
1. Barbers —
In India, it's not just the hair on your head that gets a snip. Barbers will take their scissors to wayward eyebrows, tufts of ear hair and nostrils. Then it's time to actually get started.

2. Enterprising street vendors —
India's street vendors sell the usual fakes and food, but also offer services such as ear-cleaning, dentistry and astrology.

3. Old world trains —
One of the largest rail networks in the world, Indian Railways is 160 years old this year and lovingly known as "the lifeline of a nation." Indian trains carry more then 20 million passengers a day. In great shape? Not often, but always a classic experience.

4. Notorious celebrities —
In Bollywood, a former pediatric nurse trainee turned porn star can launch a mainstream acting career. That'd be Sunny Leone (pictured), the most searched celebrity on the Internet.

5. Accessorizing —
From pearls to Jaipuri gems, Indian jewelry is coveted the world over, but Indian women wear it best -- all at once.

6. Comfort food —
Sweet, sour, steaming, creamy ... in India, every kind of food is comfort food. Some of our favorites? Kebabs at Mumbai's Mohammed Ali Road or Makhan fish at Amritsar's Lawrence Road.

7. Gesticulating —
In India, no language gets across better than the head-shaking, wrist-flicking gestures that are part of an Indian's genetic makeup. You'll need to observe and learn quickly if you want to keep up.

8. Obsessing over cricket —
In India, cricketers are revered as gods and extravagantly paid. Watching a live Indian Premier League match is an unrivaled experience, a nighttime floodlit spectacle featuring semi-clad cheerleaders, fog horns, drummers and fireworks.

9. Festivals —
You won't find a better chance to experience Indian hospitality than at one of the many festivals held every week. Here, revelers smear colored powder for Lathmar Holi festival in Nandgaon.

10. Hill stations —
Matheran, a hill station, or city in the mountains, is a walker's haven.