Now for the first in what I’m sure will be a long series of “What NOT to do in India” posts. For instance, you should not decide on a random Sunday night that you think that you’re in the mood for an adventure. And you should not let that idea lead you on a walk around the city’s Krishna temple block. Once there you probably should not start thinking about how cool everyone’s jewelry looks, particularly that of the nose variety. You should not conclude that because you’re by a temple, getting a ‘traditional piercing’ would be a cultural and spiritual experience. You should not trust the little old man that looks like he knows what he’s doing because he’s wearing traditional clothing and doesn’t speak English. You should not convince yourself that it’s ‘okay because it’s traditional’ to use fire and a rusty knife to sharpen the piece of metal that will be attached to your face. You should NOT let him proceed with attaching said metal, and once attached you probably should not pass out on the ground for a solid minute surrounded by a large group of people laughing at the weak American.
You really should just stay home and read a book.
You really should just stay home and read a book.