zee India Guide: Edition 1.
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| himalayan agriculture (see # 7) :) |
After spending about three weeks in India, I’ve come across a few interesting little tidbits that you might find amusing…
But first, WARNING: the following comments include numerous generalizations based on my brief experiences, so take it for what you wish. J
1. Holy cow. In India, cows are very special animals. Perhaps the most special. Therefore they are allowed to roam freely wherever they choose…such as through the streets. Cars just swerve around them like its no big deal!
2. Monkeys take the place of squirrels. Yep, you’ll just be driving down the road and oh…there’s a monkey, oh there’s another pack of monkeys…monkeys and cows, so great.
3. Driving. Driving is CRAZY, especially in the Himalayas. The one lane roads weave tightly around the steep mountain peaks, providing an invigoratingly beautiful view of the long steep fall below. And there aren’t any guardrails. Haha, Mom, you wouldn’t like it. So when two cars meet on the road, one pulls to the side of the road to allow the other to pass by, sometimes only 6-12 inches from the edge of the road! But don’t worry—our driver is really amazing. He can back up and fit through some really crazy situations.
4. Horn. In India beeping your car horn is used as more of a “hello I’m here” type greeting rather than “hey what are you doing you stupid idiot” like in the US and Europe. Drivers beep when they’re approach a curve, when ya see a pedestrian along the road, when you see another car, whenever you feel like it…haha, so you just hear horns CONSTANTLY. It was a little annoying at first, but now I kinda like it! It makes me smile. Its just one of the sounds of the city…
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| This nice little cow laid a HUGE cowpattie in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk, which i stepped in. Feel the love. |
6. SO MANY FLAVORS! Actually, I think I’ll just have to make an entire post dedicated to food. Soooo to be continued.
7. Agriculture. The mountains are so steep here! So you can’t just plant crops along the slopes like on the gently rolling Virginia pastures, its just too steep. So they use a technique called Terrace farming. They cut into the hill at short, 3-6 ft. intervals, and create a series of little flat levels. Its just like road workers putting in a mountain road, just on a much smaller scale. AND when you have whole mountain sides covered in this type of agriculture, it looks really cool, ya can really see the topography of the land (yeah, I’m an envi-sci dork)
8. Apricots. Its apricot season! There are at least 4 apricot trees where were living in Gajnoi, haha there is even one branch I can reach from my window…yum so good!
9. Pot grows on the side of the road, like a weed. Literally, marijuana grows naturally in the Himalayas. Its just everywhere, lining the roads, in people’s yards…we haven’t smelled anyone smoking it, but its pretty hilarious to see it growing everywhere.
10. Not right. In India, you drive on the left side of the road! India was occupied by the British up until the 1945, soooo I guess that’s how they got mixed up J
11. Tailoring. Especially in the rural areas, women don’t buy much pre-made clothing. Instead, they have their Saris and Kermises made to order by the local tailor! SO I bought some really pretty fabric in Chamba town and had the local tailor make me a couple shirts! And it cost me a total of about $3. Pretty cool yo.
12. Language. Practically each region of India speaks a different language. People in Himachal Pradesh, and most of northern India (where I am) speak Hindi and a little bit of English.
13. Wanna speak a little Hindi? I thought ya did.
Mera naam Maggie hai. = My name is Maggie.
Namaste! = hello, goodbye, nice to see ya, peace, everything.
Tiik-kay = Okay!
Atchaa = Good
Chell-ae = Lets go!
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