Thinking About Taking A Vacation In India

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Anyone ever been? I have traveled to all of western Europe, some of the Middle East, parts of Africa, and some in China, but have never made it to India. The Taj Mahal and a few of the game preserves are on the list, but does anyone have any "cannot miss sites" in the Delhi/Agra region?
 
never been myself, but my mother and her siblings grew up over there, Her Parents were Missionaries for the Church of the Brethren, Stationed in Delhi...( after they had to pack up and leave China in the night to escape ahead of the Red Army)

Sadly, I don't have anything to add beyond that at this moment...any recommendations I could get would be...55 years out of date...(Mom's been stateside since graduating in '64)
 
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One of the better vacations I've had, two weeks working across southern India at a leisurely pace.

Flew into Chennai, visited acquaintance and then trains across the southern part, Mysore, Bangalore, then Kochi on the coast. Flew to Bombay/Mumbai. Then back home via London. Great time, fascinating things to see and do, easy travel for an English speaker, affordable.

Keep in mind the size; you couldn't see all of the US in two weeks, so bite off the bits you want for the time you have. Then if it enthralls you, come back for more later.
 
Friend's company has Indian operation. She's going to Calcutta in July for a week of work.
Her coworkers cite the fortified hotel, arranged transportation to and from the business compound.
There's a fund for retrieving kidnapped workers that is commonly known (I forget the TLA). I was told I'd be armed with only the phone number of the embassy.
I'm no sissy but EVERYONE said not to go along. Keep in mind that these people had no other exposure to India.
I fully realize there are other Indian locations. I've traveled throughout the UK, Ireland and Western Europe, USA and Scandinavia extensively and would like to see India too...just not this time 'round.
 
Depends where you are going, when and what do you intend to visit. There are great places and bad places. How you travel i.e. do you travel on strings or you want 5-star accommodation. India is a tricky place, where many will be willing to help for free, at the same time, many would rip you off. Having spent the first 21 years of my life in India, when I travel back, I still take a week to readjust myself.

Depending on your attitude, you will either enjoy or hate it. I know many who were obsessed with poverty whereas many were obsessed about enjoying the travel.

To sum, there is no one answer to your question. Decide where you want to visit, what you want to do and then there will be a lot of specific help.

Travel after Oct if you can, the heatwave in India at the moment is pretty bad, you being a Texan, may be able to deal with it but most can't.
 
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The Taj Mahal in Agra is best viewed with professional photos.

It's far too crowded to enjoy it in person, these days.
 
I'm from India and I wouldnt' recommend you visit it just now in high summer. Even if you're from Houston, it is going to feel scorching out here - temperatures of a 100+ F are routine.

Come over anytime from October to February and you'll love it. Let me know what you want to do -

* The usual forts and temples and monuments history circuit? That's Delhi / Agra / Jaipur and various other places. Tourist traps for the most part.

* Beaches? Goa (don't miss the local booze, Feni), Kerala, the Lakshadweep islands and the Andaman islands (beaches AND scuba etc)

* A mountain resort? Plenty across India, particularly in the North and North East of the country

* A tea / coffee / pepper plantation with a colonial era villa (they call them bungalows out here) converted into a hotel?

Very little or no cellphone signal for the last two options, but you'll have fun.

All sorts of things you can do. We are only about as large as the US East Coast, but there's something for everyone.

Add to this - anywhere in India is a very short distance from other destinations in Asia - Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand ..
 
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Originally Posted by edwardh1
have you got your travel vaccinations updated?


You don't need any for most of India unless you're going into deep jungle - and there's very little of that left.

October to February you aren't likely to get all that much rain either but carry along some anti mosquito cream, DEET and the like - and long sleeved shirts, long trousers just in case.
 
Originally Posted by MoneyJohn
Depending on your attitude, you will either enjoy or hate it. I know many who were obsessed with poverty whereas many were obsessed about enjoying the travel.

This is a great point. Keeping an open mind is key. Traveling through India, unless you have blinders on, you will inevitably see a lot of poverty, pollution, mountains of dirt, trash, horrifying living conditions. While this is part of India, if you let it get to you, it will spoil your overall trip and prevent you from enjoying the nice parts and aspects of India, and there are many. Alas, it sounds like OP has traveled to other less developed parts of the world, so it may not be that much of a shock to him.

Seeing the poverty has its benefits, too. It always helps me put things in perspective, realize how little people in some parts of the world need to make it work, and appreciate all the basic things I have that I often take for granted such as running water or electricity, or even toilet paper.

I was lucky enough to travel through parts of India (mostly northern) accompanied by someone who's lived there for quite some time, and that was invaluable. I don't know if I'd be willing to do it on my own.
 
Originally Posted by Alfred_B
Lucky you.

My dream is to visit Goa and Kerala for a few weeks.


Great dream
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Originally Posted by zzyzzx
I understand that the place smells bad.


All the comforts of say downtown san francisco - homeless people, poop on the streets etc. Quite a long way to fly if all you're looking for in a country is that.
 
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
I understand that the place smells bad.


Varanasi near the burning Ghats is probably the most pungent location we experienced.

But as our fellow Bitoger from India mentioned, if bad smells is all you're looking for, there are plenty of places here in the USA that should satisfy (offend) you.

Me?, I feel it was worth the smell to experience a place that is sacred and revered by so many. Even if I don't necessarily share their beliefs.
 
Originally Posted by 02SE
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
I understand that the place smells bad.


Varanasi near the burning Ghats is probably the most pungent location we experienced.

But as our fellow Bitoger from India mentioned, if bad smells is all you're looking for, there are plenty of places here in the USA that should satisfy (offend) you.

Me?, I feel it was worth the smell to experience a place that is sacred and revered by so many. Even if I don't necessarily share their beliefs.



For the record I'm not religious and ideally wouldn't be caught dead (get it?) near that town. My family on the other hand is super religious so what do I know
smile.gif
I've a good few decades for that yet but anyway ..
 
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