India!

[Scarlett]

My sister and I are thinking of travelling to India. We have only ever been to France before, and realise that this will be a culture shock. Do you have any advice for us? Things we should do or not do; What we should eat or not eat? Wear or not wear? Many thanks!

[warpig3]

where abouts in India are you thinking of going ie holiday resorts such as those in Goa or to a more residential place such as Mumbai?

[Dr Wu]

Go to your local library and have a good long read of 3 or 4 different travel guides (lonely planet etc)

Most libraries have a really good travel section, yet in this age of the internet I find more and more people are forgetting about this fantastic resource!

ps: no I am not a librarian!!

[Scarlett]

warpig- really, we have no idea!!! This is just an idea at this stage. We would like to go somewhere where we can buy pretty things- hippy clothes or cloth etc, but somewhere where we can stay in a decent hotel with air conditioning if possible. Any thoughts?

[warpig3]

Scarlett I would suggest Goa for an initial holiday. India is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people but the poverty is quite disturbing.

If you go to Goa, which is geared toward holiday makers, you can travel around very easily and cheaply and stay in various resorts. But be prepared even the better establishments are fairly basic.

I stayed in Mumbai (bombay) for a while and found it very disturbing, I have never seen poverty like it first hand. I still have the images of things I saw there in my mind and that was 13 years ago. So maybe don't go there if you dont feel up to it.

As for food, well before I went various people said dont eat this, dont eat that, dont drink the water, basically all the things you would expect to hear! So I and my two friends were careful with what we ate, one friend was a veggie so she didnt have any meat and to cut a long story short, we were very careful, we all ate different things and we all ended up with the sh*ts!!!! So take from that what you will!

If you go to Goa then everything is farily relaxed and they are very tolerant of western clothes and culture, although I don't recall anyone going topless on the beaches. In Mumbai one of my friends got hassled by men and we think it was because she had a shortish dress on and her sholders weren't covered, or maybe she just looked like a hooker!

Anyway best thing to do is buy a guide book and have a read so if you do decide to go at least you know what to expect. It is a truely beautiful place. If you do go hope you have a great time.

warpig

[Scarlett]

Many thanks warpig!

[Memore]

I have been India three times and back packed all over Goa is not like being in India as it is fairly commerical in lots of areas and the Portugese influence there stops it feeling Indian - get Lonely Planet guide and use the agency they advise (if still there) it was in Wembley and can sort out an itinery for you - going all that way just for Goa would be a shame you must see Agra Delhi Varanassi and Rajasthan but it is not easy to get around and can be quite frustrating but definitely worth it - there are lots of scams which you need to know about as well

[hank613]

Just came back....in summer it is very hot...frequently over 100 and very humid. Best time to go is fall and winter. go to north...Agra, Delhi , Vernassi etc.
Do not see poverty in western eyes...see it from their perspective...born to a class and it is their fate...certain jobs reserved for each class...poor begging and cleaning streets etc....other jobs for other castes. Form of societal structure and accepted way of life from their perspective....do not see it from western eyes and have a better time understanding their culture and suffer less from "culture shock"

[marcox]

Goa is a very nice place to stay if you like beautiful and tropical beach atmospheres. the best place for me is palolem beach. you can stay in a hanging bungalow in the palmwood near the beach and enjoy the taste of the sweetest indian culture. it's only a face of indian culture but i really appreciate it. it' s also full of european people for shrt or long holiday periods . beach parties ...freak markets and so on...if you like. many people would say it's touristic and not the real india but...who knows anyway what is real today?