The Canadian Gals

Hello, we're heading off for a trip to Malaysia (8days)and India (14-16days) this May- feeling a little overwhelmed (but excited)! <BR>Firstly, we're unsure if our destinations within INDIA are the best for: A. first time world travellers B. 3 women travellers and C. the hot month of May (so we've heard)!?<BR>So far, our plan is Delhi, Agra, Varansi, Khajaraho, Bombay, Goa, all by train. Is it too much, are we crazy? <BR>In regards to MALAYSIA- what is absolutely not to be missed??? <BR>ahhhhhh! Any advice would be welcomed and greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

Jen

Have never been to India but live in Malaysia. We have friends who recently came to visit us and also went to India. My first suggestion is to do Malaysia first, as the culture shock won't be quite so bad. I wouldn't bother recommending this but that you are &quot;first time world travellers&quot; and so were our friends who went to India. They went to the north like you plan and they were miserable. Seriously. Got sick, got ripped off, got lost, etc, etc. And they had planned and planned and felt oh-so confident about it before they left. They had a two month trip planned and they bailed and went home after three weeks. <BR><BR>What I have heard, and again, I'm not speaking from experience, but what I keep hearing is that southern India is much easier for travel, and the people are friendlier and more helpful (perhaps less poverty and beggars? I don't know. That is often what overwhelms people who go to India, it seems. I'm not suggesting that travellers should shield themselves from the reality of the places they visit, but it can be hard to take.)<BR><BR>Okay, Malaysia. Don't plan for too long in KL. There's not much to see. Batu Caves are worth a look. Chinatown by night is interesting (nightmarket, designer knock-offs, that sort of thing), go up Menara KL for a good view of the city and of Petronas Twin Towers. KL is a place to shop, more or less, but don't bother clothes shopping unless you are VERY petite - indeed, I don't really recommend it at all unless you are petite AND of Asian descent!<BR><BR>Melaka is where I live and I always recommend it. Very charming smaller town with lots of character and history. If you want beaches on the cheap, my recommendation is Kampung Salang on Pulau (Island) Tioman. You can fly from KL, or take a bus to Mersing and then catch a speedboat. It's cheap, the snorkelling is pretty good and the beach is lovely. It recently became a duty free zone so the beer is cheaper than most of the rest of Malaysia, too. Pulau Redang is another good one. They are both on the east coast - your timing is good weather wise.<BR><BR>Other people will recommend Penang, so I'll throw that in. I didn't get the best impression but I will give it another shot one day! Langkawi is a resort island - not so cheap, fancier resorts. But also duty free.<BR><BR>SKIP Genting Highlands, whatever you do. Cameron Highlands look nice - haven't been yet myself but hope to.<BR><BR>Well, that's my two cents.<BR><BR>Jen, displaced Canadian in Malaysia

Nancy

Having been to India many times as a tourist and on business, my personal view would be that you skip Khajuraho. Other than the temples, there is not much to see and do and it is quite a long trip to get there and back, especially by train. I have flown there and taken the train out, and the only train we could get was via a 3 hour drive to the next largest town. Look at the train schedules at http://www.indianrail.gov.in. <BR><BR>I would suggest you spend at least 2-3 days in Delhi and either more time in Varanasi (fascinating place!) and Agra or add Jaipur to your schedule instead of Khajuraho. In Agra, try to see the Taj at sunset and sunrise and as often as you can because it looks different at different times and in different weather. (The entrance fee is pretty steep these days, so this may cut down on the number of times you want to visit. If you can afford it, stay at the Oberoi hotel there with a Taj view. Go to oberoihotels.com and look at Amaravilas) The preserved city of Fatephur Sikri about an hour away by car should absolutely be on your itinerary as well. You can easily spend 3 days in Agra alone.<BR><BR>The train to Mumbai/Bombay from any of the northern cities you have listed would be quite long. I am not sure it is worth it. I would suggest you look into flights. Mumbai is a very big city with lots of traffic and will be very hot in May. This would be another place I would consider either skipping or spending at most 1 /1/2 days in. Don't know what hotels you are considering there, but if you can stay at the Taj or the Oberoi those would be the best location-wise (the Oberoi is a bit further down the coast, the Taj has the best location but is a bit older.)<BR><BR>I probably would also fly to Goa from Mumbai, as there are quite frequent flights.<BR><BR>India is challenging, but the rewards far outweigh any negatives in my view. Just be prepared for some things to go break down or go wrong -- especially delays in travel, and keep a sense of humour about it all. There are three of you, and my personal view is that women are much more relaxed travellers when things go wrong; maybe we don't take it so personally or something. The Indian people are for the most part the most warm and welcoming people in Asia, the Malays being a close second in my book.<BR><BR>I lived in Singapore for 5 years and travelled very frequently to Malaysia. I agree with the above poster that you should do Malaysia first and get your feet wet with Asian travel that way. I am a big fan of the east coast rather than the west coast. I have topped several recent threads for you on the east coast of Malaysia. I am not a fan of Tioman Island as I think there are much nicer islands in the area. Read the other threads on this.<BR><BR>Finally, I highly recommend two books &quot;Culture Shock! India&quot; and &quot;Culture Shock! Malaysia and Singapore&quot; which gives a fairly comprehensive and in my view accurate picture of culture and customs in India and Malaysia. The books are part of the Culture Shock series of books published by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company. You can buy them on line from Amazon or your local bookstore can order it for you. The Indian one may be particularly helpful to understanding India better.<BR><BR><BR>

Nancy

One final word about weather in India: you are travelling at basically the hottest time of year in all the places. New Delhi will be hot (90 F) but dry and Mumbai and Goa will be hot (85 F) and humid. (The rainy season starts in June, so try to go toward the beginning of May if you can, unless you want to experience monsoon, which is an event in itself.) This is another reason for spending more days in fewer places rather than trying to rush around seeing everything. The hot weather will slow you down in how much you can (and want) to do and see everyday. Bring a hat and drink plenty of water. For historical averages of temp and rainfall, go to worldclimate.com

dan

I wouldn't recommend India for first time world travellers (a bit late to say that i guess). I have never been to malaysia but i can tell u a bit about india, if you are travelling by train buy an inflatable pillow, really. Also i recommend you get a prescription for nurofloxin. It's an antibiotic that helps with 'delhi belly'as well as make sure you boil/iodise water. If you buy bottled buy fizzy as the locals can refill bottles without breaking the seals. As long as you don't get ill you'll have a wicked timee and your itinerary looks rushed but fun.

Nick

Some really sensible advice being given here - especially Malaysia first and fly advice.<BR>On my trip went to Delhi,Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. Delhi for me at that time of the year is 1 day and get out. I have been to cities notorious for pollution - e.g Mexico City, Prague - for winter inversions-and never really experienced any bad days. Delhi was unbelievable - especially in the evening when the trucks came in. I stayed at Taj Palace in Diplomatic area and walking into the gardens at night time the smog was disgusting.<BR>Udaipur with its lakes I think would be nicer than Jaipur at this time of the year. Lakes will give it a cooler feel, whereas Jaipur has more of a desert feel. Quite liked Jaipur especially Amber Fort, but Udaipur is prettier. Fantastic countryside out towards Kumbalgarh Fort - 45-60 minutes by taxi. Although Agra has great sights -as described by others here- I thought the town was a complete hole - something that my Delhi friends all thought as well - so my view is a day trip by train first train there and last back- but book in advance. I had to go by bus and it was a long and unpleasant trip even on tourist bus - e.g lets wait for an hour at a shop while waiting for 2 people to shop till they dropped and the guide could get a big commission.

Jen

I would consider myself a world travel, but I have to say that india is very hard to handle if you are not properly prepared for the crowds, extreme poverty, and heat. I'm not saying not to go, but I consider myself a very open minded person and believe me, India was hard on me and my friends. Just be prepared for the reality of it all and don't go b/c you like the &quot;idea&quot; of India.

Rajhelp

May is HOT but what is a world trip without India!<BR><BR>Trains do not go all the way to Khajuraho and it is TOO HOT to travel by bus, so it is better to skip it.<BR><BR>Rajasthan is well equipped with reasonable Air-con hotels and swimming pools, so do not miss it.<BR><BR>Goa is great in May - you will have lot of company too!<BR><BR>Good luck!

TLP

THANKS TO ALL THAT HAVE REPLIED! We are feeling less overwhelmed and have decided to make some small changes to our India itinerary because of everyone's honest, helpful advice! Taking it easy and enjoying India was our plan all along. I think we just got a little caught up in everything the country has to offer. Any more advice would be great, i love hearing what travellers have to say about their experiences.<BR>Thanks again, The 3 Canadian Gals<BR>P.S Anyone wanting info on Canadian travel is welcome to email me directly!

TLP

To: Jen, the displace Canadian in Malaysia,<BR>I forgot to ask in the above posting;<BR>Where in Canada are you from? I am curious if you are working in Malaysia, all of us are either University graduates or soon to be and all interested in working and travelling abroad at some point. We are from Edmonton, ALberta. If you want my email address is [email protected]<BR>Hope I am not being too nosey. Thanks again for the advice, KL in particular, we were planning on spending 3 days- but we'll cut it back to 1-2. Teresa

Jenner

Hi Teresa,<BR><BR>I'm from BC (grew up in the Okanagan, college in Nanaimo). I'm not working here, but my husband is (he's a chiropractor). Of the &quot;new grad&quot; expat set that I've met, most of them are teaching, but I don't think the pay is really all that great here, compared to some other countries.<BR><BR>Sorry, not much help, am I? Have fun on your trip!<BR><BR>Jen

bclad

Hi Jen,<BR><BR>Great to know there is someone who had lived in the Harbour City. We are from Nanaimo and will be in Malaysia next weekend. <BR><BR>