India What to Expect

A beautiful place in the desert of Northern India. Jaisalmer is a fortress with amazing architecture, where people (along with their animals) still live. You will find happy children playing in the small, labyrinth-like streets, and lazy cows resting on a corner or in a yard. While you're there, make a trip to the desert. Camel safari's are very popular, although I can say from experience that they are not very comfortable! But very worthwhile: where else can you find a real 'Fata Morgana' and sleep under a million stars! (with scorpions...)

Don't go for New Years.. don't go there period unless you want to be surrounded by 2,000 people (mostly men and naked Europeans) dancing to electronic and house music in an open field. Plus, there are many hungry children running around begging for food, along with stray dogs and fecal matter that floats by you in the water if you go in (thats not sanitary) Many of the beach "bars" are situated next to small villages that literally use the ocean as a toilet. I don't mean to sound bourgeois but I admit I have my tendancies and in this case they all came out. I did not appreciate being chased by a pack of stray, malnourished dogs in the middle of the night and having to camp out in an internet cafe, thank you very much!

Still a great gem in south India I hear, though I went there as a kid... remember the lovely horse rides through scenic routes... do that if you can...

The other travel tip is severely lacking.

For one, I have never experienced hatred between the local Gaddi people and the Tibetans. If anything, everyone seems to live rather harmoniously with each other. The Tibetans are often a bit annoyed with the Israeli backpackers that often find their way to this mountain town, but won't easily let onto their distaste unless you ask them.

There are many beggars in town, many of them afflicted with leprosy, and it can be quite shocking for someone not used to this. Many of them will position themselves along the kora, the circumambulation around His Holiness the Dalai Lama's temple, and the Tibetans will give money to the beggars, believing it to grant them merit.

It is well worth getting into McLeod around 6 am in order to perform kora with the many Tibetans of all ages. There are many beautiful prayer wheels, stupas with burning juniper, and prayers being held by monks.

There is a movie theatre in town, but it is small and only foreigners seem to visit it.

The Kashmiri shop keepers are usually the most pesky out of all the shopkeepers, but they are the ones that you should really bargain with. Tibetans usually have already good prices on their items, and many of the shops give their profits directly to groups like the Tibetan Children's Village.

There is more to see than just the temple of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Right now there are many posters regarding the situation in Tibet, and a 24-hour chain hunger strike going on across from the temple.

A one kilometer walk down from McLeod, in between McLeod Ganj and Forsyth Ganj, is a beautiful Catholic Church called Church of Saint John in the Wilderness. Many Indian tourists stop here, and it is worth the walk (or the rickshaw ride; I prefer walking). Be careful though; it's often misty and slippery.

A short distance away you can find the Norbulingka Institute, an art institute modeled after His Holiness's summer palace, which trains Tibetans in the art of making thangka paintings, wood carvings, etc. It's worth a visit, and the cafe at the institute is very good.

Food places in McLeod are fairly plentiful but be careful-- you are very likely to get sick, especially if you are staying for a long time. There are many snack shops as well.

There is also the city of Kangra, unused to Westerners but still very pleasant, where the Kangra Fort is, a ruined fort that is still impressive in its ruins. It costs 50 rupees for foreigners to gain access.

The airport itself - adventurous! Very nice people though... always helping especially when one's travelling with kids.

Mumbai is the place to be.the hotels are superb thats if you go to the expensive ones,you get to shop in lovely stores,i even has a free makeover.......food is lovely but spicy and ridiculously cheap.its better to change money in the bank because i got cheated in the stores.....the locals are not too friendly if you are female and dont drink a can of beer,you will get drunk.i cannot try their train,goosh its so dirty.went to some places where the indian muslims stay and it was like i was back in lagos.they have their share of slums.Dont trust anyone in india.......an average indian is a thief.

When i was in Jodhpur it was about 12 years ago they were just starting to open it up to tourists and were clearing tons of bat shit from all the locked up rooms and vaults.Because we were film crew we had total access to anywhere we wanted some of it was untouched for god knows how long. Its totally stunning when you see the view from the most upper ramparts to one side theres a shear drop of a hundred foot or more and you can see the palace were liz hurley got wed,to the other side you can see the wonderful BLUE VILLAGE some say the vivide blue is for cooling reasons but we were told it was because there was no male aire to the raj when he died only a jajina (female) recommended 5*

there´s not that much to do in thiruvananthapuram but like one hour away is a big nature sanctuary which is worth taking a look. you can do some treeking or a boat tour there. and the lions "cage" is definitely worth taking a look. broken wire-mesh fence and two female lions fighting 50 cm next to me :D
you don´t really expect the fence to withstand...but like you see, it did!

If you want a guarantee that you'll actually end up at the location you ask your taxi driver to take you to, then you'll want to pay your fare at a pre-paid taxi stand. These exist all over Delhi, at most of the major tourist sites. You let the teller know where you want to go, pay them the fare (determined based on where you want to go), and receive a receipt. Then when your taxi driver drops you off where you want to be you give them the receipt. The taxi driver then collects the money from the teller based on your receipt. They can't get paid without it, so if they've taken you to the wrong place (like a hotel that they get commission from rather than where you had booked to stay) you keep the receipt until they take you to your destination. As a female occasionally traveling solo in Delhi, this was a lifesaver!

Lone women in Mumbai, there's a solution to the dangers of travelling by taxi. Having nearly been raped by a taxi driver in 2002, I was delighted to find an all-female taxi service, with female drivers and comfy cars, is now available in Mumbai. I booked them for a 2AM trip from the airport to the railway station in February 2011 and was well impressed with their service. They're slightly more expensive than regular taxis (but not by much), and well worth the cost. They will only transport lone women or women with children as their drivers are women, too, so if you have a male companion, they're not for you. Find their contact details here: http://www.ilfsindia.com/projects1.asp?Category=1Project=10subLink=121

arriver en inde, il faut toujours dire que c est votre deuxieme sejour,, il vous laiseront plus tranquille,, et ne parter jamais dans une agence de voyage,, allez de vous meme,,l inde est tres bon marche,, donc ne perdez pas vous sous pour des conneries

A gem in the centre of India ... reach there by taxi from Jhansi and stay at the Bundelkhand Riverside Hotel if you can (a property of the Maharaja of Orchha now converted into a hotel) ... the rooms have fabulous views of Betwa River and you can just step from them and reach the banks ... do visit the Jehangir Mahal for some intricate architecture and the Lakshiminarayan temple for some really fabulous frescoes ... and the more modest birthplace of the ancient poet Keshav Das housed in school compound and a bit more difficult to find ... worth fixing up the same taxi guy for getting you into Orchha, sightseeing within the city, and any trips out it, if you are going to Khajuraho for instance...

Famous for the Taj Mahal Agra is most popular with tourists therefore being very crowded. Foreign tourists have to pay way over the odds to get into see the Taj Mahal than Indian tourists, so its worth knowing that fridays are free.

heaven on earth...!!naini lake surrounded by mountains on all sides..its ZE BESHT place dat i've bin to..!!just a piece of advice..be well geared with ur winter clothes wen u go there..no matter wut time of d yr is it

Always travel to New Delhi in First Class express train!

arriver en inde, il faut toujours dire que c est votre deuxieme sejour,, il vous laiseront plus tranquille,, et ne parter jamais dans une agence de voyage,, allez de vous meme,,l inde est tres bon marche,, donc ne perdez pas vous sous pour des conneries

A gem in the centre of India ... reach there by taxi from Jhansi and stay at the Bundelkhand Riverside Hotel if you can (a property of the Maharaja of Orchha now converted into a hotel) ... the rooms have fabulous views of Betwa River and you can just step from them and reach the banks ... do visit the Jehangir Mahal for some intricate architecture and the Lakshiminarayan temple for some really fabulous frescoes ... and the more modest birthplace of the ancient poet Keshav Das housed in school compound and a bit more difficult to find ... worth fixing up the same taxi guy for getting you into Orchha, sightseeing within the city, and any trips out it, if you are going to Khajuraho for instance...

Famous for the Taj Mahal Agra is most popular with tourists therefore being very crowded. Foreign tourists have to pay way over the odds to get into see the Taj Mahal than Indian tourists, so its worth knowing that fridays are free.

heaven on earth...!!naini lake surrounded by mountains on all sides..its ZE BESHT place dat i've bin to..!!just a piece of advice..be well geared with ur winter clothes wen u go there..no matter wut time of d yr is it

Always travel to New Delhi in First Class express train!

Never take a bus to Siliguri from any part of east India. The roads around are pathetic. Best and cheap option is to take a train to New Jalpaiguri station, only a few kms from the Siliguri town. Its a small town and used as a connecting point to Darjeeling, its famous sister. Siliguri is hot in the summers but the cold hills of darjeeling are not far away. The jeep ride is cheap but could be dizzy and nauseating for some. Finding a hotel in Siliguri town is very easy. Ask any rickshaw puller to take you to a good hotel. Rates are reasonable and food is okay. Once in Siliguri, don't miss the China Market and the Hong kong market. These twin markets are full of some wonderful stuff - pottery, watches, electronics, gadgets, carpets, shawls, home wear, swiss knives, and thousand types of tid - bits which can just do up the interiors of our home in a wonderful manner. Siliguri is also the connecting point to Gangtok (Sikkim). One doesn't need to spend more than 1 full day at Siliguri - at the market. Shopping is cheap. Don't miss out on the opportunity to visit both Darjeeling and Gangtok. Be wary of the touts at the bus stand though who could be misleading. Book everything from the hotel tourist support. After 10 pm, stick to the hotel. It's a day place.

if you want to save water and plastic waste just go and refill empty bottle in Dzomsa shop near Zangsti Complex

+ Before going to India, its essential to hop down to your local health clinic and ask about local health guidelines on what vaccines and medications are recommended. At the basic level, its neccessary to update your current vaccines such as diphtheria, polio and tetatnus if needed. Then, it may be advisable in your country (it is in mine) to take a Hepatitis A vaccine to prevent this disease which is a water-borne virus. Its important to dicuss with your local travel health centre which anti-malarial to take. This will always carry an amount of risk, because resistance is developing towards malaria, and its difficult to know which strain of malaria will be present in the district where you'll be going beforehand. Anti-malarials need to be started *before* you go, sometimes up to four weeks before you go, so although it can be boring, its best to do some homework and check things out. Malaria can also be prevented by using mosquito repellant and mosquito nets, both are very useful. Another way to prevent a host of diseases that are carried in water is by using water purification tablets to purify the water that you drink. If you take a jerrycan with you, you can be be more safe. The water may taste a bit bad, but its for a good cause! Food is a common source of infection in the East, but you have to make a decision to either take a risk and taste the local food or somehow make your own food arrangements. Consulting your travel health centre at home cannot be over-stressed! 0:)

A lot of developments going on - new buildings, road networks. Quite a dusty place though (due to construction, or something else?). Be sure to carry a handkerchief to cover your nose with.

Thanesar is very close to a place called Kurukshetra. For some reason it's not selectable as a location here but it is actually a fairly good sized city. It's an interesting place because it's located on an ancient battleground that rivals Har Meggido in the amount of blood spilled there. It's supposedly the place where Arjuna received the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu Bible) from Krishna at the beginning of an epic battle that's said to have taken place there thousands of years ago. It's home to the largest man made Ghat (pool) in India, maybe even the world i'm not sure but it's huge and really fun to do cannballs into. It looks filthy, it probably is but if you go at night and try not to think about it, you'll live. I did. Oh and if you run into a local guy there named Deepak Sharma....RUN! He will try to talk you into some nonsense that will no doubt turn into a massive waste of your time. Of course if you're into that sort of thing, I will say, you could have an interesting adventure. Oh and if you get into trouble, find the police and ask for Rameshwar. He doesn't speak english at all but he's still really nice (well if you're his friend) and a blast to get drunk with. In fact everyone at his station is like that. Oh and bring mesquito repelent. Lots of it. and a flashlight, the power goes out all the time, more so then other places in India.