Mother India” as they call it, and all the beauty and joyful memories it has brought to my heart.
Entering the Taj Mahal in Agra
Coming soon… Lylita’s Way guide to India, How to plan a trip there, where to go and what to do!
For any questions or advice, please leave a comment below!
