So many of the well-traveled people I have spoken to say that of all the places they have visited, India remains the most exciting, colorful, and magical place they have experienced.

One person told me, “I swear that they have colors in India that just don’t exist anywhere else!”

And it seems true – the vibrancy of the vivid colors worn by the women in particular, dressed in their bright saris, spectacularly set off by the gold jeweler that they wear – the color of which isn’t found in Europe, nor the styles and designs. This is all thrown into contrast by their beautiful black hair, shining with fragrant coconut oil, and adorned with garlands of fresh flowers, usually pungent jasmine, which, together with the radiance of people’s genuine glowing smiles, really warms and captures the heart.

The wonderful cooking smells and fantastic taste of the aromatic food, the madness of the traffic, the beauty of nature, and the sheer exotic nature of everything, alongside the sheer spirituality, mysticism, and religious significance that permeates everyday life here guarantees that this is a place like no other - and ensures that India will continue to grow as a captivating European tourist destination for tourists who are in search of something that is in abundance here, but hard to find back home inside their own culture.

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Jane Richter, UK

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