India. What should I expect when I go there.

I can hear my brother now. "Why would you want to develop a personal relationship with a B&B owner? I don't want one here. I don't want one there. I want sun, sand and the drinks brought to me. That's the only relationship I want from the staff." It's so funny we grew up together, eh?

He's never visited Indonesia for example. The country where I was born and my parents are from. He thinks it's a third world cesspool. His loss, I guess.

Regards, Art.

Robert Hall said:

I was in India this past year. It was southern India, Chennai. I have images posted on my web site if you are interested.

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Thanks! Will check out your site. I've heard it will be cold in the north in February, so I'm thinking it might be preferable to spend most of the trip in the south.

Robert Hall said:

I would say that from my experiences, the state department is a little on the paranoid side, but then I don't see the US government as a protectorate agency, I feel we should take care of ourselves.

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To be honest, I haven't even thought to check out state department advisories. My daughter is kind enough to forward all the ones she gets for Afghanistan and it scares the crap outa me.

Robert Hall said:

I was told that if anything happens to you, to fly to Hong Kong for hospital service. What a load of hooey. I found some of the most modern and clean hospitals there I have ever seen.

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That's something else that never occurred to me. Glad you mentioned it.

richard ide said:

Hi Dave

I am available as a guide.

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Haha! Actually, there are a number of Indian software engineers down the hall from me at work who will be able to advise as needed, but I wanted to hear from non-Indians to get their perspective. From what I gather, there's a kind of NRI travel season which affects air fares. Unfortunately, none of the Indians I know will be there when I'm there.

richard ide said:

Absolutely incredible place. I am probably a little prejudiced as my ex is Indian. I am looking forward to trip 8 in a couple of months. Check out this web site:

www.world-heritage-tour.org/map.html

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Perfect! Most of the sites I've looked at have been very confusing. I will definitely browse through the places they have listed.

richard ide said:

Security in airports: ask to have a hand inspection; sometimes it won't work. Some trips my film was scanned (hand luggage) as many as 8 times. I never noticed a difference when processed.

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I'll try for hand inspection as much as possible. I plan to pack my film in a separate clear plastic bag. There was a thread elsewhere about CT scanners that has me concerned. I may ship the exposed film back by Fedex.

richard ide said:

If you want any specific information, PM me.
Richard

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Thanks. You'll probably be hearing from me as questions come up.

Thanks for all the useful advise, folks. Now that I have a few good contacts, I will probably take my more specific questions to email as they arise.

-Dave

The best airline for speed and price I have used is "Continental"
Coming back its "Incontinental"

I spent months in India whilst travelling overland from Australia to Europe in the '70,s and my wife and I went back in the '80,s for a few weeks. One piece of advice above all, don't take tours, don't travel around with heaps of other Western tourists, do it on your own. In all my time in India I never felt unsafe anywhere and for the most part found people fantastic. In fact of all the places I travelled to in the '70,s about 60 countries including that year in Asia, !5 months hitching in Africa, 5 months in S. America and so on (7 years in all), the only place I ever felt unsafe was in the States.

alan c. davis said:

I spent months in India whilst travelling overland from Australia to Europe in the '70,s and my wife and I went back in the '80,s for a few weeks. One piece of advice above all, don't take tours, don't travel around with heaps of other Western tourists, do it on your own. In all my time in India I never felt unsafe anywhere and for the most part found people fantastic. In fact of all the places I travelled to in the '70,s about 60 countries including that year in Asia, !5 months hitching in Africa, 5 months in S. America and so on (7 years in all), the only place I ever felt unsafe was in the States.

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My wife Frances Schultz and I have been going to India since '82. Our last trip of maybe half a dozen or more was in '99 (Frances had breast cancer in 2000 and we moved to France in '03) and I'd pretty much agree with all that Alan said, except possibly the bit about feeling unsafe: the place I feel least safe is Italy, at least on the roads (they are the world's worst drivers bar none).

Try to stay in the hotels frequented by well-to-do middle-class Indians, who expect service that beggars '5 star' service in most Western chains. I've stayed in everything from the Grand in Calcutta (allegedly one of the top 5 hotels on earth) to village guest-houses that don't have running water or toilets. The mid-range is superb. Ask for a room WITHOUT television, which can double the price, and who wants to watch Indian television?

Always inspect the room (advice that earned me hate mail when applied to the rural US); avoid food that visibly has flies landing on it; drink bottled water from a bottle with a sealed top (or beer); don't worry too much. Even when politeness forces you to take food/drink that's 'iffy', you'll usually get away with it. Not always, but hey, what's Imodium for?

The best time Frances and I had in our lives was a 4000km motorcycle tour of southern India in 1990.

Cheers,

Roger (there are quite a few Indian pictures scattered through The Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com)

Roger- but one must have one's BBC!

David - please check the PM I sent you.

Hi Dave,

First a disclosure: I was born in India and moved to the US years back.

What kind of photography or sight seeing would you like to do in India? I think this is the most important question you should get answer to. I find following type of photography very interesting in India:

Architecture: the centuries old temples and forts in India have no parallels. The intricate stone structures in temples are just mind-boggling.

People, traditions and festivals: The variety of people in colorful dresses and costumes makes India quite unique. As you travel from state to state the traditions, dresses, festivals and languages change. It is an interesting experience to attend an India wedding or be at a place during a festival.

Landscape: From tropical forests to backwaters of Kerala covered with coconut trees to deserts of Rajasthan to beautiful warm beaches along the west and east cost to mountains covered in coffee/tea/spices plantations to majestic Himalayas, there is a lot to choose from. There are some coastal islands that have pristine beaches and are quite beautiful.

Wildlife: I have not seen the variety of birds anywhere else (I used to be an avid birdwatcher). Also, among other commonly seen animals (e.g. deer, bison, etc.), tigers, lions, rhinos, elephants could be seen in certain national parks and wildlife protected areas.

Many of the common precautions such a bottled water, toilet paper, vaccinations have been already mentioned. You will need to get used to a lot of people, chaotic traffic (this is an understatement – no words can describe the traffic) and pollution in big cities. Do take warm clothing if you are visiting cold places. There is not much air conditioning in public places and cabs. You might also want to carry insect repellents and mosquito nets, if you are visiting remote areas with small hotels. Last year when we visited a national park, these items saved our trip. Don’t forget a flashlight - the electricity is not as reliable as in western countries. Thankfully you are going in cold season, so lack of electricity won’t leave you sweating in hot 100+ degree temperatures. One can be prepared for the cold but not from the heat and humidity when electricity fails. Dec. to Feb. is probably the best season to visit India.

Enjoying India is in many ways a state of mind. People love India when they are able to ignore/overcome minor inconveniences and annoyances and start enjoying what is uniquely Indian – variety, food, spices, people, cultures, festivals, dresses/costumes, languages, temples, forts, beaches, backwaters, coconut trees, coffee and tree plantations, birds, Himalayas, …

I was fortunate to have parents who loved to travel and hike and had financial means to do so. I have traveled extensively in India including many non-touristy places. Feel free to contact me if you need any info.


// Atul

I just went on my 1st trip to India and Nepal and it was the greatest trip I've ever taken. I would do these things if I were you.
Read up on everything you can get your hand on to make the most of your time there as there can be transit delays of a high magnitude that might shorten your time as well as the well known stomach problems. You need to take extra care of your health, that means don't get water in your mouth when taking a shower, don't eat any raw veggies or fruit of any kind...ever...(pick them out of your food if necessary), no dairy, only sealed bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth etc. Get Deet for mosquitos, don't go bare foot on the street/grass and get all your shots. You may need to take anti malaria pills. Most people get sick at least for 1 or more days when there, I did for 24hrs because of the intense pollution in Kathmandu Nepal. Don't forget to get the right visas from the Indian Embassy here in the US before you go. You can mail your passport in, you don't have to apply there in person.
An couple of friends of mine were trying to get me to bring the 7x17 or the 5x7 in but I decided on Leica M and Brooks Veriwide and this was perfect for me.
If you can stay with friends who can show you around or hire a good guide this will make life easier. Trains can be a bitch, go 1st or 2nd class, not third. The people are friendly but accept no drink or food from anyone esp on a train as these might put you to sleep and when you wake up...no luggage or money. If you have a long train trip get a sleeper car and travel at night so your wear and tear is better.You may want to take a trip to Kathmandu Nepal while you are there to see the Himalayas and land in the highest airport in the world. While flying up there from India get on the correct side of the plane for spectacular views of the Himalayas. I liked my stay in Kathmandu a lot, it's easier to deal with than India. If you go to Kathmandu stay in the Thamel area and explore form there. If you go in winter get a room high up a few flights so you get the warm morning sun and don't freeze your ass like the people will on the lower floors. There is no heat in the hotels, at least the middle class ones. Have a great trip! Emile/www.deleon-ulf.com.