cmenoni

My husband and I are trying to decide where we're going next year in Asia. We've done almost all of southeast Asia. He wants to go to China, and I want to go to India. I would only like to hear from those of you who have been to both. PLEASE VOTE!! Thanks a lot!!

encanter

My vote goes for India! It is a lot more colorful and most importantly, the country's attractions are not made so "artifical" and "touristic" as those in China.

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kalpana

i live in india but have also visited china as a tourist.i would def vote for india-culture ,food,historical sights much more than china has to offer.

BostonHarbor

Been to both. Loved both, but would vote for India especially since you have traveled in third world countries. If you hadn't, I would have told you to go to China first as visting China it easy. India should not be your first country in Asia. In my opinion, India is a tougher country to deal with--beggars, touts, delays etc, but I can't get India out of my mind. I will go back to India for personal travel, I probably will not go back to China except for business.

cmenoni

Thanks so much for the responses so far. Please keep them coming!!

agtoau

This is a no-brainer - India, by a long shot! You will either love it to death or hate it with a passion. No middle ground there. The entire panoply of human experience with unfold before your eyes, sometimes in the same frame - beauty & wretchedness, splendour & dire poverty, kindness & cruelty, personal warmth & indifference, utter innocence & guile, you name it, its there. In America you will drive 400 miles and not have a story to tell, in India you walk a mile and you will have a dozen crazy things happen to you.

Disclaimer: I'm Indian, and hence not an unbiased commentator.

Cicerone

Time of year would be the deciding factor for me, you really cannot, IMO go to India in the summer months, esp if you want to see Rajasthan and other parts of northern India. It is just too hot or too rainy and humid. I love India but it is much much much better seen in the winter months. The beaches of Goa and Kerala are also at their best then as well. When is the trip.

If your trip really is next year, IMO I would wait until 2008 for China and include the Beijing Olympics as I think they are really going to be the best in a very long time. This is the biggest event in China since the Communist revoltion, and in many ways is even bigger than that....

cmenoni

We would be going in October/November.

Cicerone

Well, I would definitely avoid the PRC the first week in October as that is a major holiday week. Later in October would be good, and temps would be very nice, not getting too cold yet. For India if you go toward the end of October and into November you will have pleasant temps, still warm, but not hot; it may be humid in spots like Delhi still but will be very bearable. Downsides would be that the east coast areas like Chennai and south all the coast will be quite rainy as the monsoon is there then, but you may not be interested in these areas on a first trip, esp. if you only have 2 weeks or so. Beach areas like Goa and Kerala area a little rainier too, but November is definitely better than October, and Goa is less rainy than Kerala.

Other than that, I don't know that I want to vote in a husband-wife dispute. I will tell you what my "gut" feeling is about the PRC in the fall of 2007. (I live in Hong Kong). I think you will find a LOT of stuff under scaffolding and construction as every place will be getting ready for a deluge of expected visitors for the Olympics in 2008. I could be wrong about this, but this is my feeling and my impression from my visits recently, everyone is just gearing up and focusing on 2008. This will not just apply to Beijing, although this will be the worst affected. I know that parts of the Forbidden City are currently under scaffolding, and this may remain so until the summer of 2008. I also think you will find hotels undergoing redos as well other than very new ones. I personally am telling friends from home to hold off on traveling until either the Olympics or afterwards, when everything has been spruced up nicely. If you don't want to go to the Olympics themselves (and if you have never been to one, you really should, they are a great experience IMO), then if you go after them, say fall 2008, you will get all the nicely redone hotels, tourist sites, museums, etc and won't pay the Olympic prices. I assume this is not your last trip the rest the of your lives so you could do TWO more trips to Asia....

jacketwatch

I think what everyone has said is true. I have been to India 5 times with my wife who was born there. Time of yr. is a determining factor and for India Nov. would be better. I agree with Agtoua, you will be passionate one way or another. I know from personal axperience to be cautious when traveling there in terms of health. Check with a travel clinic or the CDC website about med. prophylaxis. Usually anti malarial meds are recommended and I would think advisories are there for China as well. Delhi is fantastic for tourists as there is a wealth of atttractions to see. Most people do what is called the "Golden Triangle" which is Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. If you have seen much of SE Asia then definitely go to India this time.

taitai

India, India, India. Can't wait to go to India. However, our kids are only 2,2 and 3 so wait we must. Too long of trip to leave them with the grandparents (we would miss them too much) and they are too young to deal with the heat, disease and poverty they will no doubt see and experience. It is top of our list for when they are a bit older.

If you chose China, I agree with those who say wait until 2008 for China and the Olympics. We plan to go back then with the kids. If you want to go in the fall, you should be okay in November. It will be chilly in Beijing, though, so be prepared for that.

taitai

loru100

I guess I'm in the minority but my vote is for China. Although it depends what you want to do...we did Agra and then went to Bandhavgarh to see the tigers, which was amazing but I couldn't get past the poverty. I'm one of those people who didn't have a "religious experience" in India and doubt very much that I would go back, although I am glad that I went. China (Beijing, anyway) was cleaner, safer and all around I just enjoyed it more. Maybe it was the shopping!

memee

I'm Indian and have not been to China, so I cannot give u advice. But my non-indian boss who had been to both places said that China had 1.3 billion people and one opinion, India and 1 billion people and 1 billion opinions.

Peripatetic

It really depends on what you want to do, and how much time you want to spend. India has a lot to offer, but then so does China. I really enjoyed Beijing trip, but I am an Indian, and have loved all my trips to the mountains, the desert, the forts etc.

If you like hiking, I would suggest Sikkim. It is not too touristy, and thus is a bit more pristine. Rajasthan is beautiful, and you should check out the Pushkar cattle festival if you have time. And you should go on the camel safari in Jaisalmer.

And as far as art & crafts kind og shopping goes, nothing can beat India.

cmenoni

Thank you all so much for all the great comments and input. We are around 60 years old, and would probably spend about 22-26 days in total. We are not interested in going to the Olympics, although I really appreciate the info re: the scaffolding, etc. Since we try and get to Asia every other year, maybe it will be China in 2009??!!

p.s. I'm still open to more comments!! No, you are not starting an argument.

Also, we have also traveled independently and loved it, but we are considering a small group tour (or driver and car, if India "wins&quot.

jacketwatch

Peri: Do you mean the Pushkar CAMEL festival? They are famous for that but do they hace a CATTLE festival as well?