I have done a fair amount of traveling in my young adult life and almost everywhere I go, I experience some form of hassle and harassment. It happens in Europe where my skin tone blends better with the locals, but it tends to happen more in countries where I am obviously a foreigner. I don’t blame these people who can instantly tell that my wealth vastly exceeds their own for asking/pressing/begging me to share it with them in exchange for whatever goods or services they offer, often at grossly inflated prices, and I was prepared for this in India, but the reality has been remarkably hassle-free. The cities certainly have their fair share of beggars, but not considerably worse than my own NYC. In markets, we are greeted with a “Hello” and an offer to browse their supply, but we are rarely followed or propositioned more than once. When we do require a financial transaction, the prices we are initially quoted are often fair and subject to little negotiation. In some situations, I have no doubt that this price is higher than an Indian would pay, but this is true price equilibrium in effect: buyer and seller mutually agree on a price that suits both parties and often results in a surplus for both. Even when the seller inflates his number, the buyer can still feel like the price is cheap and everyone is happy.
We took a train to the Keralan Backwaters for the recommended tourist attraction of renting a houseboat to cruise the canals and lakes of the region. I expected a swarm of boat captains dragging us onto their vessel in a tourist meat market but was greeted instead by a friendly young man on the dock who casually showed us the offerings with reasonable prices and eventually settled us on a beautiful ship with a friendly crew. They cooked us some typically fabulous meals and guided us around the region with insights into the “natural life” of the villagers. We tied up for the night and walked around the village our captain had grown up in — just a few homes on a narrow bank between a lake and endless rice paddies. It is a simple existence for these people and a far cry from the madness of the bustling cities. While I feel like I spoil it a little just by being there, I definitely appreciated the serenity of the environment and slow pace of life for the inhabitants. Boat travel has a special tranquility to it that lulls you gently into meditative peace and is completely opposite from typically intense Indian bus or train travel. Both types of experiences, though, seem essentially vital to appreciating Indian culture.