The India Debacle
I have deliberated and ruminated on what I will write about my time in India. In short, I did not enjoy my time there and I regret spending my money to visit India. In my quest to see the world and its 7 wonders, India had made the list of countries that I wanted to visit. I booked this trip back in 2023 and forgot about it. I later added my boyfriend to the trip. When I told him of my plans to go to India during March, he didn’t seem happy or excited and perhaps that was my first clue. Especially since the trip was, in part, a celebration of his birthday.
He told me of his time in Mumbai and Bangalore when he was in India for work. He told me how horrible the place was but he was adamant that he would support me in my mission to see the world. In hindsight, I wish I had heeded his warning and cancelled the trip. But I was determined to formulate my own impression of India.
Before I even set foot on Indian soil, I set up a tour of 4 major cities: Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi and Pushkar. This tour included: hotel, transportation, food and drinks. A few days before the trip, the tour guide asked me two things; one more strange than the other. He asked me to provide copies of our passports and he also asked me to purchase a new iPhone for him. I could have justified the first request for copies of our passports, as hotels sometimes require copies for check in. However, I could not foresee myself buying an iPhone for someone I had never met using my own money. I was immediately worried I had been caught in a scam and I cancelled the tour for a full refund. Now I was reeling, as with the tour cancelled, I was tasked with planning all activities from scratch days just before our departure.
My flight to India was uneventful. Tony and I checked into our five star hotel. We settled in and tried to recover from jetlag. The food and accommodations were very pleasing at the Oberoi hotel and made the trip tolerable. The time we spent outside of the hotel, was fraught with racist and colorist engagements. A few memories will stick with me from India:
- A vendor trying to sell me a can of soda for the equivalent $25 USD
- A Tour-guide claiming to show up for our excursion when he did not
- A Restaurant owner trying to harangue me for more tip than the 20% I had already given
- Being followed around by store attendants while shopping
- Being charged for a free trolley ride
- Indians staring and asking to take our pictures
- Airport attendant refusing to touch my hand, until he realized I was trying to give him my last remaining rupees
- Airport staff throwing our belongings on the ground and harassing us in the airport
- Noise pollution: the loud beeping noises will stay with me for a while
- The filthy and fly filled streets
- Delhi belly: travelers diarrhea from the food
In summary, I want to caution readers that, India isn’t a vacation: it’s an adventure. If you want to relax and unwind, think twice because I was on high alert for the entire trip. I spent my week in India trying to avoid the next scam or to thwart threats to my safety both as a woman and as a black person.
My time in India has left me with one crucial thing to consider: what kind of traveler am I? Before India, I was on a quest to see every country in the world. But after India, I think my reason for travel has changed. My focus will no longer be to see all 197 countries but instead I want to visit fun and relaxing places. I also want to visit places where people of color are not a spectacle and a place where even if we are a novelty: we are still welcomed.
