I was also captivated by India after visiting Bangalore/Mysore, and I figure part of the reason was the feel of authenticity and connection to old world Asian tradition. You actually feel the gravity of their earthen and spiritual way of life, grabing you out of the way of wealth accumulation and constant fight against the entropy of tax/mortgage/rush hour commute.
But then again such romantic notion was of course assisted by the short and honeyed stay at 5 star hotels.
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