Time moves fast here. The days seem to quickly disappear and I barely notice when one passes and another begins.

I have had a strange journey so far but the strangest thing of all is that I am no longer shocked, and so much more accepting, by what just a few weeks ago was, well, ‘strange’

Let me share with you some experiences that I have had.

I walk down a street and an elephant passes next to me or a camel and of course tons of cows and stray dogs all around.

Stray pups, my new passion is to feed dogs and cows

I meet someone in one town or city, and a few days or weeks later I bump into them again on the street in a completely different place(THIS IS SO GREAT AND SO COMMON).

I met Avinoam in Delhi my second night, bumped into each other in Jaipur weeks later and again in Udaipur

Will from Scotland, met randomly on the street in Jaipur, decided to all go to lunch together, a few weeks later we turned out to be staying in the same hotel in Udaipur

I see dead things, literally! Dead human bodies, dogs, birds… Morbid maybe, but really it is common.

The ever present smell of urine… At first this was so grotesque but now it is a normal smell. Everywhere seems to be or have the potential to be a toilet

actual toilets for men in the street

I have stepped in poop so often I no longer even feel the need to wash it off immediately. Stepping in cow poop is good luck, right?

I have seen men walking naked through the streets in small towns (bus ride from Jaipur to Udaipur).

Seeing people pick their noses. People in the streets just go for it, they stick their fingers in without a second thought. Gross! Well, not really anymore because with all this dust my nose is always crusty and I also want to stick my fingers in my nose!

Spitting, a lot, even in restaurants I can often hear from my table someone spitting up flem. YUUUUCK!  I would starve if I was so picky about hygiene here. And a little flem adds extra flavor, right?

All in all India always has surprises in store for me, some are good and some seem bad, but I can’t seem to get enough of this place. The weird, shocking stuff is part of this amazing living kaleidoscope and I will miss it so much.