India

Well... go on then!

furriner wrote:You don't want advice no mo?

Yes please furry, any wise words you have on things to look out for in Rajasthan, Delhi and if it's worth taking Malaria tablets, heard mixed things on t'internet and from doctor's, wouldn't like to take any risks if I'm honest.

cheers!

some protection against malaria would be advisable considering you will be coming in at the end of the monsoons

eat only cooked food. avoid street food that is served cold

drink only bottled water, even in fancier restaurants

use loads of sunscreen and cover yourself well. you don't want to end up looking like a broiled lobster

in delhi be a bit more careful about personal security. avoid travel alone at night if you can, unless you are with someone you can trust. rajasthan is pretty safe

if you are landing in delhi try and get to know some locals or tourists who have been there for a while as soon as you can when you land. it will lead to a more rewarding experience. the tourism industry here is not as well developed as in most countries so local knowledge goes a long way in finding out the best places and the best deals

browse through http://www.indiamike.com/ as much as you can before you leave. it's by far the best india travel forum. you will get everything from general tips to much more specific stuff depending on your schedule

more importantly go with an open mind. if you have never been to a developing country before the basic physical infrastructure and living conditions may shock you. but the people are extremely warm and friendly and most are willing to help you along your journey. india can be quite an assault on all your senses so just be ready to take it all in

as for rajasthan, the normal tourist track is pretty well documented. i would recommend spending more time in udaipur and jodhpur and less in jaipur. september will still be a bit hot but try and go to some resorts in the jaisalmer sands, it's quite an experience. something like this http://www.manvar.com/overview.htm

Brilliant, thanks TO. I'll check out that site. According to my doctor it's up to me whether or not I take malaria tablets on my journey, so I might just get some to avoid any risks, even if they are pocket burners.

Thanks again for the tips!

Dello wrote:I say "fair enough".

Fair dos is one of those phrases that doesn't sit well with me. Sounds like something a mockney bastard would say and it looks weird written down.

So, it's out. And that's fair enough.

Another phrase that I've disowned: 'Nuff said.

F*ck off.

"Indeed" was a favourite word of mine which can be used in a lot of situations. I used to love using it until some qunt told me I say it too much. Now I'm all paranoid and have to say sh!t like "Yeah" or "That's true".

The One wrote:
more importantly go with an open mind. if you have never been to a developing country before the basic physical infrastructure and living conditions may shock you

That's ok, he's from Cardiff I think.

JKLever wrote:

The One wrote:
more importantly go with an open mind. if you have never been to a developing country before the basic physical infrastructure and living conditions may shock you

That's ok, he's from Cardiff I think.

Exactly.

So he has never been to a deveoping country.

This is true.

Smerk - on getting around in taxis and what they call auto-rickshaws. If you can get a friend, great.

Otherwise remember that they will cheat you blind every which way.

You need locals to help you there. And the taxis/ autos will still cheat you.

And I've been told to learn to haggle when buying things?

Yeah, haggle. There's going to be a 300-500% white boy mark-up anyway.

Don't haggle in restaurants...

Rule of thumb - get an Indian to buy your stuff for you. In a market, for example, check out what's available, identify what you want and walk away.

Then, ten minutes or an hour later, get an Indian friend to go by and buy it.

that's the best option really. if you can't find an indian to help you out with your shopping you can safely discount 60-75% off the quoted price for stuff you buy on the street-side or anything really that does not have a price tag on it

Rajasthan is gorgeous.

Don't eat street food.

Soak it up.

Drink loads of water. It'll be hawt about now.

Leave it in the state that you found or someone will f*** you up.

These aren't rules just for India btw, they're for life.

Delhi - Expect it to still be pretty hot. If you're not travelling around on those sight-seeing taxi thingies, would suggest getting around with the metro (which is brilliant) and try and avoid auto-rickshaws. The metro is good and cheap and almost goes everywhere now, so get a good idea of which station to go to see what from your hotel, and you should be fine and largely uncheated by the qunts in autos.

IMO, Delhi streetfood is so good, it's worth diarrhoea (or dysentery or jaundice, etc) a lot of the time, so I'm not going to tell you not to eat it. Upto you. If you do try an aalu tikki, or gol gappe. But only drink bottled water. Except lassi which you seriously need to try. Health hazard maybe, but meh. Your choice.

Get one of those mosquito repellent lotions, should take care of malaria. And a good rule of thumb would probably be to assume that everyone who's selling you something is a qunt and is trying to cheat you big time. He probably is.

Rajasthan - Has the bluest skies I have ever seen. Extraordinary blue. Don't stay too long in Jaipur, visit the fort, eat the traditional dishes, get a feel of the markets, etc and take off. Would say Jodhpur is the same, not much to see there either, except the fort is pretty good. The palace is a disappointment though. Unless you're into cars. Big expensive old ones.

Jaisalmer is this small oasis town with a beautiful living fort. Really tourist friendly place. But the real fun is in spending the night in the desert. Didn't have the time, or would have done a camel safari too, where they take you out camping in the desert for 2-3 days in camels. A lot of foreign tourists do it, so you could get more info out of them in travel blogs/forums.

Udaipur is absolutely stunning. Must visit. Probably the most expensive city in Rajasthan, but seriously gorgeous place. So would recommend spending the most time in here. Rajasthani food's excellent too, though vegetarian and quite spicy, so try it out. Dal Bati Churma maybe, would make you gain 4-5kgs in weight probably, but meh again.

The above is assuming you do the Jaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer/Udaipur route. Can't give you any info if you go towards Pushkar. I'm probably going there this year about September as well.

Amazing stuff, Dori, TO, Furriner and Spang. I'll be with an English speaking family during 'orientation' for my time in Delhi, so hopefully they will show what you all have said in practice.

I'll only be in Delhi for about a week, depending on how long it takes to get from Rajasthan to Delhi during my weekends off.

The food sounds gorgeous, just wish it didn't come with a white boy price tag or jaundice/dysentry/stomach cramps. I'll definitely get ill at some point, so that's a given. No matter how hard I try.

Thanks again for the cracking advice.

Also DJ, it will be overwhelming because there are people in your face,in your face,in your face- 24/7. Learn to cope with that - the immense population shock - and you're halfway there.

doremi wrote:Delhi - Expect it to still be pretty hot. If you're not travelling around on those sight-seeing taxi thingies, would suggest getting around with the metro (which is brilliant) and try and avoid auto-rickshaws. The metro is good and cheap and almost goes everywhere now, so get a good idea of which station to go to see what from your hotel, and you should be fine and largely uncheated by the qunts in autos.

IMO, Delhi streetfood is so good, it's worth diarrhoea (or dysentery or jaundice, etc) a lot of the time, so I'm not going to tell you not to eat it. Upto you. If you do try an aalu tikki, or gol gappe. But only drink bottled water. Except lassi which you seriously need to try. Health hazard maybe, but meh. Your choice.

Get one of those mosquito repellent lotions, should take care of malaria. And a good rule of thumb would probably be to assume that everyone who's selling you something is a qunt and is trying to cheat you big time. He probably is.

Rajasthan - Has the bluest skies I have ever seen. Extraordinary blue. Don't stay too long in Jaipur, visit the fort, eat the traditional dishes, get a feel of the markets, etc and take off. Would say Jodhpur is the same, not much to see there either, except the fort is pretty good. The palace is a disappointment though. Unless you're into cars. Big expensive old ones.

Jaisalmer is this small oasis town with a beautiful living fort. Really tourist friendly place. But the real fun is in spending the night in the desert. Didn't have the time, or would have done a camel safari too, where they take you out camping in the desert for 2-3 days in camels. A lot of foreign tourists do it, so you could get more info out of them in travel blogs/forums.

Udaipur is absolutely stunning. Must visit. Probably the most expensive city in Rajasthan, but seriously gorgeous place. So would recommend spending the most time in here. Rajasthani food's excellent too, though vegetarian and quite spicy, so try it out. Dal Bati Churma maybe, would make you gain 4-5kgs in weight probably, but meh again.

The above is assuming you do the Jaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer/Udaipur route. Can't give you any info if you go towards Pushkar. I'm probably going there this year about September as well.

I had Lassi Mango in an Indian restaurant today. I can see what you mean now, Dori. It might be worth a deadly illness. I also had a lunchtime Thali (Chappati, Dal, Chicken and rice) and a Vegetable "Kolkatta Style Wrap".

Pretty much the best thing I've had for a while. All of it.