Need advice: Anyone ever been to India?

The steak there is fabulous.

 

heck, I'd pay to have Khali as my bodyguard while I'm there. Much better than Sonjay Dutt!

 

This advice cobbled together from a handful of travelers:

• Don't drink the water -- any water, even ice cubes. Make sure you even brush your teeth with bottled water. Delhi Belly is not your friend.
• I got recommendations for the Vishnu Vikwu Youth Hostel in Delhi -- 40 rupees for a private room with bath and only 9 rupees for yellow dal. Hopefully you already have some ideas about housing, though.
• A not-so-brief spiel from one of the more experienced travelers:

"Train travel is very good in India. I have had 3 Indian Railpasses and 1 Indian Airpass. Both rail and air were good but the Airpass only makes sense if you want to cover a lot of groud and than may mean the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We went there and it was amazing but that is not on your radar for a first visit. But I think an Indian Airpass-coupled with staying at some Airport Retiring Rooms-is a good option. We stayed at Airport Retiring Rooms in Delhi (twice) Calcutta (three times) and Chennai (once). They are like budget motels crammed into the second floor of the air terminal. It is quiet and you avoid all the racket of the city, as well as an early morning sprint to the aiport. They used to cost $40-62 for a double, with AC, color TV, private bath
There are 4 classes on Indian Railroads. You only need to consider the top 2. Air Conditioned is very nice but very expensive, almost as much as the air ticket. First Class AC is excellent. You get a clean train with 3 berths on each side of an open compartment. The bottom one folds up in the day. Personal safety is not an issue but theft can be on overnight trains. They have meals. Usually they take your order and order ahead. Get the vegeterian box lunch rather than the chicken. Good and cheap, about 18 rupees.
Indian train stations are often chaotic, with all kinds of hustlers following you around. But they are safe.
The two best places in India re the Kulu Valley and Kerala. You should consider these places depending on what time of year you go.

There is a train from Delhi, Northern Railways Station, that leaves around 7 AM and gets to Agra at 10. It returns the same day at 7 PM, arriving Delhi at 10. I took this train and it was very nice. I also took the bus from Jaipur to Agra when I went with my wife and the bus was also pretty good. I hear the Indians are charging foreigners 30 dollars to see the Taj Mahal while Indians pay 2 dollars. The Taj Mahal is great but it is not even in my top 5 in India.
My wife thinks that the best place in India, if not the world, is the Ellora Cave complex about 100 kilometers east of Aurangabad, which is 200 ks east of Mumbai. The ticket wicket is right in front of Temple No. 14, one of the most incredible structures on the face of the earth.
I did not really like Varanasi. We saw the Ganges in the early morning, with the corpses and the incense. That was intereresting and bit spiritual, but the town is a dump. We stayed in the State Tourist Bungalows for 170 rupees for a double. Charmless and clean.
In Jaipur we stayed at the Narain Niwas hotel, which was 42 dollars for a double in 1992. It is an old palace but small. Lovely. We also went to Jodhpur but not Udaipur. Jodpur has an incredible hotel, Ajit Bhawan. It was 18 dollars for a double in 1992. I heard it was 42 in 1999. It would be a bargain at 220 It is like staying in a museum. Each cottage has its own set of artifacts. Great bar and food as well.
There is a flight from Khajuraho to Varanasi and some groups use this flight. Khajurajo is famous for the erotic temples. The nice thing about it is that it is in the middle of nowhere, far from a rail station or proper road. It has a quiet feel to it, which you never get in India. But the temples are not the best. I think the two best temples are The Sun Temple of Konarek in Orissa (300 Kilometers south of Calcutta) and Minakshwee Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu State, near the southern tip of the subcontinent.
Konarek is also near Puri, with the Jagganeth Temple, one of the 4 holiest temples in India. Non-Hindus cannot go in, but Lord Curzon built a library next door where you have fine views for 4 rupees. Puri is a dump, but it has a rail station.
The beach near Konarek is amazing, and there is a good hotel nearby, Toshali Sands. The quality of the work, the grand scale, where do you begin? There is only 1 Konarek. You fly to Bhubaneshwar and take a taxi 70 km from there.
Konarek holds no services; it is walled up inside with sand to save the superstructure. But Menakshee in Madurai is buzzing with pilgrims and prayers. The 7 towers are always being repaired. They display more than 18 million stone friezes. But Madurai is a dump. Another Indian city that was charming 50 years ago but now has 10 times as many people and is not so charming anymore."

 

Tandoori chicken and India is what steak means to the States/Canada.

Sunjay Dutt is the Indian verison of Rambo but he's not as good as Sunny Deol. Dutt should be in retirement by now, no?

Akshay Kumar is my idea of a bodyguard. Just watch the movie Mohra and see what I mean. ;D

If you go visit the sacred Ganges River, be careful because it is full of germs. A lot of people bathe there.

Also make sure you visit the Taj Mahal.

Never take anyone up on their offer to drive you or take your bags.
There are crooks in India.

Do not abuse animals and especially cows because they are sacred.


Kidding aside, Claws for Concern, PM me your questions or if you need any advice. I have extensive knowledge of India and many resources available.

 

He's in India now, and I'm not sure of his Internet access.