10 Days in India

Hello Nela, you are really going to be pushing to see all of this in 10 days. Even if you are flying, it will be difficult. India is an amazing place and if you like photogaphy, you will love India. With 10 days, it is more realistic to start in Delhi and end in Mumbai.

PS: I've created a new thread for your question, you will receive more answers this way :-) Reply to this

Feel free to ask more questions - I had two visits to India for a total of three months. Other people in TB have been there longer than me (and some were born and live there) so ask away! Reply to this

Okay, let me answer you as best I can:

I never visited Udapiur, instead I went to Jaipur, Jaislamer, Jodphur, Bikaner (the famous rat temple) and Pushkar (for the camel fair). When I was in India, the water in Udapiur was very low and it detracted from the beauty of the place (according to travellers who had just been there).

The triangle is a good idea as it allows you to get a great snapshot of that part of the world. I'll borrow something I wrote on another thread here: In Agra, apart from the Taj, make sure you see Fatehpur Sikri and the rarely visited Itmad-ud-daulah's tomb - known as the mini-Taj - and I found the intricate carvings and adornments of that building to be better than its famous larger 'sibling'. Jaipur's stops should include the City Palace and my favourite, the Amer Fort.

From Delhi, there are plenty of trains that go overnight to Mumbai - some are much faster than others. Either go 2AC or 3AC class. With four of you, it will be easier to go for a 2AC as you will take up a whole 'cabin', assuming you can get all tickets for the same area. Rajdhani Express is the fastest.

Vaccinations are numerous - you need the usual, Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus, Typhoid treatments, and there is a oral medication (Dukoral) you can take that can protect against Cholera, with the other benefits is that it provides partial protection against Delhi Belly. Malaria medication is required here, so you'll need to start of course of tablets (I prefer Doxycycline) for that, and you are supposed to get Rabies shots before you go, but not many travellers (me included) bother with this.

As for what you wear, I am particularly conservative in this regard, I always wear long pants and long sleeves anywhere I go - even if the temperature gets into the 40-50 degree Celsius range. I'd be a bit cautious about exposing too much skin, only because it is not regarded as the norm according to local standards. Having said this, shorter sleeve tops are a better bet than shorter skirts.

New Delhi vs Old Delhi - I cannot remember where I stayed, but I chose something near to the train stations so I didn't need to haul my backpack too far a distance. Reply to this

India is one of the friendliest places to take photos of people, and this really lies at the heart of the people. However, this will vary depending on the area. Some will ask for a donation (especially if deliberately dressed in a traditional costume) but the vast majority will not. Children are very friendly in India and you can get swarmed in places. Take the photo, show them the digital result and watch the reaction! Though you may be asked to provide "pens", but it is more a request than a demand.

You will also find that other people will ask you to take a photo, just for the sake of being the subject of a photo. Being a female, you will find taking photos of women easier than I do, whereas for me, men tend to 'pose' for more photos. In rural areas, people can be more wary of cameras, and if you have a camera with a very big lens, it can scare people off.

I use a D300 sized camera and never had problems. My lenses are modest sized, but those large styled lenses (think of the professional large zoom f2.8 lenses) can make people suspicious. I have seem people react rather badly when one of those was pointed at them.

Overall, I think that the same rules with photography apply in India, if someone is incidental to a photo - i.e. street scene - it isn't a problem, but getting up closer without asking permission is a different proposition.

I hope to see some of your pictures on Travelblog soon! Reply to this

Hi Nela,

Well, like Shane mentioned, it’ll be touch n go, if you attempt to do all these cities in ten days. It’s a good idea to do the Golden Triangle – Delhi –Agra-Jaipur and then from Jaipur fly to Mumbai, spend a few days here and then fly to Goa and fly back home.

Rajasthan has a lot of places to visit, and you could pick between Jaipur and Udaipur for your visit here. Incase you’d like to visit southern India, Kerela is a lot more picturesque compared to Bangalore. Bangalore is just like any other city with houses, malls and crazy traffic.

Hope this info helps to start off with, do write back should you need other details!
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Dear Tanya and International backpackers :D

Thanks a lot for the additional recommendations appreciate it a lot, yes Tanya i've decided to pass bangalore this (maybe another time in life) and will fly directly to goa from mumbai. Reply to this

woww,
Thanks Nige for sharing the experience and advice.
I will definitely keep in mind of worst situation which might occur. Will definitely adjust the itinerary according to the situation and condition once there in india in February.


Thanks. Reply to this