by Eugenia Koh
[box]Think Singapore, think clean roads, efficiency, and… fines. So when a Singaporean visited India, what happened? Eugenia Koh, who recently visited Delhi, Agra, Udaipur and Jaipur, shares more about her trip – in typical Singapore style! Text and pictures by Eugenia Koh. [/box]Bitten by the travel bug, Eugenia loves exploring and setting foot on new sights and lands. An optimist by nature, she finds beauty and fingerprints of God’s goodness wherever the cheap air fares and travel winds blow.
One of the worst kept secrets about Singaporeans is that we love acronyms. Driving about Singapore? Ask any Singaporean and you would be told to take the CTE, BKE and AYE, and warned about the ERP.
Being born and bred in Singapore, I am hence going to recount my recent trip to India with an acronym – INCREDIBLE! (Yes, the Incredible India advertisement by the Tourism Authority of India has made a firm imprint on me!)
Indian weddings – I love Indian weddings and it was for a wedding that my friends and I flew into Delhi. My favorite part of the Indian wedding? Definitely the sangeet! What I love about it is the festivity and dancing involved – from the young to the old, everyone gets on their toes to celebrate the joyous union of husband and wife. It was heart-warming seeing all the grandmothers, grandfathers and grand aunties on the dance floor, a sight that would definitely not be seen in the traditional Chinese weddings!
Naan – Food is an extremely important component of trips for any Singaporean and my friends and I were looking forward to chomping down tons of naan, butter chicken and palak paneer, alongside cups of masala chai. We were not disappointed. The food was absolutely fabulous! We Chinese are typically a carnivorous people and we never really understood how one can be vegetarian and miss out on the joys of meat. Traveling in India and being faced with the huge range of vegetarian options showed me that this was definitely possible – just not back home! So where did I have my best meal? I would say it 
would have to be at Ambrai in Udaipur!
Culture – The Indian civilization dates back to more than 3000 years ago and the various forts we visited were steeped in such rich history and culture. From tales of the great king Akbar to the great lover Shah Jahan, each monument and fort captured our imagination and filled us with an awe of the glorious empires of before.
Restful – While India is typically portrayed as being chaotic, amidst a backdrop of traffic and slums, I found rest and tranquility in Udaipur. Udaipur – the charming lake city of the Golden Triangle – drew us in with its laid-back hospitality and many lakes. The beauty of India is being able to afford some luxury without breaking the bank. While my friends and I are certainly not in the same league as the Hollywood jetsetters – whom we’ve been told include Madonna, Richard Gere, Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman – living it up at the famous Lake Palace Hotel, we found our own slice of haven at Radisson Plaza Resort & Spa, Udaipur.
Energy – there is tremendous energy in India, belonging to a people living in a time of change, of economic progress and development. This energy is uplifting, especially when we see how the young are striving for a better tomorrow. There was this young boy I met while purchasing some bangles in a small shop in Jaipur. My friend and I walked in near closing time, desperate to accomplish our mission of shopping for bangles. This young boy was tending the shop alongside some others, and his service was just impeccable. He was smiling and patient with our ceaseless demands to see design after design, and at the end of it all even refused the tip which we had wanted to give him! We left not just satisfied with our buys, but highly impressed by the attitude of hard work and professionalism shown by our young attendant.
Design – In the land of maharajahs, one would expect only the best in design for their palaces. As I gazed at each intricate carving and workmanship – be it the Qutub Minar, the Taj, or at the Amber Fort – talent and skill come to mind. It’s mind blowing to think that so many years ago, people were already so advanced in their craft. It makes me wonder – for all the accomplishments mankind has touted through the years – whether we have truly progressed in skill, or if we have sadly lost a valuable set of craft and exchanged it for another.
Intense – From Chandi Chowk to the traffic jams and packed auto rickshaws, intense is one word that comes to mind. It didn’t matter how
many times we came across these packed cycle rickshaws through our trip. Each time I continued to be amazed at the number of people that could be packed in, and the ease with which they hung on as the rickshaws raced through traffic alongside the Nanos, BMWs and heavy duty trucks.
Beauty – Sadly for many Singaporeans, our perception of India has been heavily influenced by Slumdog Millionaire – of India being one big dirty and grubby country. What surprised me was hence, the beauty that was found through all the cities I visited – not just at the majestic Taj Mahal but also at Lodi Gardens in the heart of Delhi, the breathtaking sunset when driving into the pink city of Jaipur and alongside the famous Lake Pichola.
Laxness – Coming from a country known for its strict laws (yes, there is no sale of chewing gum and you can be fined for jaywalking – though everyone still does it!), seeing and hearing of corruption each day was jarring to us. We saw many policemen along the highways who were trying to collect bribes from the vehicles, and ourselves were stopped for a long time as our driver was made to negotiate having to make additional payment for entering one of the cities. Along the way, we heard stories of the targets which these policemen had to meet in terms of the bribes collected, and how many have gotten away as long as they had deep coffers.
Extreme – Everyone who has visited India say it is a land of extremes. And while one heads to India prepared to witness such extremes, it still strikes you and makes you reflect and ponder. To be fair, India is not the only country with extremes – in many, if not all countries, there continues to be a huge income divide, a huge disparity between the haves and have-nots. I guess what’s striking though to me is the extreme indifference towards women in the countryside. As we were driving through the towns, we saw many women in the fields toiling, many women who were making fuel from cow dung. Where were the men? Chit chatting, drinking and gambling by the side! As a woman myself, I must say I was suitably annoyed at the sight!
