Air travel in India

The air travel is actually fine... there are several good companies, and lots of flights to choose from to get you from City A to City B.  And the prices are completely reasonable.  So.... all good.

Great way to book flights inside of India:  http://us.makemytrip.com/   If you have problems/questions as you look at flights, just call them.  They are *really* helpful. If you will check more than one bag, be sure to talk to the makemytrips person about that also!

My flight from Indore to Mumbai was interesting.... or at any rate, *finding* my flight from Indore to Mumbai was interesting!

Now, arriving at the airport... one would go to check the Departures sign, right?

OK, so the Departures sign is all in Devanagari.  (The script for Hindi and Sanskrit.)

I can read Devanagari (the script on the screen)...  slowly and awkwardly, but I can read it.  So.... now I know my gate number.   (And a bit of wandering about would have led me to a Departures sign in English.  I just enjoyed dealing with the first one I found!!!)

Arriving at the gate, I find a helpful sign saying that announcements will not be made at the gate.   Shhhhhh.  In the airport, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.  (Peace, peace, peace).  OK, no problem!   I am a cheerful and resourceful traveler, and I will simply check the gate information!  But I look at the gate information sign and.....

Nothing.   Not a clue.  Blank.

Sigh.

Actually, there was a fair bit of confusion at that particular airport, where a gate was changed (without an announcement, of course) and neither the agent at Gate 1 nor the agent at Gate 2 had a clue about what was going on.  Fortunately, an Indian traveler figured it out, and we all moved to the correct gate.  I was pretty relieved when I actually boarded that plane!!!


 

My favorite works of Indian fiction

These are not in any particular order. (Although I will admit that A Fine Balance is in the number one position for a reason.)

A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry
Set in the 1970's, during the state of emergency in India.  This is not just my favorite work of Indian fiction... it's the best book I have read. 
http://smile.amazon.com/A-Fine-Balance-Rohinton-Mistry/dp/140003065X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994422&sr=8-1&keywords=a+fine+balance

A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
For an Indian woman (er... girl), the search for a "suitable boy" becomes an all-consuming process.  This classic book is set in the 1950's. 
http://smile.amazon.com/Suitable-Boy-Novel-Modern-Classics/dp/0060786523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994463&sr=8-1&keywords=a+suitable+boy

The Toss of a Lemon, by Padma Viswanathan
The story of a proper Brahmin widow and her family.  Evocative and engaging.
 http://smile.amazon.com/Toss-Lemon-Padma-Viswanathan-ebook/dp/B003K16PNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994492&sr=8-1&keywords=toss+of+a+lemon

Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra
A police story - but so much more than that.  This is a massive novel, and may prove a little hard to get into.... but really worth the effort.
http://smile.amazon.com/Sacred-Games-A-Novel-P-S/dp/0061130362/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994656&sr=8-2&keywords=vikram+chandra

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, by Kiran Desai
A rollicking good time.  
http://smile.amazon.com/Hullabaloo-Guava-Orchard-A-Novel/dp/0802144500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994697&sr=8-1&keywords=guava+orchard

Train to Pakistan, by Khushwant Singh
Set during Partition.  Deeply moving.
 http://smile.amazon.com/Train-Pakistan-Khushwant-Singh/dp/0802132219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414161356&sr=8-1&keywords=train+to+pakistan

The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai
This is a book where I find myself saying "it's like that scene in Inheritance of Loss, where..."  --  the scenes and the characters stayed with me long after I had finished the book.
http://smile.amazon.com/The-Inheritance-Loss-Kiran-Desai/dp/0802142818/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414161322&sr=8-1&keywords=the+inheritance+of+loss

The Death of Vishnu, by Manil Suri
Vishnu is dying in the stairwell... and the entire book takes place while he is dying.  You will feel like you have met the characters, and at dinner time you may be able to smell the chapattis cooking. (This was Suri's first novel, and I loved it -- but I was disappointed in his other novels.)
http://smile.amazon.com/The-Death-Vishnu-A-Novel/dp/0393342824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413994731&sr=8-1&keywords=death+of+vishnu

The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga
Members of my Indian fiction book group all loved this one.  Hard to put down.
http://smile.amazon.com/White-Tiger-Novel-Aravind-Adiga/dp/1416562605/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413994767&sr=1-1&keywords=white+tiger

The Space Between Us, by Thrity Umrigar
Deeply moving story about castes and relationships.  A wonderful read.
http://smile.amazon.com/Space-Between-Us-Thrity-Umrigar/dp/006079156X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413994992&sr=1-1&keywords=the+space+between+us

Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts

Gritty, and a great read.  (I did not like the sequel The Mountain Shadow as well, alas.)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002U5HKZ6/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The City of Joy, by Dominique LaPierre.

Non-fiction -- but as easy to read as a novel.  I was so moved by this story.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0446355569/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i10

And a few more books that I really enjoyed

Serious Men, by Manu Joseph
The Sari Shop, by Rupa Bajwa
Everything written by Rohinton Mistry -- all of his books are wonderful
The House of Blue Mangoes, by David Davidar
Tiger Hills, by Sarita Mandanna

The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay  

Driving in India

The slow version.  Traffic in most of the cities includes cars, trucks, three wheelers (autorickshaws, sort of like a golf cart with a yellow roof), two-wheelers, bicycles, pedestrians... and not infrequently, cows, goats, and other animals.  All of this makes for some *massive* traffic jams. This video captures some of the sense of Brownian motion as everyone tries to figure out a way forward:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZVSiAy6c4

The highway version.  Most of the "highways" are two lanes.  The lane on the right hand side is for oncoming traffic.  The goal of each driver is to pass as many other vehicles as possible.... and since passing puts the driver into the lane facing oncoming traffic, this leads to some interesting situations.  This video captures some of the feeling of constant passing maneuvers:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAWDEcDgbQs

The longest drive of my life was from Indore back to the ashram, in a hired car.  In the dark.  In torrential rain.  With high winds, and trees down all over the place. It was... well, an opportunity for personal growth!