Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

I traveled through India in the late eighties alone as a woman. Not backpacking, but unfortunately with a suitcase, I could not lock away anywhere. I was fascinated by the country and always wanted to go back. When I was in India I regretted the most that I was not prepared and in many ways helpless how to deal with street vendors who would attach themselves to me for hours , especially in Rajasthan. I never had one single problem with Indian men or with beggars being a big nuisance. And I was surprised to read Macdonald's tales in that respect. Maybe it made a difference, that I dressed in the traditional Salwar Kameej and mostly covered my blonde hair with a shawl.As I am planning to go back one day I am always looking for books, which would help me to confront India the next time with more understanding and preparedness. I want to end up in the hotels, I have chosen instead in the hotels the taxi driver chooses. And I want to learn a little bit more about the religions, and the festivals of India, as I have been practicing Yoga now for over 20 Years I am planning to visit at least one of the ashrams.So when I happened to read about the "Holy Cow" I bought the book and read it within one day. There is no question that pollution and noise was a major problem for me too. But I have to admit that I found it even worse on my subsequent visit to Bangkok. I was not as lucky as Ms. Macdonald to actually live in India, I nevertheless have met mostly friendly, helpful and welcoming people. Of course I realized that I had to pay much more money than the locals and it frustrated me first. But complete strangers opened their house to me when all the hotels were booked in Bangalore and saved me from virtually sleeping in the street.As everybody always told me to expect huge amount of poor people, I was prepared for the worst. I have to say I have seen similar or worse in Nairobi, Haiti and for me personally more shocking in the United States, as I was not prepared to see beggars in rags sleep in the entrances of 5th Avenue apartment houses in New York. In enjoyed the colors, the temples, the palaces, the overwhelming tidal wave of humanity of India. I loved the food,- got only sick once a little bit -and the different landscapes.I enjoyed the book and the humor and the honesty and it gave me a lot of interesting insights in the different ashrams, I could relate to much of it but my personal experience was more love at first sight despite of all the difficulties.Oh, and I thought the cover was very funny. After all I suffered through enough Bollywood movies on the luxury buses :>))).

First, I have to note that all of the negative reviews of this book have the following key phrases or similar: "after a few pages," "barely a few pages in," and "within the first few pages of the book..." Yes, it's true, the beginning of the book is not exactly a politically correct celebration of another culture. It's a brutally honest portrait of how we spoiled Westerners tend to genuinely respond when we are confronted with poverty and lose the luxuries that have defined our lives and made them so easy. But she's sharing her experience, not writing a Travel India brochure and she doesn't claim to be speaking for anyone but herself.Its pretty clear that the negative reviewers did not read the past those first few pages they mentioned, however, because while she retains her humor and fun style, this writer gradually learns about all that India has to offer and begins to develop an appreciation for its complexities. Although she ultimately rejects fully adopting any of the prepackaged spiritualities in India, she develops herself spiritually by taking something valuable from each one. It ends up being an experience that she sees as significantly developing her spiritual life and improving her marital relationship for the better. So, I highly recommend if you are going to read this book, read the whole thing. And PLEASE don't write a review until you've read the entire book.This book is largely a fun, interesting and informative read if you enjoy reading memoir type books. I enjoyed joining her on her spiritual journey. And I believe I learned about India while still appreciating that my perception could ultimately be quite different. Admittedly, in some areas, it gets a little too self-absorbed or drags. For example, it started to feel a little redundant around the third quarter, but it quickly picked up again after her life changes on Sept. 11, 2001. Ultimately, I recommend this book for folks who like introspective, travel and/or memoir style books.

A great read - full of surprising facts and crazy religious festivals, plus astute comments on the Indian mentality. Really interesting if you are visiting India.

Es un magnífico acercamiento a la cultura hindú, vista por un extranjera, sin embargo lo recomiendo en español para quienes somos hispanoparlantes

Really loved this book ,learning about the everyday life of an expat in India through her humerous rendition.I am going to travel through India this year for the first time and found this book a very useful tool. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the read.

Fantastic made me laugh gasp and cry very honest and real account of what you may encounter (I’m guessing) will let you know when I go😊Just love the different sides and perspectives presented in this book

Love this book.