Gray Line Wanderings Travel Blog

The Streets of New Delhi, India. Photo by Author.

Traveling in India is as taxing as it is inspiring, as frustrating as it is easy, and as intriguing as it is overwhelming. Laden with a deep culture that cannot be observed and that is never talked about, its hard to understand what’s going on around you as a traveler in India. So how do you get to the bottom of it? Read!

Indian authors with experience abroad or expats that have spent years in India are often best able to convey these complex themes in the form of literature. Whether you’re about to embark on a journey to India, have always wanted to, or are simply looking for a good read, here are 5 books about India for you to dive into:

1. The White Tiger - by Aravind Adiga: The White Tiger is a tragic yet humorous tale of one boy’s rise in India’s impenetrable social hierarchy through hard work, perseverance, and… murder.
2. The God of Small Things – by Arundhati Roy: In The God of Small Things, the author sheds light on the country’s adoration of Western values through the story of one Indian family. The novel traces the evolution of the family structure as the family grows apart after a tremendous loss.
3. Life of Pi - by Yann Martel: The son of a zookeeper is set adrift on a life raft with wild animals when their trans-oceanic ship sinks. Though the majority of the story is set at sea, the reader is exposed to various elements of Indian culture through stories from the protagonist’s childhood in India and how life circumstances changed.
4. Holy Cow! - by Sarah Macdonald: A cynical recount of one young woman’s return to India after a miserable Indian backpacking experience in her youth, Holy Cow is interesting if not the most serious of reads. While the tone is often sardonic and a bit harsh, Macdonald doesn’t hide any of the details or critiques of modern India.
5. Shantaram - by Gregory Roberts: Shantaram depicts one man’s moral development in India after escaping from an Australian prison. This book is SUCH a page turner that it won’t take you as long as you’d think to read its 900+ pages.

Have any great books about India to recommend to other travelers? Tell us about them in the comments section below or on Facebook! (Click here if you can’t see the comments: Trying to Understand India: 5 Best Books about India)

Photo of Author Wai-ing with Ronald at a Thailand McDonalds.

I have always had a shameful fascination with American fast food chains abroad. I don’t even remember the last time I ate a Big Mac at home, but put me in a new country, and I’ll be scarfing down a super sized fries the minute I can’t handle another bite of pad thai.

McDonalds is probably the ultimate in globalization and product adaptation case studies, so this is not really a bad habit… just research. So in the name of educating people everywhere, here is the run down on a few Asian countries’ McDonalds:

1. McDonalds Indonesia: The standout quirk at this McDonalds was neither the McFlurry nor the Mac, but instead the unusual side order. Not feeling fries? Dive into a white rice patty–not to be confused with a rice paddy–with your burger. I don’t get why anyone would make that substitution, but hey! The Indonesians were lovin’ it.
2. McDonalds Thailand: Thailand has managed to Westernize faster than its SE Asian neighbors, so I suppose it was no surprise to me that the McDonalds menu was pretty much the same. Besides the wai-ing Ronald at the door and an entree option of spicy pork and basil, this McDonalds was not so shocking after all!
3. McDonalds India: Devoid of clown imagery, the Indian McDonalds was just as different as everything else is in India. From a beef free menu of Maharaja Mac and Spicy Paneer Sandwiches, I selected a simple chicken sandwich. However, as not to be overshadowed by its Indian brothers, this sandwich came with a Puri Puri Spice Mix and a Shake Shake Bag for mixing it all together. The unique culinary experience at this McDonalds might be as distinct as they come.

Have you had any interesting observations at a McDonalds or other fast food joint abroad? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook!

The Raj Mandir Theater. Photo Taken by Paula Anderson, friend of Author.

It’s glitzy, glamorous, and rhymes with Hollywood… it’s the very dramatic, very Indian, and very fabulous Bollywood!

After a hectic venture to the train station, we arrived at the infamous, enormous Raj Mandir Theater in Jaipur, India for a screening of House Full II. Though we may not have been in the actual Bollywood, the big screen and buzzing crowd was enough to make it feel like the real deal.

We bought snacks of Samosas, lemon sodas, and chocolate bars. When I asked if he had change for a 100 rupee bill in the changeless Jaipur, he responded “No Problem!”, yet administered my 5 rupees change in the form of cheap candy. Oh well…

The lights faded in the lobby 15 minutes before the screening and the illuminated theater revealed a crowd dawning silk saris and traditional tunics. We slid into a row amongst Indian teenagers and families, and by the number of stares, soon recognized that we were the only foreigners at this screening. We found refuge from the attention as the lights dimmed, but then the true ridiculousness began.

Imagine a story of trickery and deception encompassed in an extravagant display of physical comedy, enormous group dance numbers and a Hinglish script.

The Big Twist Revealed at the Wedding. Photo by Friend of Author.

We were able to work out the bits about an arranged engagement that sours when the man finds a new woman to love. Then, in attempt to seek revenge on another family, a series of staged engagements converge on an island, in a house divided, and eventually in a palace for a wacky yet tremendous eight person Bollywood wedding.

Don’t get it? Probably because even after watching it, the movie made just enough sense to be terribly confusing.

Though the finer details of the twisted plot were lost in translation, plenty of drama, some shoddy special effects and the occasional English “What have you done?!” served as an illuminated walkway to eventual understanding.

So my very first venture to a Bollywood film was altogether better than expected. It was crazy but genuinely funny, well produced, and filled with elaborate song-and-dance numbers that were as catchy as the slightly modified Western originals.

Only the truly stoic could have left without breaking a smile and that’s more than I can say about most Hollywood romantic comedies.

Not interested in going to a Bollywood movie anytime soon? You can also check out some of the wacky movies coming out of the enormous cinema industries of the United States (Hollywood), Nigeria (Nollywood), Indonesia, Hong Kong & Egypt.

Have you ever had a funny experience in a foreign movie theater? Let me know in the comments below! (If you can’t see Facebook comments, click here: Raj Mandir and Mid-Day Adventures with Bollywood)

Only in India can a quick walk to the bank be interrupted by a scuffle with a petitioner, a negative aura reading, and a near death-by-rickshaw experience…

Notorious for its touts and scams, navigating your way through New Delhi is a learned art. Whether you’re walking to your favorite spot or exploring a new part of the city, the best way to avoid any unwarranted attention is to walk like you’ve had the direction in your mental-GPS since the day you were born… and when you walk past the same street again 10 minutes later, utterly lost, you act like you just wanted to check out the area.

It’s a confidence and an assertiveness that you’ve got a direction, and usually, with the walk, you can avoid some unnecessary ventures into tour shops and rickshaw rides without even breaking your smile.

Usually, I pride myself on my ability to stay out of unwanted situations when traveling, but today, the hawkers were coming on strong, and there was no amount of poise that could get me through unscathed.

At this point, I had been a solo traveler for approximately two hours. My friends took off in the morning and I was left behind in the hotel room with a head cold, an almost empty wallet, and a nearly unplanned itinerary. I took initiative and peeled myself out of bed for a quick jaunt to the bank, but as I was reminded, nothing comes so easily in New Delhi.

I pioneered my way into my alley and was immediately accosted by a woman collecting “signatures and no money”– as usual, “no money” actually meant “some money”– but I managed to decline as politely as possible and escape her sharp-nailed grip before getting seriously trapped into anything.

I had barely strided away when I received a complimentary-yet-unwelcome aura reading from a baba pacing beside me on the road. “Hello ma’am. I want to tell you… You have a good heart but a negative energy from my three very serious problems. Very very serious. Your life is terribly out of balance. I think you are a little insane.” …Thank you? I suppose I could have paid to learn that I am oversensitive and that I lack focus, but I actually already know that, and I really just need an ATM.

“Oh Wow. Thank you sir… maybe I come back later?” I said as I quickly changed to the other side of the road.

Listen guys… I’ve got a head cold and an attitude, do you think we could do this later?  I thought. Maybe they would have left me alone if they realized I had less than $8 in my possession.

Finally, as I rounded the corner to the bank, a bicycle rickshaw sharply cut left behind me. I jumped back to find my space obstructed by a mango stall. Luckily, I made it up on my toes, pinned against the steel table and barely avoided getting my feet crunched by the passenger cart of the rickshaw. I didn’t expect an apology, or even wait for some acknowledgement of what just happened. It happens at least thirty times on a good day.

Getting to the bank, the intention of the trip was nowhere near as significant as the trip to get there. When traveling, it always takes a while to find your feet and even longer to grow your teeth. There is a steep learning curve to knowing when to talk and when to walk, when to smile and when to scowl, when to be polite and when to argue.

After today, I suppose even walking like you know where you’re going isn’t always enough, but it’s still worth a shot.

Here are a few quick tips for avoiding touts when traveling:

1. Most important of all is walking with purpose!

2. Throw on sunglasses and look straight ahead in touristy areas. Pretend not to hear the “hellos” and “where are you froms” coming out of nearly every shop if you don’t have the time or interest in buying.

3. When confronted directly by someone, simply say a genuine “No, thank you” and keep walking. If you slow down, it becomes a lot more difficult to walk away without being rude. If they are persistent, it helps to have an excuse about why you’re in a hurry.

4. Ask for information from people with no vested interest. Don’t get directions from a rickshaw driver or shopping recommendations from a silk shop owner! Instead, ask at an upscale hotel, someone on their way to work, or a fellow shopper.

What’s your best trick or tip for avoiding touts when traveling? (Can’t see Facebook comments? Click here to view the full version of the Walking Like You Know Where You’re Going Blog Post)

“Sonja wake up, we’re going to be late!” Jory violently shook me from the best sleep I’d had since I arrived in India four days prior…

It was 5:30 am and we had one hour if we were lucky, to get through the gates to watch the sun rise behind the Taj Mahal. Everyone had expressed to us that this was the only way to experience it. They would swoon saying, “the lighting… THE LIGHTING!” I quickly threw some cold water on my face, collected my things, and ran out the door.

“Hola, Hola, Coca Cola!” greeted Omar, the rickshaw driver we had commissioned the day before. Amazed by his enthusiasm at such an early hour, we climbed in and relayed our desperate situation. The spicy, sweaty, floral scent of Agra attacked our senses as we flew through the eerily silent city. Dawn began to break and a sense of panic started to seep in, “what if we miss it?!”

Once we arrived we quickly bought our tickets, fought off beggars, peddlers, and even monkeys – only to discover we were not the only ones to have this stroke of genius. The line moved slowly as the horizon began to lighten. After being searched by four different guards, a precaution taken in thanks to the attacks in Mumbai a few months prior, we finally crossed the gates as the sun kissed the sky. There she stood white marble veiled in a pale pink glow, blushing, as if someone had drawn the curtains too soon. The water in the pool guiding you to the entrance blinked as the light hit the surface. We stood in awe, and being a hopeless romantic, I began to tear up, not only because of its striking beauty but because it was built as a monument of love. After a moment of standing in silence I looked over at Jory and was relieved to see that she was just as moved by the experience as I was.

“They were right” she whispered.

I smiled and responded “the lighting…!”

What travel experiences have you had where timing really was everything? Share with us in the comments below! (if you’re having trouble viewing Facebook comments, click here)