I arrived in Delhi one cool December evening and was picked up by the company that would, two weeks later, be taking my family on a customized tour of "Northern" India.
But first things first, I was off on a two-week adventure to the South!
At first, India reminded me a lot of Bangladesh; with regards to traffic and the insanity of their driving techniques. After having spent a year in South Korea, however, it was a welcome breath of fresh air to hear people say "excuse me" or "sorry" when I was bumped along the crowded airport. But unlike Korea, the men stared. A LOT. I guess it comes with this part of the territory.
At the guesthouse where I was to stay the night before going to Goa, I met a Brahmin Hindu and we talked of religion. Perhaps not the most PC start to my trip in India, but I'm not the average traveler either. He was quite interesting. We spoke of honesty and who, among the Indians, were the most honest.
The following are his impressions, not mine:
Muslims are 10% honest
Hindus are 30% honest
Sikhs are 99% honest
Interesting...it would be nice to hear what others think about this breakdown.
Apparently Sikhs are the most honest because of the way they follow their religion. They are great people of honor who donate regularly to charities and other such organizations as part of their role as humans here on earth. So when doing business, they uphold that sense of honor, hence their trustworthiness.
I once worked for a Sikh family in Montreal. They owned a textile company and made beautiful things. They came from the North-west part of India, the Punjab region. A very nice family, though I couldn't say whether they were more honest than other Indians I met while in India.
Day 1 over, I was ready to rest and get ready for my adventure to the south the next day!
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