India in a nutshell

Yesterday Tane and I travelled from Delhi to Agra. During this trip we saw snake charmers, dancing monkeys, an elephant walking down the road, cars with approximately 15 passengers, women wearing saris of every colour in the rainbow and horses weaving between cars (and cows) as they raced down the motorway. "Wow, India is amazing, I love it here!" I thought. Five minutes later we stopped at some traffic lights and an old man with deformed hands came up to my window and starting scratching his hands on the glass. He left, leaving my window free for a teenage boy to come and suck on the window while making kissing sounds. "Wow, that's gross" I thought.

Tane doing his "I'm not paying attention to you beggars and touts so stop pestering me" walk through Agra

Based on our experiences in India over the past few days I think that's India in a nutshell - everything I see either repels or amazes. There doesn't seem to be any in-between here, nothing to be indifferent toward. So far I love India, but if I have many more experiences like today when I was poked repeatedly in the rear by a young beggar I might revise my opinion. Whether we leave India having enjoyed it or not, one thing's for sure though - travel in the West is going to feel pretty boring in comparison after this.

Sacred cows near our hostel. While Tane was taking this photo I got surrounded by four men wanting me to ride in their rickshaws.