India: The colorful country of the open and communicative people.

What a contrast to China or Japan!!!

Many women in colorful silk sarees shovelling plane earth with their bare hands into a wide basket, which they later carry on their heads to dump the earth somewhere else. Unbelievable sights on construction sights... In Germany 1 person would use a "bulldozer" and have the work done a minute.

Unfortunately a lot of poverty is seen in every bigger city, not only in slum areas. It is common that outside of any 5 star hotel youhave people living on the pavement on the sides of the hotel. And that on a major 4 or 6 lane street, sleeping on the bare concrete, having nothig but a few rags they are wearing.

In Delhi the government has set up the rule that if you give anything to a beggar who is begging at a red traffic light you have to pay a fine. I think that is a good regulation taking into account the amount of beggars that get killed when the traffic light turns to green.

But India is a happy nation. They like to joke around, have great dinners with their big families and friends and go dancing (probably because the Bollywood movies always involve dancing). It is very easy to be great friends with a person from India.