Tag Archives India

One of the first questions that pops up in almost everyone’s head when you want to travel it how to get the finances together. I know that was a major issue in my case and also the reason I started saving for a year before I wanted to take off. I’ll just come out and say it, I kind of suck at saving money. Even though this is not my best quality, I was still able to save quite a bit of money by applying a few simple rules. So now, without further ado, here are my top tips to save money for travel!

Arriving in India I waited for the famous Indian culture shock for quite a while. Visiting Kerala, the most southern province of India, was a bit overwhelming, but there was nothing that was too much for our senses. My first true culture shock came while visiting the Calcutta flower market also known as the Mallik Ghat market. It was a very powerful experience and still is one of the activities I’ll recommend when visiting Calcutta or Kolkata in West Bengal, India. Just as I’m putting it on your to-do list, it was praised to us as a true local experience by a friend of a friend and, he was right. This flower market is, just as most things in India, unlike any other flower market you have visited before. I went thinking of Columbia flower market in London or the local foreigners market (aka vreemdelingenmarkt) in Antwerp and quickly had to adjust my expectations. First of all they don’t sell flowers to put in vases and you will most certainly not find any plants. What you will find is fresh flower petals, flower heads, flower decorations and garlands in all colors and shapes. Most of these flowers will be used for ceremonial purposes and only a small fraction of the flowers will be used to decorate a home, unless there is a ceremony held within. The most important flowers are yellow and orange marigolds, roses, orchids and several other flowers that all serve a different religious and/or medicinal purpose in daily Indian life.

Surfing in India, it’s a thing? No really? Ok I was a bit surprised when I heard this, I didn’t take India for a place where you could surf, let alone as a country with a surfer’s paradise. However in Kerala (which is in the south of the country) the sport is becoming more and more popular. Some of the local surfers are even turning it into a careers as they’re competing on an international level (including my surf instructor, Sha). Right before sunrise you see them coming out, eager to catch the biggest waves of the day. It’s quite a spectacle to watch as most of the Indian tourists and locals also head to the beach when the sun is going under. Together with these surfers, the beach really is the place to be at this time of the day.