India’s colors and hues are so vivid, it’s as if you’ve stepped into
a perpetual festival. Landscapes and scenes of everyday life took
on a certain magic with astonishing bursts of color and activity.
After nearly three months of traveling the subcontinent, I eventually found
myself enamored with India. Armed with a Canon G3X lent to me by Canon
Philippines, India showed me why it is a haven for photographers. The
country’s colors and hues are so vivid, it’s as if you’ve stepped into a perpetual
festival. Landscapes and scenes of everyday life took on a certain magic with
astonishing bursts of color and activity. From the busy streets of Delhi to the
calmness of the Himalayas, India was truly a feast for the senses.
But as the travel guides warned and the cautionary tales by previous
travelers have proven, India is definitely not for the faint of heart. One must
be prepared to leave comfort and be ready for anything that the country
has on offer, be it good or bad. I had quite a share of travel mishaps in India,
something that I had never experienced in my almost year-long backpacking
trip throughout Southeast Asia. I was near tears from stress and anxiety at the
sensorial assault brought about by the suffocating, dust-covered streets and
never-ending honking of auto rickshaws in Varanasi; I was harassed in New
Delhi, and forced to spend the night on a filthy bed in Darjeeling.
Nevertheless, India was definitely memorable—from the Golden Triangle,
Varanasi, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Amritsar, West Bengal to Hampi and
Goa. Every corner of the subcontinent I visited was a treasure trove of stories.
But traveling around India for three months is not enough to experience
everything the country has to offer—not even a year is sufficient.
Due to its vast size and diverse cultures, India leaves a lot more for me
to explore and a return visit is a certainty. There’s just something about the
uncertainty and discomfort of it all that made the trip not just memorable
but character-building; it inspired in me a craving for the unexpected and a
hunger for new discoveries. That, and I can’t wait to snack again on paneer
butter masala with naan, and a side order of masala dosa.
For more of Lester’s adventures follow him on Instagram @lesterbabiera and @bujibabiera.
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Top left: What I like most about
Punjab are the Punjabis. They
are kind and hospitable. One of
the memorable things that I did
there was going to an elementary
school—me, along with a Dutch
friend, literally stopped the classes
and became campus attractions.
Bottom left: An intense spectacle
between Indians and Pakistanis
occur every late afternoon at the
Wagah Border during the lowering
of the flags ceremony. It is where
locals show their support for their
respective countries by having a
friendly cheering competition.