First trip to India

Status
Not open for further replies.

EXPERT

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
503
Likes
329
@EXPERT How big are the costs of traveling to other states within India? I don't have any particular plans in Delhi, so I could find time to see other parts of the country as well. All I need, is someone living there :) Best!
you'll find moderate air and railway fares, like if you have to come to Pune via train it will cost you around 2000 bucks .
the motels, 3 star hotels are also on moderate fares like you 'll get a room on 1000 bucks a day . . .

- For natural beauty visit Himalayan region or north east part . . . .
- for parties, bollywood and fun visit Mumbai, ie in south west .
- for Taj Mahal go to Agra . . . 5 hours away .
- for Lion and tiger visit Gir in Gujarat and sundarban in Bengal respectively .
- for spirituality go to Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan for URS fest, go to Amritsar for golden temple in Punjab, Haridwar or Benares for temples .
- For beach, sun and all go to Goa .
- for indo pak Border ceremony go to wagah border .
- and to see me come to Pune . . .
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Senior_Miguel

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
78
Likes
57
By bucks you mean USD or INR? ;-)

you'll find moderate air and railway fares, like if you have to come to Pune via train it will cost you around 2000 bucks .
the motels, 3 star hotels are also on moderate fares like you 'll get a room on 1000 bucks a day . . .

- For natural beauty visit Himalayan region or north east part . . . .
- for parties, bollywood and fun visit Mumbai, ie in south west .
- for Taj Mahal go to Agra . . . 5 hours away .
- for Lion and tiger visit Gir in Gujarat and sundarban in Bengal respectively .
- for spirituality go to Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan for URS fest, go to Amritsar for golden temple in Punjab, Haridwar or Benares for temples .
- For beach, sun and all go to Goa .
- for indo pak Border ceremony go to wagah border .
- and to see me come to Pune . . .
 

Twinblade

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
1,578
Likes
3,231
Country flag
Ok, I get it ;-) and what about beers? Do you have some special ones, which I can get just in India and you recomend?
The local beers are not that great, they tend to be heavy on sugar with a sweetish aftertaste, but with Indian snacks (tandoori chicken, kebabs) they seem to work well. Recommendations in regular mass produced beers :- Haywards 5000 and Kingfisher strong. 'Golden Peacock' beer, available mostly in swanky restaurants is the pick of the local beers. However I would recommend Tuborg strong or Carlsberg Elephant over Kingfisher or Haywards. In liquor you should try Amrut whiskey and Old Monk Supreme rum (the one in the shape of laughing buddha) and Old Monk gold reserve. You should try Bhang thandai if you are in the north, but make your travel accommodations beforehand. Bhang is product made from marijuana plant, which is legal in India (illegal to smoke, legal to eat). It will make you trip some balls.


Also, don't photograph military institutions. The military police will instantly report you to the local police who will put charges on you. It has happened before and it happens all the time. The police are very eager to slap spying charges on military spotters.

Travel advisory:-
-Don't entertain beggars.
-Buy a local sim card. You will realise that calling Poland from India is probably cheaper than calling anywhere in Poland from Poland. $10 worth of pre paid mobile credit will last you a month easily.
-In Delhi, buy a Metro rail pass from a metro station. It will save you the hassle of getting in the queue again and again. Buy a monthly bus pass as well, it will save you a lot of money.
-Indian railways is a very cheap way to travel, however it's summer time, so you won't be able to book tickets for air conditioned coaches due to the insane rush. You can travel the entire length of country, first class, under $100 in Indian rail.
-Keep your wallet and docs inside you bag, beware of pick pockets. The best way to avoid getting your phone nicked is to put your headphones with music on. You will know the instance someone tries to steal it.
-Avoid eating street food with raw ingredients. Prefer deep fried, boiled or roasted stuff.
-Drink bottled water, always. It's summer time, temperatures reach 48 degrees everywhere in the north. Drink at least 1 liter of cold water every two hours if you don't want to get a heat stroke.
-Carry a large tub of SPF 70+ sunscreen unless you want your burnt skin peeling off in the sun.
-Pack a small med kit (regular antibiotics, OR Solution pouches, paracetamol, anti fungal cream for skin infections). Most medical stores will sell you prescription medicines over the counter here (medicines are also very cheap). Malaria, Dengue, Typhoid, Hepatitis are very serious diseases, especially for Europeans who don't have any resistance to them unlike natives of tropics. You could spend months being very very sick.
-Stay away from drugs. It's the easiest way to fall into an extortion racket with dirty cops. Narco laws are very strict here, it's the onus of the accused to prove that they are not dealers and you don't want to be dealing with law enforcement and courts over here.
-Book your hotels in advance, there are a lot of budget no frills hotels for business travelers (seriously, avoid Paharganj, that place is like hippie central).
-If you are leaving an airport or railway station, search for 'Pre-Paid Booth' for taxis. That will prevent you from getting fleeced.
-Travel light, pack for summer, always pack a roll of toilet paper/wet wipes in your carry bag.
-Cleanest toilets- metro stations, dirtiest toilets - railways. When unsure where the public restrooms are, ask directions for 'Sulabh complex'.
-Most states have tourist police cells nowadays, try to get hold of their helpline numbers.
 

Neil

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
2,818
Likes
3,546
Country flag
Even in Holland and west eu people drink
Tap water
even in India almost all household drink from tap water.. but after filtering it further with the help of aquaguard etc or boiling water. It was just a cautious advice to our friend from Poland since his hotel/motel might not have one.
 

EXPERT

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Messages
503
Likes
329
OMG, guys seriously please leave the Tap water alone . . .
 

Blackwater

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
21,157
Likes
12,211
even in India almost all household drink from tap water.. but after filtering it further with the help of aquaguard etc or boiling water. It was just a cautious advice to our friend from Poland since his hotel/motel might not have one.
yaar water ta tap to anda ha, i mean we in west EU drink water without filter from tap
 

Cliff@sea

C'est la vie
Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2012
Messages
2,370
Likes
1,028
Country flag
What's up with our Polish friend ?


I was quite eager to hear of his experiences here in India, nothing like hearing from an enthusiastic westerner landing in India for the first time in the middle of May. :)
 

Senior_Miguel

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
78
Likes
57
What's up with our Polish friend ?


I was quite eager to hear of his experiences here in India, nothing like hearing from an enthusiastic westerner landing in India for the first time in the middle of May. :)
Hi guys! Sorry for such a delay in sharing my views after the trip with you. I spent a whole week in India and I have to admit, that it was everything I expected...or mostly ;-) there were some things, which surprised me a lot. For example security guards/military officers at every metro/railway station. I was shocked with that view, because in Europe you see such things only at airports. But I agree with it - security in the first place! Furthermore, I was astonished with the way many people were willing to help me, give instructions, suggest better forms of transport (for example, the guy from the the pre-paid taxi corporation at the Airport told me, that it would cost me 800INR to drive me to the Main Bazar Rd. When I told him, that I'm not interested, I supposed that he would seem disappointed or even angry at me. But no! He suggested me to take the metro (Red Line), which goes all the way to the New Delhi Station - which I did - and it cost my only 120INR!).

Main Bazar Rd was everything I expected. Hotel owners were very happy to lend me a room - of course with a "special price, only for me" ;-). I was surprised though, that many of dishes were a lot cheaper than in Europe, especially everything with rice or vegi dishes. Only alcohol was as much expensive as back home.

And the most important thing.. MANY THANKS to Hardy (rock127), who spent a whole day with me, showing me very interesting places and serving as a guide around Delhi. It was the best part of the whole trip!

Next time, I'm going to Mumbai :)

Best,


Michal
 

angeldude13

Lestat De Lioncourt
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
2,499
Likes
3,999
Country flag
@rock127 dude what places did you show him??

jantar mantar? :lol:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Ajesh

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2014
Messages
325
Likes
159
Rock127 is a Delhite, i thought he was a Mumbaikar...

One Question though, WHy do Europeans eat so Bland Food, No Spices, No Taste.. Apart from Italian food, everything looks so bland,
 

rock127

Maulana Rockullah
Senior Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2009
Messages
10,569
Likes
25,230
Country flag
@rock127 dude what places did you show him??

jantar mantar? :lol:
Yeah I dropped him at Jantar Mantar main gate in the morning and he went inside and got lost.Then he somehow found a way back from the maze and I waited him to get out till evening and dropped him back.:lol:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

angeldude13

Lestat De Lioncourt
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
2,499
Likes
3,999
Country flag
Yeah I dropped him at Jantar Mantar main gate in the morning and he went inside and got lost.Then he somehow found a way back from the maze and I waited him to get out till evening and dropped him back.:lol:
are you serious? :lol:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top