India still has some way to go before it reaches the status of lads holiday favourite. For a start, there’s a distinct booze scarcity. You can get it, but often it takes a fair bit of hassle to locate. Even when your graft is rewarded, it’s common to find the bottle wrapped in newspaper for dignity’s sake. In Jaipur we were even served beer from a teapot. It just won’t do for your serious British booze boys.
Even worse for the potential stags is the lack of man’s other primary desire- women. From the tourist perspective, men are everywhere, and women nowhere. Men run the hotels, the shops, the laundry, the temples, the kitchens. Even more commonly, men also simply lay around the streets.
Women, on the other hand, remain indoors and at home whenever possible.
According to our guide, the one time you see Indian women with any regularity is on their holidays. Away from home, women often love the opportunity to break free and hang out in public, far from their family.
But in Rajisthan, spotting women can sometimes be as disappointingly difficult as going on safari with expectations of seeing a tiger.
I like to think that perhaps they are keeping their heads down in study, ready to one day tell the men on the street how much better things could be. Increasing numbers of female graduates indicates possible truth in this theory.
