Who's been to India?

[Embraer]

I'm going to India in March with a National Geographic guided tour...doing the Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, with a sidetrack to a village off the beaten path. Any must do's? There are the obvious things to see and do in those places...but for people who've been there, anything off the beaten path worth looking at? Any other pointers? I'm an adventure travel kind of person, so I'm aware of some less than standard Western aspects. I am arriving in Delhi 2 days before the tour starts, and staying a day afterwards.

[masraum]

I think Redbeard had been multiple times

[MBAtarga]

This thread below will give you some leads. Harddrive states he travels there at least once a year - so you might get his attention on this thread or shoot him a PM.

Where to stay in Bangalore

[fred cook]

Don't drink the water! Or, swim in the Ganges river!

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by fred cook

Don't drink the water! Or, swim in the Ganges river!

Thanks...looking for info besides that....primarily Northern India

[sc_rufctr]

I've been a few times for work and pleasure...

You'll either love it or hate it.
And as soon as you get off the plane you'll know one way or the other.

I love the place. You could spend a lifetime in India as a tourist and never see all of the sites. Most Indians are great people. Generally they have no issues with foreigners but there is a minority group that somehow finds itself at the centre of most "issues". I don't really want to name them in OT but I'm guessing most people will know who I'm writing about.

[HardDrive]

My wife is from India. I have been more times than I can count. Its late, my random thoughts are...

In Delhi, go for walk in the early morning in Lodhi Garden. Qutab Minar is worth the trip. Khan Market is a nice upscale shopping market.

In India, if you do not want to get hassled, walk with 'authority', in other words walk like you are going someplace. You will get less grief from hawkers trying to sell you stuff or offer you rides. A hotel should be able to hook you up with a driver. An all day taxi ride, or better yet an auto rickshaw is not outrageous. Give the driver $20 cash tip. You will make his month. Being able to tell hawkers no in Hindi helps, because they think you are local. 'Nahin bhaee', literally 'No brother'. If you meet a guy on the street, you call each other brother.

In 20 years of trips to India, the only times I have gotten sick was eating in 5 star hotels. No joke. Food at hotels is way overpriced as well. I have eaten from tons of food stands, not a problem (If there is one food stand with 2 people in line, and the other one has 20....go to the one with 20). There is bottle water everywhere, use it.

Delhi has good elevated train network. I find it easy to navigate.

Agra is pretty much a crap hole. The only reason it exists in the Taj. See the Taj Mahal, go to the Agra fort (that offers great views of the Taj from a distance. There is an abandoned palace nearby called Fatehpur Sikri. Worth the trip IMHO opinion.

If are looking to shop for something in particular in Delhi, let me know, I have family there.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Embraer

Thanks...looking for info besides that....primarily Northern India

The good news is that my favorite Indian food is northern Indian. Enjoy.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

You'll either love it or hate it.
And as soon as you get off the plane you'll know one way or the other.

No truer words.

I, too have been to India a few times, the first time we were one of two ships that puled into the Port of Mumbai (then Bombay) or the first USN visit in nearly 20 years.

We were treated extraordinarily well.

The hard part is seeing poverty on a level that is at first shocking and then numbing. While I loved my time in India (the people are great, the food extraordinary and the countryside welcoming) you need to prepare yourself for some disturbing visuals.

I have no experience in the Northern part of India...the farthest north I got from Mumbai was the Purna Wildlife Sanctuary.

[zakthor]

Ive been a few times, mostly for the himalaya. I cant stand tourist stuff and the domestic tourist scene has pushed everything past my hysterical point. I'd much rather hang out in some forgotten town or in the back of a roadside dhaba than visit an indian tourist site again. The real shame (as a selfish tourist) is so much cool stuff is inaccessible now because it needs to be protected from the tourist hordes - and those crowds are amazing.

But... A total cant miss is the restaurant In-Q in dehli. Their tasting menu blew my mind. 14 course indian themed modernist cuisine for $50. I would eat every dehli dinner meal there. Call ahead and request the tasting menu.

The famous 'indian accent' is at the lohdi hotel now and for the same money it isnt so amazing and that whole hotel complex gives me the creeps.

I really like staying at the imperial in dehli and their breakfast buffet + a newspaper is a wonderful way to spend the morning, especially after a strenuous trip. Their restaurants are super overpriced though and not worth it in my opinion but the people there are fabulous individuals. The other place in delhi i like to eat is Chor Bazarre but for same money as in-q its hard to justify.

I feel like overall food quality in india has fallen in past 30 years so be wary now of crappy food even at popular places. Normal restaurants are so cheap that you should feel fine to leave if the food isnt what you like - dont waste your meals on mediocre food.

Some of the best food ive had is at roadside dhabas, especially the chai.

Edit: Wrt northern india...

India is really big. I dont think youve got enough extra time to visit anything, just scratch the surface and explore dehli. If you had a week or so extra id recommend kashmir. Even right now id go. The people there are fantastic and its my favorite food. Not sure what the indian government is permitting but id still try and go.

If you had a month uttarakand is amazing and no tourists.

[juanbenae]

never been, but lived in silicon valley and that's dam close.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by zakthor

The famous 'indian accent' is at the lohdi hotel now and for the same money it isn't so amazing and that whole hotel complex gives me the creeps.

Just curious, why?

On occasion when we have been traveling out in the villages, and need a touch of the west, we will check in to a nice hotel in Delhi for a couple days. Typically one of the Leela hotels. Not crazy expensive.

[Embraer]

Thanks guys, especially harddrive and zakthor.....I looked at in-q....that place looks really nice. Harddrive, I'll shoot you a pm about shopping....I know my girlfriend wants to buy fabrics and jewelry.

[911boost]

I have been a bunch. Some good advice in this thread so far.

I got pearls in India, but Hyderabad is farther south.

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Just curious, why?

On occasion when we have been traveling out in the villages, and need a touch of the west, we will check in to a nice hotel in Delhi for a couple days. Typically one of the Leela hotels. Not crazy expensive.

For real: fancy hotels in india are a bargain because the city environment is so hostile. How much more would you pay to have the air scented with fresh flowers? Not normally my thing but turns out in the foulness of delhi id pay a lot for silence and clean air. And in this case 'fancy' costs about the same as a best western back home.

I love the imperial, yes french linen sheets and flowers, utterly silent rooms, huge bathtubs of hot water but the real draw is the architecture, the art on the walls and the people.

i dont like the hypermodern hotels that ive visited in the city center. Lodhi, Leela, Lalit, Oberoi. In delhi theyre really ostentatious yet also feel so run down to me. Taipei airport hotel. The Manor where InQ is located was just rebuilt so is super nice, quiet and nice grounds but... no more pool...

Just my opinion but i think the technical look gets trashy fast if it cant be kept perfect. Being delhi its tough to keep the grime and mold at bay, keep the double pane window seals intact, etc.

Anyhoo. Hope you visit in-q. Pretty sure thats the best meal ive ever had, as far as food goes. Each dish was like savoring a different expensive perfect glass of wine. Oh! Speaking of alchohol:

Stupid huge taxes on booze. Buy a big bottle of good gin at the duty free when you arrive. You know... For the malaria? End of trip tip the bellhop station with whatevers left. Even at fancy places: Ignore all the wine pairings with your meals, waste of money, doesnt go with the food, huge bucks and wine is never good, they are so indians can be pretentious. And the booze will just cloud your palate.

[red-beard]

I lived in India for almost a year, but it was about 30 years ago. And I travel for business when I go these days.

Where ever you go, there are interesting things. The culture is thousands of years old. There are palaces an ruins in every city. Find some local guide to help you go to the most interesting ones.

I'll "Ditto" on getting a car and driver. You do not want to drive in India. Most of the time it is slow speed, but the pattern seems very chaotic.

Hand Sanitizer: I like the liquid "pens". Go to a pharmacy and get a bottle of Isopropyl alcohol to refill them. Use them all the time.

Carry wet wipes and some amount if tissues with you at all times. Many places do not have toilet paper.

Safety: Keep your passport safe. When I picked up my last couple of passports, I opted to get the "passport card". Keep your Regular Passport book in the hotel safe and carry your card.

Money: ATMs have the best exchange rate. Lots of taxis and auto-rickshaws and smaller places only take cash.

Water: only drink bottled water.

Showering: Keep you mouth shut. Brush your teeth with bottled water immediately afterwards.

Meals, especially dinner: In India, it is an event and expected to take the whole evening. Unless you are in a Western Hotel, expect to spend the whole evening having dinner.

[GH85Carrera]

My wife's uncle (my uncle in law?) worked for a large shore manufacturer when he first got a job in the early 1960s. They made shoes in the USA, but of course all that moved to India, and he ended up as a manager to help setup the new manufacturing facility. He was in India a lot. He was one of the folks that just hated everything about the place and he was miserable.

My cousin had a great adventure when he was 18. He lived in India for year and lived with a family and would take a few jobs to make enough to buy food and pay the family some rent. On that same trip he spent several months in the middle east, and even lived in Iran for a month. That was during the time of the Shah of Iran in the late 1970s. He loved India and Iran.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by red-beard

....Water: only drink bottled water....

And carbonated water is safer.... non-carbonated can be filled out of the hose behind the building.... seen "Slumdog Millionaire"?

Watch where you walk.... human (and other) stuff is not uncommon... like San Francisco