Some India Philosophies

I know I said a few posts ago that my philosophy is to adapt and just “drink the water and get it all over with in one big swoop and aren’t surprised when you least expect it.” This said, I do have some rules when moving around in the streets.

The first is to frequent places that are busy. This applies to food, shopping, markets, etc. If a place is busy then chances are it is good and cheap (and safe). If it’s empty then you have to ask yourself why.

The second is: don’t fret because it all works out in the end. If something doesn’t work out, chances are something else that is better is destined to happen. I discovered on my last trip that the weirdest things happen when you are emotionally charged. So, this time around I’m trying to keep things mellow and just go with the flow.

The second rule can be coupled with the third, which is: take lots of time. This applies mostly to bartering and shopping. The longer it takes you to come up with a price the lower it will drop (until you hit the sweet spot). I’ve also discovered that the really good items don’t start coming out until you’ve been working with the vendor for a while.

The last is: no harm, just flow. This one is hard to explain unless you’ve been in India. You could be walking down the middle of a busy roadway and people won’t hurt you… like in one of the opening scenes from The Bee Movie when the two main characters are standing in the middle of the road and traffic is flowing around them. Knowing this makes it easier to cross roads (driving is really just a free for all), ride in rickshaws, walk through crowds, etc.

That said, it’s also really important to find the flow. If you just step out in front of a bus you’ll get schmucked… and then everyone feels really really bad about it. But if you can find the flow of movement and go with it, then everything works out. This said, I’ve noticed that I have problems walking with certain westerners because their flow is different and I keep bumping into them. I find this last bit immensely fascinating because I can’t exactly define what flow is — I just feel it. And, it’s not all westerners, just the ones who are having problems adjusting or who don’t want to be here.