India trip

ur mentor

I am off to India in November starting in New Delhi. All of travelling party coming home after 10-14 days. I want to stay longer having gone so far. Whats it like there on your own? Will have doen Taj etc in immediate vicinity of Delhi. Whats Goa like tese days? Psst its best? Thanks for help

PunyHuman

If you've only got two weeks you could easily see the 'Golden Triangle' - Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. All great places that deserve three or four days each.

Being on your own will be fine. You'll probably meet a bunch of interesting fellow travellers every night.

Go to the Taj really early in the morning to avoid the enormous crowds.

Eat lots of Indian food. Lassis and thalis, mmm. Beats Guinness and coddle any day.

The Termignator

Assuming you're a bloke, travelling on your own is fine. You'll find plenty of like-minded people on each leg of your journey.

A great place worth visiting in the 'Triangle' is Pushkar: the Camel Fair is on during your time there and it's mind-boggling, to say the least. Even outside fair times, it's a pretty cool place to hang out after the hustle of the bigger cities. Hashish-laden bang-laasi (think grass and yoghurt) is a must-have dessert here (no, I didn't inhale).

I'd visit the Taj a few times during the day: the way it changes in different lights is quite spectacular. Apart from that, Agra's a non-event: beware the Maalka (sp?) bazaar, which is ultra-sleazy.

Bombay (OK, Mumbai) is well worth exploring, despite probable images in your head of endless slums.

Goa is full of package tourists now and not the same as it used to be in its hippy heyday.

If you've got some time after your friends leave, hop on a train (first-class carriages are ESSENTIAL for tourists in India) and head to Varanasi to watch the bodies float down the Ganges from the ghats.

Similarly, out-of-the way places such as Darjeeling or other spots in the foothills of the Himalayas are beautiful.

Beware of fellas around Connaught Circus in Delhi who offer to syringe your ears with six-inch-long needles. If you stay still for long enough, they'll poke your brains out.

Bring PLENTY of immodium and the like: you will get the sh!ts within days, no matter how careful you are. Always check the seals on bottled water: it's a big scam over there to sell tourists tap water in re-used bottles and the consequences for your digestive system are dire.

If you are travelling by bus, be prepared for the most frightening white-knuckle rides of your life.

PunyHuman

The Termignator wrote:

Assuming you're a bloke, travelling on your own is fine.

Forgot about that. If you're female you could have a bad experience.

The Termignator wrote:

...Apart from [the Taj], Agra's a non-event

Yes, the city is a dump, but Agra Fort is well worth a look.

The Termignator wrote:

...First-class carriages are ESSENTIAL for tourists in India

I disagree strongly. I travelled probably five thousand kilometres in second-class carriages and found every journey to be a fantastic and rewarding experience. This is where you interact with Indian people.

The Termignator wrote:

...you will get the sh!ts within days, no matter how careful you are

Speak for yourself! I didn't get sick at all for two months. My advice would be to become vegetarian, as butchery hygiene standards are lax(ative) to say the least.

The Termignator wrote:

...If you are travelling by bus, be prepared for the most frightening white-knuckle rides of your life.

And the loudest. Horn OK please!

The Termignator

I've found that even accompanied women get a lot of unwanted attention over there. Sometimes you need to be quite forceful. I would advise women to dress modestly: political correctness doesn't seem to have caught on in the subcontinent.

Example: I'm walking along the street with girl. Man comes over and, absolutely deadpan, says: 'Excuse me madam, you have very heavy breasts.' At which point his hands are raised in a, ahem, cupping fashion and he proceeds to try and grope the aforementioned girl. I intervene and he walks away as calm as you like. Class.

PunyHuman wrote:

I travelled probably five thousand kilometres in second-class carriages and found every journey to be a fantastic and rewarding experience. This is where you interact with Indian people.

You've had good experiences, which is great. A lot of people I came across on my travels there had bad experiences with theft and hassle in the carriages. Indian people are very keen to interact with you everywhere...even in first-class. Functioning air-conditioning and clean and comfortable seats are pretty nice on longer journeys too.

Tip: even when they train is apparently full, the stationmaster always has a 'tourist quota' of tickets for first-class carriages for foreign travellers.

PunyHuman wrote:

Speak for yourself! I didn't get sick at all for two months. My advice would be to become vegetarian, as butchery hygiene standards are lax(ative) to say the least.

Very true. I went vegetarian over there when I saw a dog taking a slash against a carcass that was hanging outside one shop (also in Agra, as it happens). Didn't stop me getting the squits though...

PunyHuman

The Termignator wrote:

Functioning air-conditioning and clean and comfortable seats are pretty nice on longer journeys too.

You're right, of course. It's just as much fun in 1AC as it is in 2S. And yeah we met some folks who'd had stuff robbed in second class carriages. Just exciting to rough it once in a while!

I just found the whole Indian train experience to be overwhelming. The chaat and chai are smashing but the constant roaring of the wallahs can get a bit grating. It's also interesting the way everyone sleeps totally covered by their blankets. This makes the carriage look eerily like a crypt or a catacomb in the middle of the night.

The Termignator wrote:

I went vegetarian over there when I saw a dog taking a slash against a carcass that was hanging outside one shop (also in Agra, as it happens).

Jakers that's rough. We were warned not to eat in any restaurants in Agra because of the rumoured scam where they poison you and send you to a quack doctor who continues poisoning you while claiming huge amounts in medical expenses from your travel insurance.

jhegarty

some tips...

don't buy street food...don't drink the water...(expect bottled of course)...

don't worry about everyone sounding their horns as they drive , its a good thing over there...... but do close you eyes if you ever get a taxi !!!

when you walk past shops people will try and drag you in...

try and get to a market.. There is one in Delhi (I think it was called Delhi heart) I got some great silvery jewellery at a very good price