Backpacking to India
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1. Only drink bottled water. I think even in the Mcdonalds you may want to ask them to leave out the ice in the drinks. This tip is most valuable. If you wanna try street food make sure its piping hot. I had the best Samosa from one of the streets in Delhi.
2. Beware of the people. They are v elaborate in their scams especially in the city. We were in Delhi and we were misled that the office for train tickets have moved. We were brought to another place where they told us train tickets are sold out and we ended up doing the entire trip by car with them. I believe we paid more than we should have and we read about this scam on the Lonely Planet.
3. If you're gonna photography people there, they are very likely to ask you for a 'donation'. You may choose to ignore them but be tactful. The children there are more innocent and are always very happy to be photographed.
4. The forts in northern India are must see. Majestic. Find a night out in the desert if you can. Out of this world.
5. Expect lots of cows, monkeys, camels, sometimes even elephants(Jaipur). The roads will be littered with poo.
6. Always prepare a tip. They are expecting it. If you chance upon school kids, they are always asking for pens and I regret not having a bunch to give away. The things we take for granted.
2. Beware of the people. They are v elaborate in their scams especially in the city. We were in Delhi and we were misled that the office for train tickets have moved. We were brought to another place where they told us train tickets are sold out and we ended up doing the entire trip by car with them. I believe we paid more than we should have and we read about this scam on the Lonely Planet.
3. If you're gonna photography people there, they are very likely to ask you for a 'donation'. You may choose to ignore them but be tactful. The children there are more innocent and are always very happy to be photographed.
4. The forts in northern India are must see. Majestic. Find a night out in the desert if you can. Out of this world.
5. Expect lots of cows, monkeys, camels, sometimes even elephants(Jaipur). The roads will be littered with poo.
6. Always prepare a tip. They are expecting it. If you chance upon school kids, they are always asking for pens and I regret not having a bunch to give away. The things we take for granted.
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Please DO NOT give anything to the children that you meet in these third world countries. Yes, I understand you emphatized with these kids and I do too. No, I am not trying to be hard hearted by telling you not to give, nor am I being a selfish brat. Giving the children stuff is not right because all you are doing is to encourage the kids to beg and you encourage the kids into thinking that it is right to ask for stuff. It is not. And like you've pointed out, even if you can give it to one kid or two kids or 10 kids, there will always be someone who missed out. And what will happen when your back is turned? The kids get into a fight over the things that are given. I know everybody means well by wanting to give the kids pens or sweets, but please, dish out your good intentions the right way. If you want to give them pens or writing books, you can buy a bunch and bring it to school to ask the school to distribute out. You can always ask the local schools what exactly do the kids need and make an appropriate donation. The school will hand out the stuff to the kids appropriately. Never give sweets to kids and healthcare is poor in developing countries and poor children do not have the money to visit a dentist after eating too many sweets. If you really want to be dishing out the pens and books on your own, engage the kids in some activities and let them earn the rewards. You will be helping the children a lot more this way. If you want to help the kids in a more practical way, make a donation to the schools so that they can buy more table and chairs, build proper toilets etc. Bringing joy to the kids or making a difference to the kids is not all about giving out pens and exercise books. Spending a few hours with them, teaching them English, playing with them, giving them some company etc will also bring joy to the kids.
Yes, Indians love their photos to be taken. And no, not everyone expect a tip. In fact, out of 100 people I asked to take a photo of, maybe only 1 will ask me for money. One just have to learn to interact with the locals and you will get countless invites to take photos of them. It is not just in India. It is everywhere in the world. As long as you are interested in interacting with the locals, you are bound to get great photos of them. Treat them as mere subjects for your photographs, be expected to be asked for a tip.
Go with an open mind. India is a great place, be it in terms of culture, colors or people.
Yes, Indians love their photos to be taken. And no, not everyone expect a tip. In fact, out of 100 people I asked to take a photo of, maybe only 1 will ask me for money. One just have to learn to interact with the locals and you will get countless invites to take photos of them. It is not just in India. It is everywhere in the world. As long as you are interested in interacting with the locals, you are bound to get great photos of them. Treat them as mere subjects for your photographs, be expected to be asked for a tip.
Go with an open mind. India is a great place, be it in terms of culture, colors or people.
I had my fair share of experience on my trip to India last year and second roamfree's opinion...
I just came back from a short trip to South India last week (Kochi, Tenkasi and Madurai).
Travelling there seemed rougher for me than in South East Asia for some reason, maybe I'm just getting too old for this. There were places where we could not find ANY "safe looking" food outlets and had to resort to dining at slightly dodgy looking establishments. That said, we drank road side tea, ate next to locals and came back fine. If you are travelling to the South my main advice is have mosquito repellent, be prepared for dust and be extra careful on the road (speaking from experience).
If you are interested, I have posted photos here.
Travelling there seemed rougher for me than in South East Asia for some reason, maybe I'm just getting too old for this. There were places where we could not find ANY "safe looking" food outlets and had to resort to dining at slightly dodgy looking establishments. That said, we drank road side tea, ate next to locals and came back fine. If you are travelling to the South my main advice is have mosquito repellent, be prepared for dust and be extra careful on the road (speaking from experience).
If you are interested, I have posted photos here.
Beware!
Swiss tourist gang-raped in India: police - Yahoo! News Singapore
All turn into beast liao, better dont go in pair, the more the safer!
Swiss tourist gang-raped in India: police - Yahoo! News Singapore
All turn into beast liao, better dont go in pair, the more the safer!
Just returned from Kolkata. There were a few minor not-so-nice encounters, but met mostly friendly people.
As usual, always be on the alert, especially when alone.
There are areas that are dominated by various groups, eg Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc. I walked through a few residential as well as slum areas, and was approached by various people for money, photo, etc. You need to judge for yourself whether to accede to their requests, or ignore. I waved off most of such requests, especially when I see there are possibility for more of the same happening if I had agreed.
At Sudder Street, I was even openly approached by a man holding small sachets of hasish !
The train stations as well as ghats along the Hooghly River offer lots of photo opportunities.
See my post on Rickshaws in Kolkata.
As usual, always be on the alert, especially when alone.
There are areas that are dominated by various groups, eg Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc. I walked through a few residential as well as slum areas, and was approached by various people for money, photo, etc. You need to judge for yourself whether to accede to their requests, or ignore. I waved off most of such requests, especially when I see there are possibility for more of the same happening if I had agreed.
At Sudder Street, I was even openly approached by a man holding small sachets of hasish !
The train stations as well as ghats along the Hooghly River offer lots of photo opportunities.
See my post on Rickshaws in Kolkata.
Hi
In April weather will be hot, so try to visit Northern India except Jammu & Kashmir, you can visit Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand etc. If interested in South India, go to Bangaluru, Karnataka, and nearby areas, weather will be fine in Bangaluru in April.
Thanks
Alok
In April weather will be hot, so try to visit Northern India except Jammu & Kashmir, you can visit Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand etc. If interested in South India, go to Bangaluru, Karnataka, and nearby areas, weather will be fine in Bangaluru in April.
Thanks
Alok
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