India plans

[torqueofthedevil]

Currently thinking of visiting india - main attraction is the food but also sight seeing and a bit of relaxing / partying!

Thinking - Manchester to New Delhi, and visit there, Agra and Jaipur over about a week. Then fly Jaipur to Kochi and see Karala for about 3 days, train up to Goa and stay there about 3 days. Then either fly home from Goa or continue on train to see Mumbai.

Starting mid-November.

Take 2 - 2.5 weeks

Currently expecting to do it alone.

Any suggestions?!

[audidoody]

The entire country is dusted with a thin coating of human st.

Read on:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/health

[HotJambalaya]

throw in a tiger reserve like Ranthambore

[GT03ROB]

You are covering a lot of ground in 2 weeks, but you will certainly get a feel for the place. I wouldn't add any more than you are currently planning, even though there are huge number of other places worth seeing.

Regarding the health warnings, it's simple. Be sensible...you'll be OK. You may get a dose of the sts at some point but its not likely to be serious.

I lived in Delhi for 2 1/2 years & spent a further 4 months in Mumbai, so know the place reasonably well.

[Robertj21a]

torqueofthedevil said:

Currently thinking of visiting india - main attraction is the food but also sight seeing and a bit of relaxing / partying!

Thinking - Manchester to New Delhi, and visit there, Agra and Jaipur over about a week. Then fly Jaipur to Kochi and see Karala for about 3 days, train up to Goa and stay there about 3 days. Then either fly home from Goa or continue on train to see Mumbai.

Starting mid-November.

Take 2 - 2.5 weeks

Currently expecting to do it alone.

Any suggestions?!

Sounds good. I wouldn't add any more as it can be quite tiring with the heat, population density, poverty etc. I've done parts of India on a couple of occasions and am keen to go back another time.

[karma mechanic]

We've been travelling around India at that time of year a couple of times. Delhi airport in particular is afflicted by fog late in the day, which caused disruption to our plans. The flight from Pune was delayed for hours, then we took off and flew to Delhi. No landing, diverted back to Pune, put up in the Sheraton Grand courtesy of Indian Airlines... next day it was back to the airport to wait nearly all day for the flight.

Be careful about trying to travel too much, too much time could be eaten up by airports and delays. If you love the place you can always go back.

• Edited to add some more thoughts*

Doing Kerala and Goa may be too much, might be better to concentrate on enjoying one or the other.
Agra itself has little to see apart from the Taj Mahal, imho not a place to linger.
Jaipur is lovely.

Edited by karma mechanic on Sunday 26th February 11:34

[King Herald]

Sounds like a very short time frame to 'do' India. Not sure if you have been before, and it is 10 years since I was last there myself, but soaking in the country and absorbing all it has to offer is something everybody should do it their life time. There is some incredible culture to see, but also a whole lot of dust and filth in between. It truly is a massive country, culturally, geographically and mentally.

I travelled alone, on my first trip there, 27 years ago, but you will bump into other people continually so no shortage of travel advice, conversation and whining hippy backpacker complaints.

If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.
Romain Rolland.

[King Herald]

Surprisingly enough, I found the Taj Mahal to be the most amazing sight in most all my travels, but I hear nowadays it is crowded, dirty and expensive for foreigners to visit.

Mind you, they told me that in 1990 and I very nearly didn't bother to go. Glad I did though, and had my 30th birthday in a little cafe just by the entrance gate.

[DIW35]

I agree that the Taj is dirty and overcrowded, and disappointing that the fountains weren't working, but it is still one of those places you should visit if you are in the vicinity.

[torqueofthedevil]

Thanks for the advice so far. Yeah I'm not too bothered about Dehli but there looks to be some great forts etc nearby and Agra is just for the Taj Mahal, mainly want to see Jaipur. Want to get out of the city a bit into green lush countryside, see the people who live out there and try the food.

Only just starting the research now - the Kerala backwaters look amazing, I just put Goa as it's on the train journey back and there and Mumbai will presumably be better for flights. Also I'd like to finish with some beaches, drinking and relaxing!

Tiger sanctuary sounds good providing it is a proper sanctuary and not just a zoo disguised as one!

[GT03ROB]

torqueofthedevil said:

Thanks for the advice so far. Yeah I'm not too bothered about Dehli but there looks to be some great forts etc nearby and Agra is just for the Taj Mahal, mainly want to see Jaipur. Want to get out of the city a bit into green lush countryside, see the people who live out there and try the food.

Only just starting the research now - the Kerala backwaters look amazing, I just put Goa as it's on the train journey back and there and Mumbai will presumably be better for flights. Also I'd like to finish with some beaches, drinking and relaxing!

Tiger sanctuary sounds good providing it is a proper sanctuary and not just a zoo disguised as one!

Don't underestimate Delhi there is a lot there history wise. Jaipur is fantastic well worth spending time in. If you are heading to Agra you need to cover Agra Fort & Fatepuh Sikhri. The countryside around Delhi is not exactly green & lush! Heading to Jaipur you are into Rajasthan which is basically a desert state.

[torqueofthedevil]

Eying up Varanasi now too! So much to see!

[carreauchompeur]

Incredible place but fk me, it's hard work at times.

Don't try to cram too much in. Also be aware that the Taj Mahal is closed one day each week. Don't spend more than a day or so in Agra. I nearly missed the TM as I arrived at 0230hrs on a train and had to be up at 5 for the Taj since I'd realised the next day was closed.

I'd consider cutting either Goa or Kerala. Just do one of them, and relax. It's such a long train journey that flight back to Mumbai would save a lot of time.

[Fleegle]

torqueofthedevil said:

Tiger sanctuary sounds good providing it is a proper sanctuary and not just a zoo disguised as one!

It's nothing like zoo and while it's quite likely you will see maybe one, there is no guarantee

[littlebasher]

While we're on the subject

I couldn't help but notice that internal flights to Goa aren't the most expensive in the world. I'm out in Pune / Hyderabad next month for 3 weeks and fancied going over to Goa to have a look about.

So, if i go, what's to do when i leave the airport and where should i be heading!

[King Herald]

torqueofthedevil said:

Thanks for the advice so far. Yeah I'm not too bothered about Dehli but there looks to be some great forts etc nearby and Agra is just for the Taj Mahal, mainly want to see Jaipur. Want to get out of the city a bit into green lush countryside, see the people who live out there and try the food.

!

I caught an overnight bus south from Goa, and waking up in the morning and watching the sun rise over lush, bright green foliage was amazing, after the dusty, brown, powdered-turd coating most of northern India has. I carried on down south, then flew over to Sri Lanka though, rather than curving back up the east coast, as I had originally planned. Sri Lanka was a somewhat turbulent place back in 1990.....

My advice at the time to people about the food was 'if you like Indian food, don't go to India' but I realised later it was because I was dining in the lower end of the price range spectrum. The best meals I have EVER had was in a hotel, in Visakhapatnam, north of Chennai, a massive buffet with dozens of types of every Indian food, desert, sweets, curry, rice, breads, ice cream, all you can imagine. All for about 6 quid.