| Submitted by: Kaye Stott , Australia |
| Submission Date: 04 February 2005 |
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Don't visit the city in the summer and NEVER drive in it! Unfortunately, Calcutta brings some of the best but most of the worst aspects of India. However, it is this incredible city that can alter the way a person sees life.
Benares: Fantastic, wonder place - maybe the best place in India. What else can be said!!! Benares is crowded - both with people and as a city, pressed up against one bank of the Ganges. Go down to the gats, visit the burning places, go out onto the river (I've even been swimming there - ed), and just enjoy this city that has so much zest for life amongst so much death.
Puskhar: One of the holy cities. There are a lot of weird people there, the town is very crowded.
Ganges River: Possibly most interesting upstream of Haridwar. Beyond that she loses very little height till the ocean. At the very start, when she is Alaknanda and Bhagirathi, she is terribly beautiful.
Garwhal: One of the India's greatest wildlife parks is there -- Corbett National park.
Himachal Pradesh: A good state from which to access the Himalayas.
Kashmir: May not be a good place to visit given the religious disturbances. Just check if you can fly into Ladakh. It is a peaceful group of Buddhists and some of the craziest terrain in the world (all > 18k feet). Staying on Dal Lake is an unforgettable experience, but the area has been intermittently closed to tourism in the recent past
If flying into Leh remember that you will need some time to become accustomed to the altitude. The advantage to taking the bus is that it gives you time to become accustomed to the altitude gradually. Both the bus ride (a long dusty trip with a `memorable' overnight stop) and the plane trip are spectacular.
New Delhi: A British-built town. You can smell the Mughal empire in Old Delhi if you have read enough history. Delhi is the capital of India. Some historic sites to see like the Qutub Minar, Red Fort etc. Cosmopolitan City, Good shopping in Connaught Place and Connaught Circle from the street vendors. Go to the jantar mantar [maze]. Modern amenities, good restaurants. Eat in the street side.
Agra: Home of the TAJ MAHAL of course - '_The_ most impressive thing I saw on the trip. (And I saw a lot of impressive things)'. Fantastic and easily worth 2 full days minimum. Stay near the Taj gates and go at opening and just before closing, when the crowds are thinnest. In town, the Red Fort is fantastic, with a great State owned apple juice stand, and there are other temples that a pedicab can take you. Do not try to find your own way around Agra; it is utterly hopeless and pedicab drivers will hound you. Arrange for a cab driver, making it clear what your route will be, and whether or not you wish him to take you to any places for shopping.
Be sure to go to Fatehpur Sikri. Car and driver hire from tourist office was $30 (1986) with up to 4; the available public transit is worse than usual, with rickety (even by Indian standards) equipment and inconvenient schedules. There are other places on the outskirts of town that the driver will take you as part of a trip to Fateh.
Hill Stations: Musoree, Nainitaal, Ooty - all worth a visit.
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You should try and witness some festival celebrations, and these vary from region to region, with most emphasis usually on one particular festival. The festivals are dependent on the calendar and full of colour(normally), and so your itinerary will probably decide which ones you could witness.
If time permits take a hike or nature walk, to the interiors of India, passing remote villages, and their really hospitable people. Its not what the 'typical' tourist' would do, of course, but it may leave you feeling something you haven't ever before.
Trek in the mountains - for example, Sikkim and Darjeeling. Sikkim is very different from tea-house trekking in Nepal; you are obliged by the government to go through a registered trekking agency, and must have a guide and a police liaison officer, and a minimum of 4 trekkers. There are no villages with supplies on the route up to and beyond Dzongri, so all food, bedding, cooking implements, etc must be carried up with you. This makes it a lot easier to just register with a trekking company and let them bother about the logistics. The companies all have a set daily fee of $US35 per person, and treks are usually 9 or 12 day duration. After having trekked on a do-it-yourself basis in Nepal, this seemed a bit extreme (for 4 trekkers there were 13 men and 4 yaks to get up the mountain!). There are trekker's huts at each overnight stop, but you need your own cold-weather clothes and sleeping bags. Trekking out of Darjeeling is more like Nepal. It is through more settled countryside, with villages or trekking huts at fairly frequent intervals. Go without a guide, carrying your own pack. On the 6-day trek up to Sandakphu and Phalut it isn't even necessary to carry a sleeping bag, since all hotels or huts have blankets. All places to stay have food available. Not a lot of variety, but for such a short trek you can live on dal bhat without many problems.
Trek in Uttar Pradesh. You can start from the road just before Badrinath. Five hours or so to the guest house near a sacred gudwhara (Sikh temple). From there, two beautiful day hikes can be made: one to the Valley of the Flowers National Park, the other is to Hemkund Lake at 15500 ft. A holy place for both Sikhs and Hindus.
Try local sodas like THUMS UP, LIMCA, GOLD SPOT. Beer is stronger like German (tastes like water to Aussies - ed). Try to catch the ethnic sites which could be more fun then regular tourist spots.
Go to the cinema - you don't have to understand Hindi. The greatest entertainment is your fellow cinema goers. As one traveller relates... 'At this point we were six - two guys and four women - so we went to the 'Ladies Queue'. The funny thing was, all the locals were asking us to buy their tickets. Optimists... Then along came the police, waving their lathis (BIG batons). We were ready to hit the deck, but they went around us, belting the locals! (Mind you, it was getting close to a riot..) Once this was done, the police bashed on the ticket window, organised our tickets for us, and escorted us upstairs, before everyone else ! THEN, before they opened the doors, we were again escorted in to our seats. Good thing too, because when they opened the doors... A great night's entertainment.' In Jaipur, visit the wildest movie theater in the world. It looks like nothing from the outside, but the inside is like something from Hollywood in the 40s. Incredible. 'We enjoyed the film, too, one of the ubiquitous Indian musicals. You didn't have to understand Hindi to follow the plot, such as it was. My favorite scene had the hero and heroine dressed up like spiderwoman and superman, flying over Bombay. Wonderful.'
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Bargaining over _everything_, including the taxis, and sometimes even the hotels.
India is packed with things to suit all tastes. There are many handicrafts and goods, but, as with all such items, don't rush in and buy the first thing you see at the going price. Get some feel for what is available and what the real price should be first.
Jaipur is a great place to buy gems and semi-precious stones. You can choose the stones, draw a picture of the setting, and have your personalized jewelry made up for you overnight. Benares has wonderful silk and brocade. Saris can be great presents for relatives and friends that sew - there are any different grades of silk, and a sari can be turned into shirts, blouses, dresses...
Carpets and furniture can be bought and shipped home, but be careful that you deal through a reputable firm if you pre-pay. Maybe one time in ten the goods don't arrive, so be warned!
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A word to women traveling in India, particularly without men: it can be quite a hassle, although southern India is less of a problem than the north. At any rate, the best thing is to always cover your upper arms (not go sleeveless) and to cover your calves (not wear skirts). You will be hassled the least when you wear the Pakistani-style tunic with pants outfit. Hassles often consisted of being grabbed and having elbows, hands, etc. 'accidentally' brush against your private areas. This isn't just due to crowded streets. Men may follow you back to your hotel and try to get into your room; keep it locked, even when you are there. On the whole, don't let this discourage women from traveling alone or without men to India; it won't ruin your trip.
The best suggestion to avoid this problem is to do as Indian women do in India. The problem is India has different value system than Western world. It is not an accepted practice in India to show skin above knees, a large portion of your back (from shoulders to hips), the area between neck and breasts in addition to womens private parts. Also wearing clothes which are slightly translucent (which show bra or outline of panties) is a no-no. Clothes which fall under this category are shorts, a thin t-shirt, mini skirts, skirts which fall below knees, and going around bra-less. Also all actions by women which expose the above mentioned skin should be avoided - e.g. Sitting in manner which exposes knees and calves, moving arms around which exposes area just below armpits (junction of back and side of breasts) even while wearing a bra, leaning over and giving a view down neck etc and kissing in public. As you can see clothing, actions etc should be done keeping the above in mind. Perfectly innocuous actions and normal clothing becomes translated into come-ons, 'loose women' etc.
To quote an Indian national: 'Yes, travelling in India by a single woman is UNUSUAL. I should say that that you should NOT attempt to do so without sufficient precautions. My wife has had pretty tough experiences travelling in India being an educated and enlightened Indian herself. People look 'funnily' at single 'foreign' female.....even though we have millions of tourists from all over the world, people in India still haven't got over it, I suppose. You just CAN'T AVOID it....To avoid men brushing against you, harassing you........DON'T SMILE at people; this encourages them!'
For women going to India, it helps a lot to dress conservatively: covering legs, loose clothes, etc. Remember also that in places there are separate queues for men and women, and take advantage of that. Local buses in some cities, such as Hyderabad, have women getting in and remaining in the front of the bus, while men use the back. Trains usually have women-only carriages, and you may want to ask for them. This will certainly help reduce the number of unpleasant experiences. One basic rule is to be very considerate to an Indian custom: women (and even men) keep their bodies covered. Don't wear shorts, or sleeveless shirts. Jeans are OK (though a bit risque in some parts. especially the eastern states - like Bihar). Your best bet might be to wear a Salwar-Kurta, an Indian dress that some American women tell me is very comfortable, and _very_ Indian.
You will meet all sorts of men, some very courteous and helpful, and some downright nasty. Being a single woman is not normal in India, don't be surprised to be asked why you are alone. A family is a very important thing in India, especially for a woman. If you don't have one to show, you may be treated as a failed human being, or simply a wierdo. You may find men who will try to feel you (especially if you are 'scantily' clad), so always be very fiesty if you suspect someone did that. Complain loudly, and clearly. Generally, _most_ Indians treat a woman traveling alone with respect, and will be helpful. Some are downright nasty. But I suspect that this changes a little to the worse for a 'white' woman traveling alone. Not much worse, but noticeably so. It is well known that 'western' culture is sexually more permissive, and this is misinterpreted by Indian males far too often.
Delhi is very bad for women - in general eastern India (Bihar and UP) is bad for single women of any race. Southern India is better for the most part. Some large cities are surprisingly safe (even for a lone woman late in the evening, though you don't have to test this!), like Bombay and Calcutta.
Please remember that Indian men are not all nuts. Most are actually very decent people, who will treat you with the respect you deserve. However be prepared for a few bad eggs. Your being a foreigner will bring them out faster than anything else. On the whole, I think you will have a great time. In Indian culture women are regarded with great respect, but there are many, many, many rules, and too often some frustrated man will decide to dump it all anyway. So be prepared.
In situations in which you anticipate unwanted attention, cover your hair with a scarf or light shawl. This is a sign of modesty used by many Indian women; in fact, very traditional Indian women will sometimes cover their faces as well when in the presence of male strangers. The clueless sort of man who believes the usual myths about western women may be tuned in to this bit of Indian body language and leave you alone. This practice may help the single female traveller get on better with the local women as well.
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Grateful thanks for views and suggestions from the following netters:
Ajai Banarji
Jack Campin
Wayne Citrin
Lauren L. Crawford
Anju Dang
Vikas Deolaliker
Harshavardhan Deshmane
Andrew Duchon
M. Ganesh
Russell Gilbert
Anita Govindjee
Hardeep Johar
Prakash Jyothi
Sara Kalvala
Kevin Kells
Jayant Kumar
Henry Lai
Dan Landis
Stephen J. Mezias
Robertc. Moldenhauer
Avik Mukherjee
Pankaj Narayan
Stanley A Orrell
Shyamal Prasad
Prentiss Riddle
Paul Roberts
Ajay Shah
Kalpak Shah
Alok Sharan
M G SriRam
John Sims
Brett Slocum
Maren E. van
James J. White
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| Copyright © - "Kaye Stott" |
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