The editors of this blog would like to apologize for any broad, sweeping generalizations we may have made about India based on our limited experience travelling in Calcutta, Varanasi, and Agra during our first 11 days in the country.
Upon arriving in the region of Goa (in the South, on the beach), we felt as though we had been transported not to a different state, but to a different country. Aside from being much wealthier than its neighbors, Goa is distinguished by its Portuguese cultural heritage -- meaning a more laid back approach to life.
To celebrate, we've recorded just a few of our 'firsts' since arriving in India:
- Hand dryer in bathroom (you can forget about ever having towels or paper towels)
- Non-Indian music
- Seatbelt (in a vehicle of any kind)
- Jesus on a dashboard (as opposed to the typical Ganesh on a dashboard)
- Tank tops and bikinis (even the Western women in the North know to wear long pants and keep their shoulders covered)
- Raw vegetables (Western cafes here serve delicious salads washed with filtered water)
Oh, and did we mention beach, sun and surf? It's all good. ;-)
-meimei
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