anyone had experience traveling in india?
I know it's a bit vague, but I'm having a hard time gauging the different ways of traveling, I keep getting bogged down with landmarks and shill articles
>>1110756
>>>/pol/
>>1110754
Yeah.
I've been to India six times since 2013 and lived in New Delhi for about a year and a half.
If you have any interest in going, I'd recommend taking the plunge and hopping on over. India is a magnificent country with a lot to offer, so far as cultural and natural diversity are concerned. Having said that, I will throw in this caveat - it's not for everyone, and I can understand why. As a presumably white tourist, you will meet people day in and day out who try to cheat you, scam you, or otherwise use you. You will find sanitation to be very lacking in some locales. Needless to say, there is a lot of poverty and a lot of people, and the combination of those two factors isn't always pleasant.
If you can deal with a minor amount of physical and psychology discomfort, and are open to dealing with a culture that's quite dissimilar from your own, you will probably enjoy India. I don't say that with the intention of bashing those who do not - we all have our own preferences and tolerances. In my brief tenure working in the Delhi tourism sector, I did find that most visitors I came across were enjoying themselves and really felt like they were on an adventure.
I am obviously pro-"go to India and see for yourself." I'm a pretty young guy and the time I spent there really left a mark on me - I think I have more friends over in Delhi than I do here in the States. I found India to be especially endearing and rewarding when I came back a second time and burst out of the tourist bubble by getting my own apartment and working. The honest and decent people there, whether educated or not, are some of the best and most kind you could ever hope to meet.
Barring a nuclear war with Pakistan, you should go to India if you have an interest in it, and I would take that same advice and apply it to almost any destination short of places like Syria.
Pic from close to where I was staying in Noida in January/February 2016.
>>1110811
Have you been to Pakistan? I want to go see all the Sufi shrines and old mosques there and if possible go see the old citadel of Peshawar.
>>1110769
I don't even need to see the post to know what it was.
>>1110989
No. I'd like to go to Pakistan but haven't had the time or special motivation to make my way over. I'll probably go within the next five or ten years, but it isn't really on my immediate to-do list.
>>1110811
thanks for the info
I've traveled in vietnam and a few other places, so I suppose the poverty and human crush arn't entirely new to me
I suppose I'm wondering what is the best way to get the most out of traveling, I'm used to hostel/backpacking but perhaps I would get more of of a less indipendant mode of travel
maybe a basic question, but is it safe?
I am used to scammers and petty thieves, but traveling alone would I get mugged?
and how viable is it traveling in rural areas?
>>1111080
Honestly, it just depends on what you're most interesting in doing.
Given that my first experience with India was very local - my ex was born and raised in Delhi - I often make an effort to avoid places with high concentrations of tourists. I don't do this to be a "Real Traveler" or whatever else, but because tourist ghettos are usually just that. Paharganj, for instance, is a very popular place for backpackers to stay in the capital. However, you can get a room that's twice as good for just a little more in very upscale places like GK-I or GK-II. Majnu Ka Tilla is a good alternative to Paharganj, but it has few tourists because it isn't as centrally located.
If you want an "authentic" experience, you HAVE to avoid hostels or hotels. Again, I'm not saying that from a Real Traveler perspective - for me, you, and any other non-Indian, it is not easy to break out of the tourist bubble. The people who talk to you in tourist areas are usually working in the tourism industry, and it can be rather hard to meet honest, ordinary Indians.
Foreigners stick out easily enough that you will quickly make friends with strangers. All you have to do is say "hi" or wait for somebody to say "hi" to you. 9/10 out of ten, if you aren't near a landmark or foreigner-packed hotel, the folks approaching you will have completely honest intentions. I've made great friends just by sitting around and talking to strangers in busy places.
I don't think mugging is a huge concern. It is possible in states like Bihar, but I've never felt unsafe at any time of the day in India. Petty thievery is a much more likely occurrence than armed robbery or mugging.
I think traveling in rural areas is viable. You'll have to be cautious, but I think it would be an amazing experience that, so far as I can tell, few Westerners really have. I've always wanted to take a train to, say, Kolkata, and then jump on a bus to a random, nameless place three hours away, and go exploring.
>>1111092
>>1111080
As a caveat - and I'm speaking from my gut rather than experience - I don't think wild camping in rural India is advisable except in places where it's common for domestic and international tourists alike.
I've always thought it amazing that, despite India being largely rural, very few people seem to visit these kinds of places unless they're working or going trekking. I am included in this category.
So please, go and explore rural India. I think you would have an incredible time if you keep in mind what I said about discomfort and disorientation. Getting yourself into mucky situations is part of the charm and experience.
>>1111092
I avoid the tourist ghetto's where I can, but truth be told I often lack the local knowledge
I'm really looking forward to the trains to be honest, I've heard they are really something else
how do you manage your money?
are ATM's widespread, or is it just better to stock up on carry cash
(I by no means wish to imply india is under-developed)
>>1110754
It's on my bucket list
>>1111104
There's nothing wrong with staying in tourist ghettos. It's just the difference of getting one experience versus another. Either way, I'm sure you'd have fun.
The trains are alright. The bathrooms on any class below 2AC are usually terrible, but you can smoke out the windows in Sleeper and generally act like an uncouth ass while getting treated like a rockstar by your curious fellow passengers. I normally ride in 2AC or 3AC, and the people have almost always been amazing. Last train ride I took was from Delhi to Kolkata, and the guy across from me wouldn't let me pay for food or drinks the entire ride.
ATMs are very widespread in most big and medium sized cities. India is well connected in that regard, although you might have problems in very small cities.
