21 days India trip...your last minute recommendations
 

After postponing in two ocassions a trip to India, at last I will be experiencing what I think will be a lifetime experience (February 8, 2008). Healthwise, I have all the vaccinations up to date (including Meningitis and Typho). My whole trip was prepared and organized by what I considered to be a very professional and responsible Tour planner (at least in the planning stage): Mr. VP Singh. We have been interchanging e-mails unti I was completly satisfied with all the places, activities and transportation he prepared for us. Will visit New Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Jaiupr, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udapipur with stopovers in Rohet and Ranakpur. The Car used will be a new Toyota Innova. What is left? Will like to hear your "do not forget" and recommendations on money matters, possible scams and things you would have done if knowing with anticipation. By the way, I read the post by Rajuindia already. Anything left?

Thanks in advance

Take every opportunity you can to get out of the car and walk and see things. While the roads are interesting and you will not for a moment not see something going on, that is not the way, IMO, to see the country. Get out and get into the mix.

Take a least one Indian train ride. You are otherwise missing out on what I believe is part of the fabric of the country; not the least of which is to experience an Indian train station. The best people-watching going.

You do not have to speak to any tout, nor be polite to them, nor acknowledge their existence. Americans are polite in the extreme (really, it is the first thing I notice when I am back visiting the US), and this sometimes works against us. Just ignore them.

Try to keep a supply of small bills, esp Rs 10 notes, for tips. Small change is hard to come by in India but is very useful for people like the shoe guys in mosques, temples and other sights like the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal. You should leave something for these guys, and Rs 50 is way too much. If you visit a temple or mosque, its often a welcome gesture to leave some money (like you would in an offering box in a church). It's a token and Rs 10 is appreciated, although it may seem like nothing to you, it does still go pretty far in India. Try to get change from hotels and when you pay entrance fees at sights. Other than that, I don't think you will find any money issues, as ATMs are so prevalent now and credit cards so widely accepted.

I believe you may have some long car drives. You might want to bring some CDs or even some tapes (hopefully the car has a CD player) as otherwise you may get quite tired of the drivers Punjabi and Hindi/Bollywood music. A little is pleasant, and there is some good dance music out there, but days on end and you will be wanting to commit suicide. Otherwise an ipod and earphones.

Bring earplugs in case your hotel is next to a mosque, a train station or the loud-hailer used to call the drivers up to the front door. Or if the ceiling or walls of your hotel are thin. (Or for the above Punjabi music.)

I hope you have had a chance to do some reading on the history and cultures you will be seeing. India has a long and varied history and a number of major religions and it does help to have a background to what you are seeing, esp in Varanasi and of course the Mughal history in Rajasthan. An understanding of modern Indian history is helpful as well. There are many excellent fiction and non-fiction books are there, reading lists have been posted on this site before you might run a check. Personally for someplace like Jaipur, I just love the memoirs of Gayatri Devi, who is the last Maharanai of Jaipur, called "A Princess Remembers". But there are lots of other good books out there.

Expect delays and breakdowns, including of cars and electricity. Take it in your stride. Things may not go to plan. Rather than railing against minor things, I try to tell myself it is a miracle that a country of a billion people, which manages to bring together a bewildering number of religions and languages under a democratic form of government, works at all. I find this helps when the lights go out during meetings.

the car will be fabulous...we had the same one...

your driver will change money for you probably and get a good rate...
we used atm's mostly....many only allow a small amount of w/d at one time, so if you need more $$ and your bank charges per withdrawal, be ware.....

i looked for american or european banks for atms for avoid this...citibank for instance...

hone your bargaining skills and keep it friendly...but be persistent...

great bargains of all kinds...clothing and cloth...

make sure to visit anoki, especially in jaipur, the original one....we had to go back 3 times for my wife to load up...

Thanks Cicerone and rhkkmk for your valuable recommendations.

Cicerone: I will be taking an overnight train from Varanasi to Agra (just for the experience). I've been reading the 2007 edition of Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Varanasi and Agra to be informed at least of some historical facts and places to eat. It has some very easy to read maps of the cities and the most importants forts.Thanks for the books recommendations, I will look into it.

rhkkmk: What is Anoki?

Take ziplog bags...trust me they will be handy.

Take sanitizer paper towelettes ...they are great for wiping things down. India can be a dusty dirtly place.

Take tissue packets - public toilets may not have toilet paper...like on the train.

Take pepto bismol

Yes, take everything in stride, this is India where anything can and WILL happen.

Pepto Bismal is an absolute must. You will need it, so do not leave without it.

Buy and drink lots of good water.

Do not get tired of taking photographs. You will really enjoy looking at them years later

I think I said this privately but if you are shooting all digital bring lots of cards. Bring enough to shoot 100 pics a day at least. Everything is colorful in India even burning rubbish.

Re digital photos - we called into a couple of internet cafe's en-route and downloaded our pics so we could take more without buying extra cards.

we travelled for a month in november 07 with car and driver arranged through vp singh doing very similar itinerary. we had a great 3 weeks then 4th week we both became ill with e-coli probably from chicken dinner in Jasailmer at a good restaurant. We took overnite train second class ac- (quite an experience) to jaipur but unfortunately we did not see any of it due to illness. After 3 days our driver took us to hospital in delhi where I was admitted for 4 days and my husband for 9 days. We had excellent care, doctors and nurses were great, in spite of hospital being quite old When we return to India which I am sure we will we would definitely go vegetarian. We had even taken Dukoral and all other precautions. India was a truly memorable experience and is like no other place we have visited. enjoy

Why would you return?? I know I'm going to stir up lot of s... with this post, but .... Here goes.

We had traveled to all of Southeast Asia throughout the past 15 years and never been really sick. We were in India. We had a private driver and car and mostly ate vegan and/or at "safe" places. We tried to travel with an open mind and to not see India with Western eyes and values.

The place is filthy! My impressions of the beauty of the Taj will forever be tainted by the overwhelming smell of urine as one approached the main building.

We loved both the small guesthouses and Heritage hotels in wihch we stayed, but once you stepped outside, the TRASH was there. How can a whole country not pick up its own trash in its own front yard of a country????????

Please don't lecture me about western values vs. air pollution, etc. Every small step begins at home. And, yes, I do my share for a westerner.

For the money spent, one can have a wonderful time in Southeast Asia, Europe or Latin America, increase ones odds of not getting sick and get just as much cultural and epicurial "bang for the buck" than India!!!

Are we glad we went?? Yes, definitely --- but would we go again!!! NO WAY!!! I am such a travel junkie that I can only say that about India, after all the places that I have been.

Reading this is not comforting a week before we leave... What was the restaurant in Jaisalmer? I want to avoid it!

the restaurant was called
Trio recommended in guide books. We are just assuming it was the chicken we ate but can't be 100% sure.

One of the best meals we had on the whole trip was in Jaisalmer. It was Little Italy, the first immediated door (and steps up to it) right inside the main fort's gate. Great piazza and pasta!!

Marija,

I am leaving for a month long trip on Thursday. I have been to India before and I wanted to tell you that if keep an open mind, you will see so much more then poverty. And, quite frankly, if you're dirt poor I would suspect your priorities wouldn't be cleaning, but perhaps surviving. I have had the privilege of traveling a bit and have seen some horrifying poverty. It is not native to just India.

The other thing is that India is also a country of enormous wealth. That's part of the dichotomy that defines India. So, my unsolicited advice is to keep an open mind. Remember, India is the world's largest democracy, it has also has had one woman president and one woman prime minister. How many countries can claim that?

Have fun!

Thanks for your encouragement, melliflous. We're leaving on Saturday for 4 weeks. Where will you be?

We found that in terms of shopping the best items were those purchased in or near the area which is noted / famous for the particular item / craft . Taxes are also less or non existent if they are items made in that State . For instance the inlaid stone work ( from tables to small tiles )for which Agra is famous was of the best quality in that city .Our driver / tour guide took us to one place and whilst we felt a little pressured and did not really know the going rates for items , bought a small box inlaid with malachite , turquoise, and several other stones .It is gorgeous and we saw little of comparable quality elsewhere during the rest of our trip . Likewise we bought wonderful large hook rugs/ weavings in Delhi ( made in Kashmir )at one of the Department stores that specialise in Craft to which we were taken by our guide , who I might add asked if we wanted high end quality or not before taking us there .Well it was a great store at which we bought the rugs plus Sharmina and other things . We made the same observation about quality there as we did in Agra .So my tip is to be aware of what things are specialities of the region and if interested buy them in that region / state .The Dept. store shipped rugs home without any trouble at all.

How can you say you are glad you went, cmeoni, then turn around and discourage others from making the trip.?

India is very dirty, but the worst food poisoning I got was in England. Picked up a mean case of dysentery in Mexico, and again in Spain. And I did get a bit of Delhi Belly for a day in Varanasi, but i was eating pure vegetarian.

You need to be extra vigilant with sanitation issues in India, but it is possible to get sick anywhere. Ask all the people who got sick (or died) from those semi-sterile Jack in the Box restaurants a few years back.

India is not for the feeble. I've been there three times now and planning the fourth trip for May. Like lots of places in SE Asia, Latin America, Africa, and even Baja California it is dirty, crowded and has lots of poverty. But the rewards for those who take the effort are great. I had some of the best meals of my life there, and the people and sights are just so wonderful.

We went for about a month in December/January 2006-2007. I recall a Mr. Raj Singh having been recommended by a Fodor guide, and we initially investigated with him and then ended up using Travel Corporation India, Ltd. which has a New York City office, primarily because they were the U.S. booking agent (along with Sita travel, the government agency) booking for the Deccan Odyssey, the one week private train operated by the State of Maharastra Tourism Development Corporation (and similar to the Palace on Wheels since we met two other couples who had just debouched from that journey). If you have time, recommend taking this train since it shows you a part of India which is rather off the beaten track.

Alternatively, you might think of visiting the State of Kerala which we did for four days (too short -- driving distances are long, allot about a week).

Best suggestion: book directly with the airlines so you can change your tickets at the airport without having to have your travel agent rewire (a hassle sometimes, depending on where your agent is housed). We recommend Jet Airways, a private concern, and by all means, pay the extra and buy business class. They have a special fare arrangement for foreigners, and it is a lot easier changing itineraries (as we generally seem to do mid-trip as we canceled Varanasi and Khajurao and ended up in Kerala).

Another word of advice: bring your U.S. GSM cell phone with unlock code (unless you have already unlocked it) and buy an Indian cell carrier sim card. You will need two passport-sized photographs for the application form, but I recall it cost about 1,000 rupees (or about $25) for such a large number of minutes that we never used it all. Very useful for calling your agent, other hotels, airlines, etc. Even works for overseas calls at a fraction of the price of U.s. roaming charges. Our hotel in Delhi, our initial stop, the Imperial arranged all of it, and it was a life saver (particularly since my significant other insisted on changing our trip mid way through).

Another thought: if you are booked at the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, inquire upon check in about a suite upgrade. It is worth every penny. Alas, we could not do this since I overspent our budget buying jewelry in Jaipur (our previous stop) but for a couple of hundred US a day one could get a REALLY big room.

Because of the distances involved and the traffic, you might wish to consider flying instead of driving. This option allows you to see a lot more of the country, although, I confess, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur can only be reached by train or by car.

Another note: if you are taken to temples with very devout Hindu guide(s), remember to refrain from wearing black (covered legs and shoulders are a given) and give to the people who solicit donations to feed the poor. Twenty rupee buys food for one person per day. You will need to remove footwear when entering temples, so I suggest Crocs which are rubber, washable and politically correct.

Marija,

We are flying to Mumbai for a week to visit with some family that lives there. We are then going to fly to to South India for two weeks beginning in Trivandrum. We will see Thekkady, Munnar, Cochin, and Kuardrakom. Then back to Mumbai for the rest of our stay.

We are looking forward to our trip as I feel India is a glorious and exasperating country all at once. One of my most memorable sights was when we were at the Taj Mahal. The sight of all those women wearing those beautiful sari's at one of the most lovely places in the world, well, I was moved.

Have a lovely trip and enjoy yourself. I expect that if you weren't adventurous at heart, you wouldn't be going to India. Have a great trip.

I was interested in the recommendation not to wear black when visiting temples. I have to tell you that at least half my wardrobe is black - black pants, black sweaters, black tee shirts. What is the negative significance of black? Will it be inappropriate to wear black in the evenings to dinner or to visit forts & other sights in Rajasthan, such as the Taj. I was planning on bringing a goes-with everything black cardigan, and a black jacket to wear if it gets cool in the mornings & evenings. (We're going in February).

I had not heard of any issue with wearing black in India generally or in Hindu temples specifically. I also don't recall seeing anything in guidebooks regarding not wearing certain colours in Hindu temples or on festive occasions, other than red generally being worn by Rajasthani brides. (Like you do in guidebooks for China and Chinese cultures where white is the colour of mourning and is to be avoided when attending a wedding or when sending flowers to people.) The poster refers to not wearing black if you are with a &quot;devout Hindu guide&quot; (which may of course be hard to know). You don't see many women wearing black saris or even navy blue (as Diana Vreeland says, <i> pink </i> is the navy blue of India), but I believe that has more to do with climate where dark clothes would attract and trap heat. I myself wear a lot of black in India and throw a black shawl over whatever I'm wearing in the winter, so let's hope I haven't been offending everyone for the last 10 years. One of my closest friends, who is Indian and Hindu, got married in a very very dark blue sari, so again, who knows.

I did ask my Indian colleague in New Delhi after a conference call this afternoon about the black thing. He seemed to recall a legend about black representing unrepented or unforgiven sins. That may be what the poster was referring to. But then he said that for some festivals, attendees ONLY wear black to show devotion, so there you go. The poster may also have heard something from a tour guide that is wrong. I remember speaking with a woman at the JW Marriott Mumbai about a year ago who had done a two- day tour with a local guide in Mumbai who just filled her with completely wrong information, including things like the Towers of Silence being built by Jains, so sometimes the tour guides don't know whereof they speak.

In my experience with Indians, no one is going to react if you wear black, any more than they are going to be react if you eat chicken in front of them and they are vegetarians. I find that Indians are extremely tolerant of others' beliefs (with some exceptions, but generally we could learn a lot from them) and don't try to convince others of the superiority of their position. Most importantly, I can't imagine that anyone would dream of saying a WORD to you, as a guest in their country, if you were wearing black, even if personally they found it a little unsettling due to their own religious beliefs. I certainly would not have any concerns about wearing black to a restaurant or shopping, or if you have any worries at all, to any tourist site that does NOT involve a Hindu temple (the Taj Mahal of course involves a Muslim mosque, so no worries there, and much of Rajasthan is of course Mughal history and therefore Muslim relics and not Hindu).

Thanks, Cicerone. I was hoping you would reply with your usual good in-depth info. Very reassuring. I'm not a pink person, but I do have a fushia top I can throw in to wear with --- you guessed it -- black pants or a black skirt.

Some Jain temples prohibit the wearing of black (dont know the reason) as well as entry with leather items - the enforcement of these rules varied from temple to temple, but since we were aware of the the issue, we never tested whether the prohibition of black was enforced. My leather trimmed purse went in sometimes, was required to stay in an anteroom another time. You might have to leave your water bottle outside, too with your shoes to get warm in the sun.

http://www.eternalglories.com/traveltips.htm

We didnt experience anything of the sort at Hindu temples.

ok, so now I'm worried about bringing a leather purse. In fact, just bought a new one with lots of compartments for travel. Should I run out and buy a fabric one? Wish I had known all ofthese things earlier...we're leaving in a week.

I really would not do that. Theoretically, when you visit a Jain temple you should not be wearing leather or <i> anything </i> that comes from killing a creature, and that includes silk (because of the silk worms). Fur of course would be out. But I don't think they would stop you for anything but the leather shoes. (Really devout Jains wear mouth masks to avoid unnecessarily killing insects, and they don't use transportation at all, they walk.) But no one expects you to come on foot.

If a temple is very conservative, they will have a place for you to leave any articles that they do not want you to bring into the temple. Indians understand that others have different beliefs and are very tolerant of them, they only ask that you respect their customs when in houses of worship. I think you are stressing over nothing, this is not at all unlike going into a Christian church in Europe where in many places you would be expected to have covered head and shoulders. But no one would keep you out if you weren't Christian, were living with someone without benefit of marriage, practiced birth control, etc, all of which are taboo in certain Christian theologies.

If you know that you are going to a Hindu temple on a particular day, or if you are going to Rankpur which is a major Jain sight in Rajasthan, and if you are worred about it, leave the big leather purse in the hotel. Otherwise, don't stress over it.

just came back from some of those places. i have been sick in india the last two trips so i was gonna be extra safe this time. a place if you would like great italian is in udaipur go to savage garden. i just went to my lonely planet book and looked it up.great vibe and outstanding ravioli need i say more...also they use bottled to cook with...

I've been to India 3 times but was not sick despite brushing my teeth using the water from the tap and buying Indian desserts where the locals frequent. I was sick when I visited Vietnam, Korea, Bali and Bhutan.

gilawi01,

Please send me email again off list. I can't find the original email you sent me!