What looks like crazy on an ordinary day...

If I had to describe India in one word, it would be "overwhelming". It overloads the senses in unimaginable ways. It is beautiful. It is ugly. It is rich. It is devastatingly poor. It is super modern and high-tech. It is ancient and stuck in the past. It is a place of so many contrasts. Instead of trying to rationalize everything, sometimes all I can do is say, "This is India."

India was a lot for me to handle traveling by myself without the backing of a company this time around.  I was constantly on edge and did not feel comfortable for much of my time in India.  However, there were times when people helped me and were genuinely nice without trying to get something from me in return.  I am grateful for my hosts in Ft. Cochin, and my Airbnb hosts in Mumbai, who made me feel welcomed and treated me like I was part of their family.  My friend's family invited me to join them for lunch, and they included me in their post-Diwali celebration.  The thing that I have always loved most about India is the people and the connections I formed.  (I also love the abundance of vegetarian food options.)  

A few highlights:

• The Dehli Metro is surprisingly clean and orderly underground while the streets are filled with garbage, stray animals, and orange tobacco spit.
• Diwali, also called the "Festival of Lights" is a large fall festival in India where people celebrate the victory of light over darkness. They decorate their homes and businesses with colorful lights and candles, as well as rangolis. Rangolis are beautiful designs of colorful powder or flowers. They also buy new items and make their homes spotless to welcome blessings and prosperity for the year. At night, you see and hear firecrackers, sparklers, and all kinds of fireworks.  People return to their hometowns and spend the festive season with their families.  I went to Mumbai hoping to reconnect with my friends and celebrate with them.  However, we were unable to connect until after the festivities.

• 

  Diwali sari

  

  celebrating with my Airbnb hosts

  

  Rangoli

  

  Rangoli

  

  Flower Rangoli

  

  Lunch with Anita and her family

  

  Final night in India with Sushama

• I found Sula wines on my last trip to India in 2011. I was pleased to discover that the main vineyard was located close to Mumbai, and I decided to take a tour. I'm so glad I decided to leave Mumbai and spend a day in Nashik. It was super crowded because so many people were on vacation due to Diwali. Sula Vineyard gives amazing wine tours and tastings, and they have great restaurants on site. Lots of families were there just enjoying being outside of the city.  

  

  my favorite wine

• Indian Railways is not for the faint of heart. I learned that "General" class is not for me or anyone else who values their life. There are no assigned seats. Basically, you get in where you fit in, which means people crowd the aisles and sometimes hang out the door just to get on the train. The sleeper car is one step up from general, and is the spillover from general. Passengers have assigned seats, and the aisles and doors are filled with people who couldn't fit into the general compartment. It is pure chaos. I made the mistake of buying a general ticket and gave up for the day after not being able to get on 2 trains without risking my life. My Airbnb host helped me buy a sleeper ticket for the next day. I'm glad my trip from Mumbai to Nashik was only 3 hours.

  

  people sleeping at the train station

  

  local train

   
• Toastmasters International was well represented in India. I visited Thane Toastmasters twice while I was in Mumbai.

  

  Thane Toastmasters

  

  Thane Toastmasters - Best Evaluator

• Safety is not a priority. I found this to be the case across India, Indonesia, and Thailand.  Developing countries need to transport people by whatever means necessary.  They can't afford to be safe, yet.  I've seen all kinds of "unusual" scenarios on motorbikes, such as families of 5; toddlers standing on bikes; people carrying ladders, surfboards, and large bird cages; and dogs riding bikes.  (Check out the video below.)  People do not wear helmets or seatbelts because they can't afford them and they are not always required.  They will cram as many people as possible into auto rickshaws and cars, buses and trains too.  Maybe in a few years, passenger safety will be more of a priority.  
• I can see huge growth in infrastructure from my last visit.  There are new developments in housing, roads, and even basic necessities, like public toilets. I'm so glad that I didn't see anyone using the public sidewalks and roads as toilets this time around. I also noticed fewer blackouts.  Either the electrical grids are stronger or more businesses have generators that make power blackouts less noticeable.

Baha'i Temple