I went to India. This is my first time in India. My client is from India, and he was going back home for a family reunion (72 people!). I thought this was a rare chance to visit India and a rare opportunity.

Since I am from Kansai, I flew from Itami Airport to Haneda Airport and then to Delhi Airport. The transfer from domestic flights to international flights at Haneda Airport was complicated and I got lost on the way there and back.

My itinerary this time was Delhi→Udaipur→Deogarh Mahal→Ajmer→Jaipur→Delhi.

• People are friendly and smiling.
• The food is healthy (mainly vegetables and spicy, so you probably won’t get fat no matter how much you eat)
• Clothing is vivid and available in many sizes. The country is a textile country, so the fabrics and sewing are well made.
• You can feel the power of the Hindu gods.
• Hotels average just under 10,000 yen per night in this time and are spacious enough.
• One rupee is less than 2 yen, so you can get your change to JPY by doubling your rupee.
• Prices are about 1/3 of those in Japan in my feeling , so I enjoyed shopping.
• Cows are cute. They have really beautiful eyes.

I guess I can sum it up like this.

Udaipur is a lake town and the hotel was really nice along the lake. I bought a lot of clothes here. Since this area is in the northern part of India, the colors of the clothes are all very nice, with vivid colors such as red, blue, green, yellow, etc. In India, red, green, and gold are the most popular colors and are considered auspicious colors, and there were many such color combinations. I wanted to buy a bracelet, but I could not put my hand through any of them. Perhaps Indian women wear brancelet from the time they are a child, so their hands are soft. I think they have soft bones in their hands. I have very tough bones, so the size did not fit me.

We also went to the Saheliyon-ki-Bari (Garden of the Friends). This garden was created by the king for his daughter so that she and her friends (women only) could enjoy it, and there are fountains here and there. There are fountains all over the place, and they are not electrically operated, but naturally occurring. It is truly amazing to see the scientific viewpoint of the people of the old times.

Deogarh Mahal is a hotel that is part of the local king’s mansion. The king was away on a business trip, but I was able to meet the princess. She is like a member of the royal family in Japan, so her manners and mannerisms were very refined. She told me that she would like to visit Japan. It is a miracle that we were able to have an audience with her.

We had some time before dinner, so we went on a safari tour. It was great to ride on the back of a truck and enjoy the nature while taking in the wind. On the way, we visited a Hindu temple that was built more than 1,000 years ago. The fact that the temple has been solemnly worshipped from ancient times to the present is impressive in itself. We were able to pay our respects.

On the way back from the safari, we passed by a 300-year-old tree, and as we passed by it, I felt a warm breeze. It is quite cold at night in India, but when I passed by the tree, I felt as if it was heated. It was a very miracle experience.

In Ajmer, I visited one of the client’s family companies. I knew the name of the company for a long time, but this was my first time to meet the people of the company. We toured the factory and went to each floor to meet the people in each department. It was interesting that sales department (almost ladies) had bright and beautiful room. I also met the president of the company, a very nice and reliable man. I also met someone from the finance department, who was like me. As is typical of the finance department, I could see that they were concerned about very practical matters such as the company’s finances.

My client had a meeting there, so I was taken by the company to the temple and this You Tube service, where I was dressed in a traditional Indian costume. I am not usually a make-up wearer, so I was very happy. I did not know what they were doing, but they spent very much time on my eyes. The Indian costumes were sparkling and the accessories were so beautiful gold. I am very impressed that they made such a nice video for me.

We ended up staying in Jaipur because there were no flights to Delhi in Ajmer.

All in all, I can say that the people are very kind and full of smiles. I was invited to tea ceremonies here and there, where I was served sweets and tea or coffee. It was very useful for me to practice my English hearing and to expand my conversation from words I could understand.

I also saw cows, goats, and buffaloes, which I thought were very cute because they are domestic animals in India, just like my cats. I saw a cow trying to cross the road while cars were passing by, and I wondered if she was going back to her house.

It was all so lovely. When I told Indian people that I was from Japan, they were all very happy to see me.

Finally, at the Delhi airport, at the baggage check, I had SENSU (a handy fan) in my bag, and the inspector stopped me and said, “What is this, a knife? I unfolded it and showed him the SENSU, and when I looked at my passport, he greeted me in Japanese with a “konnichiwa” (hello) and I was able to check in with a smile.

Finally, the Indian economy, I was told, is very good. On the first day, I asked the cab driver, “How is the Indian economy?” He said, “Very good. As is the case in any country, the economic sense of cab drivers is a true representation of the country’s economy, and India is the only country in the world where the economy is doing very well. I did not see any people living on the streets.

The year of 2022 was a difficult year for me, but I was able to visit the land of the Hindu gods at the end of it, so I am sure that next year, 2023, will be a good year for me.

Thank you very much for  people in India.