India- Adventures within adventures

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India... what is it about India that entices such a myriad of both positive and negative feeling within many. Fear, curiosity, reluctance- the media has portrayed a very negative image on India as dirty and impoverished, with corpses floating down rivers and starving dogs roaming the streets. India can also evoke contrasting feelings of excitement, anticipation and adventure with wistful connotations of strolling down sunlit alleyways flanked ladies in brightly coloured saris and barefoot gentlemen selling spices and earthenware. India as a country is the ultimate paradox, and it has it all! Those that have been there either love it or hate it, have 'done India' by visiting Goa and have a totally unrealistic image that India is a beach resort with 'nothing much there', or have declared India a dump as they have only passed through a small part of Delhi. In fact, nothing of this, yet everything of this is true.



I will be honest, India was never at the top of my list of must see places to visit...I had nothing against India itself but felt it attracted hoards of henna smothered backpackers wearing baggy harem trousers, kaftans and scarves, all vying to 'find themselves' while stating how 'traveled' they are (of course their camera roll will sport the aforementioned image of them along with a group of similarly adorned friends leaping gaily from a frying pan on the salt flays of bolivia...ugh!). There is one thing I cant stand and that is those sorts of backpackers...but I am running off on a tangent here. The idea of having to tolerate this kind of travel stereotype in India really put me off but my husband really wanted to so I got researching and planning. 2 weeks is all we could manage so the plan was to visit the 'Golden Triangle' of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur- this was a must, and while in the region it would have been rude not to have visited Udaipur (a friend of mine had worked for a number of months here and her photos did look amazing!), and we figured we will ping Jodhpur into the mix as well- if we were visiting the pink city we may as well mix in the blue one. We then planned to take off down to Goa for a short cultural detox and back to Mumbai for one last injection of India before heading home. All in 2 weeks! Looking back at this I feel exhausted! We also decided to 'Flashpack' india, i.e. staying in 'nice' hotels, got flights and private transfers and basically got to do the backpacking thing in luxury. We were going to be exhausted and we had our list of must do's but we found on our way that what the internet and guide books tell you and what the locals tell you are 2 very different things...and all for the better...



Having visited India I can say the things I have learned, things I have found, and things to do are;

1. Bring an assortment of pens, pencil and writing material for kids- they appreciate this a lot more than rupees. These kids are great and just want to chat and learn!

2. Be fussy about where you stay- I will explain in a later post. Research your digs!

3. Prepare to be hassled everywhere you go- a firm but polite no thank you usually works, but a less polite 'No, go away' sometimes is the only option! Rude, and may go against any etiquette you have been brought up with but sometimes needs must!

4. If you are from the west, you of course will stand out in less toursity areas. If you look quite a bit different or stand out at all (I am 6ft1, a bit chunky and had a lot of bleached blonde hair), be prepared to have your photo taken by locals with or without your permission. It happened every day and once no less than 11 times one day! And that was with permission. I felt like a movie star! Or freak. The locals may also touch you! Don't get too upset about this- remember, different cultures have different measures on what is appropriate- Indian people are warm, kind and tactile- I have a lot of indian friends or friends of Indian origin and they are actually one of the nicest bunches of people you will meet!

5. Stop for a chat- as I just said, Indian people are absolutely lovely, kind, gentle and friendly. Sometimes they want to have a chat and learn about your culture just as much as you do about theirs. It improves their English and knowledge and understanding of our culture. This in turn helps them create a better environment for tourists.

6. If you don't like spicy food specify No spice. A little spice will still be really spicy. A little spice to the Indian palette is a lot of spice to the western palette. My husband learned and burned the hard way. Quite often a gorgeous mango lassi will take the edge off (be careful, a plain lassi can often be salted- and rank!).

7. If you go on an excursion or hire a driver or have any form of private or semi private transport you will inevitably end up in a carpet shop. You will inevitably have to buy something to escape the carpet shop. If there is a mention of carpet shops, do not go in there, unless you want to lug a carpet all around India.

8. If you get a tuk tuk, which are very safe and cheap and reliable (great for getting from a to b through heavy traffic) be aware that you may also end up in a carpet shop

9. India is safe to visit alone or in a group- dont take risks though. Dont stray too far off the beaten track and keep your wits about you. The Indian people are kind, honest and respectful but there are bad eggs everywhere you go!

10. 'Delhi belly' is almost a promise so stock up on all sorts of meds and ORT before you go. You have to be a freak (like me) for it not to happen!

11. Ask the locals about amazing places to see. You may find you are the only 'tourist' there but what you see and experience will be so worth it...and you may find that you have done something not many others have! Which is perfect!

12. Have loads of fun, fit in what you can and bring plenty of bug spray- 96 mozzie bites on one leg alone is not bit and not clever!



I aim to issue 3 separate blog posts about india, each detailing a different aspect to our indian adventure, starting with The Golden Triangle.... the a bit of of Rajasthan, and then ending in Goa and Mumbai....

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