One of the most surprising concepts to me in India was the amount of tipping that was expected. From the beginning, we were asked for tips. I figured that there are two types of tips, those for a service well done, and those to ensure good service.
I do understand for service well done, tips I would expect, like carrying our bags, a bus driver or tour guide. The tipping I did not necessarily agree with was the bathroom, taking a picture with someone dress in traditional dress at a tourist attraction, a person watching our shoes at a temple (you would assume the worshippers would be honest?!) or the guy who was directing our elephant or horse drawn carriage.
I did bring my own toilet paper and paper towels in my purse in the event that the supplies were lacking. In a few instances, the 'attendant' did not look happy that I was not taking her toilet paper or paper towel on the way out or giving her a tip. I felt bad at first, but as the trip went on I was used to it.
Twice when we had already paid for a ride on either a horse drawn carriage up to the Taj or an elephant up to the Amber Fort, the driver asked us for his tip before we reached the destination. I was quite taken aback, and maybe they should have asked if we enjoyed the ride, but then remembered that they were only asking for a $1USD at the most.
Tipping also was challenging for me as we did not have small amounts of money at the beginning as the the ATMs only shoot out higher bills, but in the end the concept that 46 rupees = $1, still throws me for a loop. I felt like 100 rupees was a lot, but in reality, only about $2!
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