India

[24k]

haven't been to india, but i had stayed at its neighboring country, pakistan. when it comes to odor, i think their food, particularly the spices, have a lot to do with it. sari-saring klase nakita namin sa palengke nila na unfamiliar ang itsura. pero sa simula lang magiging sensitive ang nose mo. after a while, madedesensitize ka na. pagbalik ko nga ng manila, comment agad sakin ng family ko eh amoy ****** daw ako (no offense meant) yet hindi ko maamoy ang sarili ko. and yes, guys love to stare. one time, namimili ako sa palengke pagtingin ko ang dami na palang nakaikot sa akin na guys, lahat nakatingin. kinabahan talaga ako buti kasama ko isa ko pang friend na girl so alis kami agad. mahirap ng mapahamak eh.

[heymikey]

Bumping this thread

I am thinking of going to India for my next backpacking trip in a couple of years (2009 or 2010). Has anyone here backpacked through India before? If so, please post your experiences.

I want to concentrate around Northern India especially Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In regards to my rough itinerary, I am thinking of starting in Delhi and then head east to the holy city of Varanasi. From there, head back west to Agra for a couple of days to see the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. From there, grab an overnight sleeper train to the pink city of Jaipur. Then, head down to Udaipur to check out the several breathtaking palaces on the lake. From there, I am planning on heading out to the magnificent Jodhpur to see the Mehrangarh Fort overlooking the blue city. After that, head to the golden city of Jaisalmer to see the beautifully carved temples and palaces and do a camel safari along the sand dunes before heading back on an overnight train to Delhi. If I have the time, I am also thinking of going way up north to Amritsar to check out the Royal Palace before arriving in Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama currently lives in exile. This is probably the closest thing to Tibet without grabbing a Chinese visa and a Tibet permit. If I still have the time, I am thinking of following the Beatles' footsteps and head to Rishikesh and check into an ashram for some meditation and yoga.

Anyway, some questions. How long do you think I will need to do this itinerary without feeling rushed? How are the trains in India in terms of cleanliness and punctuality? How much is the daily budget for a solo traveler and what are the safety issues travelers need to look out for in terms of scams, civil unrest (aside from Kashmir), etc.? And when is the best time to travel to Northern India?

[DavidAames]

December heymikey...sabi ng indian sa likod ko... i have an indian colleage now... at my back while im posting... you dont have to worry about accomodation daw kasi cheap daw ang lodging and food sa india...

[the_champ]

tanong lang po sa mga nakapunta na ng india. may travel tax ba terminal fee dun sa departure ng delhi airport?

[seva]

tanong lang po sa mga nakapunta na ng india. may travel tax ba terminal fee dun sa departure ng delhi airport?

wala. nakakainis lang sa india, masyadong malaki ang difference sa rate nila sa entrance fee for foreigners -- entrance to taj mahal for example is around 750 rupees, while 20 rupees lang pag indian ka!

[keyser_soze]

here's a shot of the Taj Mahal...Agra is quite cool, i've bumped into some Pinoy tourists there as well.

i tasted all the Masala, beef masala, chicken masala, fish masala lol ...they're spicy, but not hot! if you know what i mean, if you've ever tasted Thai food in comparison...i also enjoyed the chicken Biryani and Tandoori

[Nivla_Poa]

Went to Bangalore for a few days. I was surprised to see that the airport in Bangalore was worse than our NAIA I terminal.

But the rest of the city was a weird mix of the high end (seven star hotels) and low end (cheap food stalls), which reminded me of Makati. Also, Bangalore had a climate that was similar to Baguio: cool and breezy. The climate also helped ensure that the Indians I met weren't really sweating a lot, so the feared smell was limited.

I wouldn't really recommend that you take the auto rickshaws without someone to help you negotiate. I was lucky to have a friend's son tour me around, so we traveled around on autorickshaws, but even the first one we rode on tried to cheat us. This happened three out of five times we took an auto.

[katiztic]

I went to Pune(South India) for a weeklong conference. Masaya kase mura, madami ka mabibili at hindi naman super scary, para ka lang nagpunta sa divisoria. maputik nga lang.

nga pala, all international flights land at around midnight. meron namang mga taxis but the trains and the buses operate in the day. just a friendly warning.

and yeah..indian men STARE. natatawa ako, feeling ko apparition ako of some sorts. =) cheers!

[kobe20]

QUESTIONS :


1. Sang airlines pwede sumkay from here?
2. Halimbawa solo lang ako,if i spend one week there,how much ang pocket money for tour and food?And everything na rin siguro?

[katiztic]

From here, i took singapore airlines flight via singapore. i think mas ok yun na route kase most of the passengers in manila na indians eh kasabay ko rin sa flight ko from singapore to mumbai.

libre kase yung trip ko when i went so i have no idea how much ha. but all i know is, i only brought about 4thou na pocketmoney, di ko naubos lahat. (wala naman kase akong mashadong nabili dahil parang feeling ko makikita ko din yung mga nandun sa pilipinas). and i didn't go on the package tour either.

hehehe. i guess im no help. =)

[seva]

you can also try malaysian airlines. all international flights to india arrive there midnight.

depende rin kung saang part ng india ka pupunta. maraming budget airlines na pwede pagpilian kung gusto mo mag-ikot pa sa ibang states ng india. pwede rin train.

[Nivla_Poa]

@kobe20: When I went to India, I went via Thai Airways. May stopover sa Bangkok.

[heymikey]

What about Jet Airways? Has anyone tried that?

[seva]

i've tried jet airways - mumbai to delhi. it was just a short trip, so i really cannot say much. i know they have international routes but i don't think it include the philippines.

[xel_7]

QUESTIONS :


1. Sang airlines pwede sumkay from here?
2. Halimbawa solo lang ako,if i spend one week there,how much ang pocket money for tour and food?And everything na rin siguro?

If I were you, Singapore Airlines na lang. Medyo pricey but it's worth it

It depends kung saan sa India ka pupunta. For tours, pwede kang mag-book sa local tourism office nila per province/state (mas mura) or through an agency (mas lalong mahal). Accommodations are cheap lalo na kung di ka mapili. Food is very cheap, one full decent veg meal will cost you a minimum of Rs 35 and a non-veg meal is about Rs 80 and up

I suggest trains if you have time to spare. Mura and efficient. Kunin mo lang yung 2nd class and up, kasi pag 3rd class public na talaga (mass sharing) and hindi na ganun kalinis

[xel_7]

Bumping this thread

I am thinking of going to India for my next backpacking trip in a couple of years (2009 or 2010). Has anyone here backpacked through India before? If so, please post your experiences.

I want to concentrate around Northern India especially Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In regards to my rough itinerary, I am thinking of starting in Delhi and then head east to the holy city of Varanasi. From there, head back west to Agra for a couple of days to see the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. From there, grab an overnight sleeper train to the pink city of Jaipur. Then, head down to Udaipur to check out the several breathtaking palaces on the lake. From there, I am planning on heading out to the magnificent Jodhpur to see the Mehrangarh Fort overlooking the blue city. After that, head to the golden city of Jaisalmer to see the beautifully carved temples and palaces and do a camel safari along the sand dunes before heading back on an overnight train to Delhi. If I have the time, I am also thinking of going way up north to Amritsar to check out the Royal Palace before arriving in Dharamsala where the Dalai Lama currently lives in exile. This is probably the closest thing to Tibet without grabbing a Chinese visa and a Tibet permit. If I still have the time, I am thinking of following the Beatles' footsteps and head to Rishikesh and check into an ashram for some meditation and yoga.

Anyway, some questions. How long do you think I will need to do this itinerary without feeling rushed? How are the trains in India in terms of cleanliness and punctuality? How much is the daily budget for a solo traveler and what are the safety issues travelers need to look out for in terms of scams, civil unrest (aside from Kashmir), etc.? And when is the best time to travel to Northern India?

I did pero I can only vouch for Rajasthan lang . I sense that you are looking for a Delhi - Agra - Rajasthan tour, the so called Golden Triangle. I'm thinking 12 - 14 days including travelling time via train and bus

Nag-train lang ako, and you can book your tickets ahead of time via internet (forgot the site --- try google). Hindi ka na pipila and usually kukunin mo na lang yung tickets sa mismong station. May dedicated line dun for that

Efficient naman yung train system nila. Like what I posted before, take the 2nd class and up kasi pag mas mababa pa dun, ala-Amazing race na yung makukuha mong quality ng trains. If my recollection is correct, yung train tickets on a 2nd class coach from Delhi - Jaipur would cost you around Rs 800. This was way back from 2005

Daily budget, mas ok na if you will allocate around Rs 500 and up for good food, konting pamasahe and tips. Actually kaya sya for Rs 200 basta hindi ka particular sa food saka kung prudent spending. Ginawa ko nun is sa train trips ako natutulog para tipid sa oras and hotel fees . Ingat lang sa shopping ng pasalubong, dun naubos pera ko e

Kung lalaki ka, safe ka na Typical safety measures lang naman pag nagtratravel mag-isa: keep your wallet and valuables close to you, travel light and wag pumorma ng wala sa lugar. Bring alcohol, medicine and drink bottled water kung medyo maarte yung tiyan mo. Wag sasama ng kung kani-kanino and usually merong local tourism office na nagbibigay ng packaged tours at a very low price (usually meron sa train station). Dun ka na lang kumuha

October to November is a good period para di ka masyadong mainitan and hindi masyado peak yung rates (as I know it). Usually early morning or afternoon yung mga trips. You might consider the desert safari tour sa Jaiselmer, but it will cost you money (around Rs 1k and up) and about 3 days. Meron silang mini-safari for a few hours lang pero baka mabitin ka. Magsasawa ka sa forts and museums saka bring a lot of memory for your camera

So yun. Hope it helps

[kobe20]

up for India!wala na bang ibang kwento..gusto ko pumunta dito hehe

[xel_7]

^ lol. punta na

[waterwell]

gusto ko rin pumunta, pero budget airlines siguro. like manila-singapore or kl via cebu pacific or airasia, tapos to india via airasia uli? tsaka madali bang mag-apply ng visa to india?

[candycane]

sama ako waterwell!