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India!

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited January 2023 in General Chat
I got back from travelling through Thailand and i'm now planning on going to India in late July/early August for a 6.5 weeks. Any tips from anyone who's been, I hear its a hard country to travel through...

P.S plz dont refer me to other websites, I just wanna get opinions from peope who've been, planning to go or know anything bout it.
Post edited by JustV on

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    oooh i :heart: india!

    ive been twice - admittedly only to goa which i know is a very 'sheltered' area of india in contrast to others, but i really liked it!

    local people were extremely friendly and the area was gorgeous - as was the food!
    if youre travelling all the way round india then i guess the best way to travel is by train (obviously!) although the ones i saw were SO packed there were men and women hanging onto the outside of the carriages whilst it was moving at like, 40-50mph :eek: so i suggest book tickets :yeees:

    im guessing also youre happy going there while its monsoon season? only asking because i wouldnt particularly want to be travelling round while its reeeally wet! not to mention humid. i was there in may last year and it was bad enough then!!


    i wish you luck when you go away :yes: hope you reeeally enjoy it!! i plan on going round india too as soon as my 3rd year is up :) cant wait!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I went to India last year in March/April and I loved it. I hadn't travelled further than Germany (from the UK) before I went so it was a completely new experience to me. I went to Kerala and did travel down to the most southerly point, but most of the time I was on a small island and because there were more of us white western people than locals it kind of became a bit more westernised which was a shame but when we did get out to see the culture it was fantastic. The people were all lovely and because we were there doing soem tsunami aid work, and had been in local and the national paper, people recognised us and started thanking us.

    Beware about being ripped off - they will see you coming and put up the prices loads. Also they follow you round the shops trying to sell you everything and anything, or kids will annoy you following you in the streets trying to sell you stuff.

    We were advised not to give beggars anything, and especially not to kids. It seems cruel but they only go and buy cigarettes or drugs and if you give to one then they all expect something.

    DOn't buy bottled water from kids either. When you do buy water ensure that the lid is sealed - the water is really bad out there so only drink bottled water which you can tell are sealed. Also beware of fruit and vegetables that you don't cook.

    The toilets leave a lot to be desired - we went to a bus station to use the toilets. We found them by following the stench, then we had to pay to use them, then when we went in, I went into one cubicle and my friend went the other one. There was mess all over the walls etc so we were careful what we were touching and had alcohol hand rub with us (like they have in hospitals) so that we could wash our hands thorougly, but I started looking for the toilet - none, so maybe a hole, nope! There was a channel at the back of a wall and that was it. So - you could go for a piss (not sure where it went to though down the channel!) but anything else was out of the question. It was disgusting!!

    I would definitely go again, but with regards to travelling - they are all maniac drivers! If you are not going very far and are in a city the .......... are excellent - so much fun, but other than that the buses and trains are seriously overcrowded (take the london tube at rush hour and double the number of people on it!) so maybe try hiring a car and driver, if you don't drive.

    Things are very cheap out there and I wish that I had more room in my suitcase to bring more back with me - I got a beautiful rug, and some wooden boxes, bowls and a gorgeous fruit bowl which flattens and has little legs which unscrew. The work that goes into some of their stuff is amazing.

    If you have any questions you can PM me or email me.

    Have a fantastic time!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It will be really hot in India if you go at that time of the year and rainy, when i went it may it was about 45 degrees celcius with massive thunderstorms.

    The best way for getting around is train though there are some new low cost airlines that have been set up now the aviation industry has been liberalised - Kingfisher (its owned by the beer company!) - air sahara and a few others - i can't remember all their names.

    i'm probably not a good person to ask about touristy stuff as i've only ever been to work but kerela and goa in the south are good for beaches. Or if you want castles and history go to the north.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thx alot for the advice guys.
    I know it will be monsoon when I go, bit worried about it :confused: . I will be focusing Rajasthan (which I here quite arid) and then to Kerala. Whats the weather like in August to early September in these places? is it really bad.. Also whats the vibe like with other travellers, are they young or old, backpackers or packagetourist types etc. I will be travelling solo by the way, so is it easy to meet people in India?

    Thx in advance
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