Fed Up Fed Up Fed Up

When you plan a trip to India you start to get advice from everyone. Anything from don't drink the water to how to go to the Kalighat Temple without having your shoes stolen. Some of it is good and some so racist you want to gag. No one discusses how helpful India service staff is for the smallest most basic things and how infuriating this can be.

I stepped off the plane in Mumbai and walked into the first bathroom. Many of the stalls were occupied so I wandered down the row looking for one with the green open indicator on the lock. The attendant then pointed to an empty stall (which I was already heading into) and handed me my share of toilet paper. (Traditional Indians don't use toilet paper so they don't know how much is required). She then entered the stall and wiped the seat with a dirty rag. I went into the adjacent stall because really, like I'm going to wait for a dirty seat. (Toilet seats here are usually wet and I carry anti-bacterial wet wipes, so no problem). Come out of the stall and try to wash my hands. Only 1 in 3 of the sinks had soap. The attendant stands beside the paper towel and hands me two paper towels - you know, because it is so hard to pull these out of the dispenser myself. And I think I'm supposed to be grateful for the service. All I can think is 'dude I understand how to take a piss. It doesn't require this much help'.

This level of assistance is applied to everything but often just slow enough that it's irrelevant. If you do not let yourself be served it can escalate to an argument. Never get into this argument; it leads to crappy, slightly hostile service you can not get away from. In your hotel it will last days and spread amongst hotel staff members.

So my options are to be so fast it's done before they can offer, or, expect the service and tip well for it. I waffle back and forth depending on my mood.

I find it very frustrating. I feel like I'm robbed of my independence and self-sufficiency - ideals that are not valued here.