earthtoswift.com

Staying Alive in India!

India is one of those places on earth that no matter how healthy or fit you are it will kick your ass literally. India holds the record for the most polluted air in the world… which makes my days in Los Angeles smog seem like a walk in the Swiss Alps. The streets are filled with trash, cow poop, monkey poop, dog poop and human poop, this place is for sure the dirtiest place on earth. With all that this place is a perfect recipe for getting very sick! They say that 85% of all foreigners come down with some sort of travel related illness. For me the hardest part is the air pollution, I have had bronchitis before and I am now very vulnerable and can get it easily. Last time I was here I felt the early signs of bronchitis coming on so I did the next best thing and flew south to southern India where its clean and the people are friendly and the beaches have some of the best sunsets in the world. I am now finding myself 2 years later in the same situation, after spending a week in Varanasi India sucking on a tail pipe my lungs are shot! So I am leaving today to head south, the journey is going to take a few days. First I start with a 27-hour train ride from Varanasi to Mumbai, which could easily turn, into a 37 hour ride “Indian Time” and then it’s a quick 1 hour flight to Goa from Mumbai (I opted for the flight rather another 12 hour train trip.) I am looking forward to spending Christmas relaxing on the beach. After reading this blog you might think to yourself “Well I sure don’t want to go to India now!” Well the truth is… yes India is a hard place to travel, there’s a lot to deal with and many people waiting to rip you off. But there is something about India that makes it all worth it… You just have to come and see for yourself!

UPDATE: When i wrote this blog i forgot to post it online, so now its a day old. I am now in Mumbai or Bombay (Bollywood) airport. I just got here after a 32 hour train ride!! So i was right my 27 hour train ride did end up taking longer then i thought. Traveling in India can test the nerves of the most calm people, i think even the Dalai Lama would find it difficult and annoying.  I’m now stuck in the airport for 12 hours until my flight tomorrow…. the hotels near the airport are very expensive and the thought of jumping in a taxi at 1am to try to find a hotel doesn’t sounds to exciting. So if everything goes as planned i will be watching the sunset on the beach in Goa!

Posted by Jimmy under India, Thoughts, Travel Tips, Uncategorized, Updates |