January 01, 2008
Khajuraho
Photographs of temples in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
View picturesPosted by angus at 11:00 PM
January 06, 2008
Sacred cows
One of the things everyone knows about India is that cows are sacred and are allowed to wander wherever they want, including the roads. This is true. However, everything else in India can also be found in the middle of the road, including but not limited to goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, buffalo, deer, dogs (three-legged), dogs (sleeping), monkeys (mostly on bridges, for some reason) people (walking along the road), people (walking across the road), people (just standing around), people (on bicycles), people (on motorcycles), people (in cycle rickshaws), people (in auto-rickshaws and tempos), cars (Indicas, Ambassadors, and other varieties), Landcruisers, buses (deluxe express, aged long-distance, superannuated local, antedeluvian), trucks (modern), trucks (ancient to the point of lethality), tractors towing entire haystacks, camels pulling lumber (in Rajasthan), cricket matches, assorted arts and crafts, potholes, road menders in colorful saris, and approximately six hundred million men with moustaches. Among other things.
Posted by angus at 07:42 AM
January 07, 2008
Indglish
Another commonly-held misconception about India is the idea that English is widely spoken. This is true up to a point, but the reality is that most people's English vocabulary consists of “Hello”, “Which country please?” and “What is you [sic] name?” This falls fairly far short of the ingredients for a compelling conversation. Small children, who have a cargo cult mentality when it comes to foreigners, extend the mix with one or more of “Hello chocolate” (gluttony), “Hello money” (avarice), or “Hello schoolpen” (cunning).
Continue reading "Indglish"Posted by angus at 09:57 AM