Obviously most people's idea of a country tends to be limited until they visit it. I want to know what images come to mind when you think of India. What inspired these sort of ideas? Was it films set in India, or documentaries or books?
Well back when I was an idiot traveler I imagined every city I'd go to would be the typical tourist trap you see on advertising. I thought it would always be perfect filled with beautiful people and cheap georgeous hotels but reality bites, you know? I thought India was Bollywoodland and I'd get to see a lot of elephants but there are more monkeys than anything really. My travels are still great but these days I love cultural trips more than beach side escapades.
That must have been quite a shock, coming to India with those expectations. I wish India were cleaner with more beautiful hotel and gorgeous people everywhere. But I am so glad it's not Bollywoodland, that would have been terrible, I hate Bollywood generally.
I imagine India as two different scenes -- One is a busy city, full of the hubbub of shopping, commuting, etc. Buses, bicycles, people on foot. Lots of noise! People shouting in languages I don't understand. Crowding. This part actually makes me nervous. The other scene that I imagine are lush, dark jungles full of wild animals. This fascinates me. I imagine trekking through the green jungle and spying a panther or a jaguar off in the distance. Of course I know that I will not really be tramping through the jungle, but it is how I imagine it. In reality, I know that India is much more than these two scenes. However, you are right, we do imagine things a lot differently to the reality before we actually travel. It was the same for me in Europe.
Well your image of Indian cities is definitely pretty accurate. It can be stressful at first I'm sure but you'll get the hang of being in such a chaotic environment over time. The second image is something you're a bit less likely to come across, there are several jungles of course but unfortunately you may not spy a panther in the distance. Like you said there is a lot more than these two scenes, but they're not too wrong. There are a lot more mountains and hilly areas in India than people usually expect. Not to mention a lot of beaches. One thing I'm surprised you didn't mention was lots of ancient fortresses and temples, these are lots of both.
I usually think of India as a developed country even though it is ranked as a poor country. I am always motivated by it's advancements in the missile technology and nuclear technology. The recent launch of it's rocket that carried more than 10 satellites to orbit made me to like the country. I don't like it that they have nuclear weapons. I am also concerned about rape cases that usually bombard news channels daily.
