India?

[jazzactivist]

Hi all. Has anyone been to India for a holiday? OH and I have been thinking about going for years, but weren't able to due to our elderly dog's needs. Now we can go, and are thinking about going to Cochin / Kochi in Kerala Province around about October time. We like plenty of cultural experiences and staying in medium priced, clean accommodation, but not in a resort. Any ideas, advice, experiences of holidaying in India for two healthy-ish, middle-aged people, maybe with teenager, welcome.

[annie fenbug]

Hi Jazz - yes, I was fortunate enough to go to India a few years ago, on a fortnight's trip looking for tigers in the central area south of Delhi, and I'd definitely recommend going. Absolutely fascinating, extraordinary, quite-unlike-home country that can't fail to make a lasting impression. It's a big continent so the regions do vary considerably in both climate and cultures. A friend has been to Kerala twice and loved it, but it's a very different area to the one I visited.

The aspect that usually has most impact on Westerners is the extraordinary social extremes that you will encounter - and from your other RM posts I'd guess that this will be an area that will be of close personal concern to yourself. The poverty - and dirt - can't be over-stated, it really is an eye-opener especially if you haven't travelled in third world countries before, and it does depend on the individual how much it affects them. One lady on my trip was very disturbed by what she saw, but that was largely because she hadn't really thought about it beforehand (she'd done a lot of research on tigers!) and was quite unprepared for the reality. India has a heck of a lot of wonderful things and experiences to offer, but it is a completely different culture (actually, multiple cultures, most of them with multiple deities, too); the more you can read about it before you go the better, to help understand what's going on and get the most from your trip.

I went with Exodus and would recommend them (and Explore Worldwide, who do similar trips, both have good websites with all the info you need), as they often go a little further off the tourist track than the bigger tour operators, and have a (to me) more interesting range of activities while being sensibly priced. You won't be in five-star could-be-anywhere hotels but you'll be staying in places with more character and be reasonably comfortable (Exodus tend to be slightly more upmarket, in my experience). You get all ages on their trips - and can enquire at the time of booking who else has signed up so if, for instance, it's important your teenager has contemporaries that can help you decide.

I do hope you go - and post lots of photos on RM when you get back!

[Clunkshift]

My experience of India is only business trips to Mumbai and fabrication shops and refinery in Gujarat where I spent over 6 months.

Kerala in October will still be warm (23 - 30 °C) but you may still hit the tail end of the monsoon season, so humidity will be high and about a 30% chance of rain.

Keeping healthy should be a major concern so only eat cooked food which you can peel yourself. never eat salad or washed food because the germs are in the water. Don't eat ice-cream or any chilled product that isn't sealed. Only drink bottled water and un-seal the cap yourself; tell waiters in restaurants to bring you a sealed bottle. never buy food or drink at the roadside.
Take a good supply of antiseptic wipes and use them on tops of bottles - crimp caps harbour germs) and anything else that you want to touch or put near your mouth.

Practice crouching for the "turkish" toilets.

Hindu society is incredibly racist and as a white skinned woman you will be an object of fascination.
India is a violent society, punishments are harsh and cruel, Karma is just an excuse for apathy and the squalor of the poor is indescribable.
Indian advertisements have a penchant for hyperbole or gross exaggeration, so whenever you set out to see a particular place or object, expect something shabbier and more run-down than you would normally find and on odd occasions you will be pleasantly surprised.

Consider all indian structures and appliances as potentially lethal and you will be OK. Don't lean on railings or use un-manned lifts - except in business class hotels.

Don't drive yourself anywhere, the risks of an accident are too great and drivers involved in accidents involving pedestrians get lynched by a mob, that's why upper class Indians always have a driver.

In rail travel, use booking agents and make sure the tickets you buy are confirmed and not "wait tickets". trains are over-booked and a wait ticket means exactly that - you are waiting for a no-show or a cancellation.
Express meand limited stop - the term has no relationship to speed.

My wife kept all my e-mails home and when read them through, I was surprised how often my descriptions include the word "stupid" and "idiot".
Like waiting on the far side of an airport baggage retrieval conveyor and wondering why the bags weren't coming round, only to find that airport workers took a jumbo jet load of bags off at the first corner and piled them up in a heap!

The Indian treatment of animals is appalling.

However, once you get over the odour/stench, the natural aspects of the country, flora and fauna are quite fascinating but don't expect any occasions where you sit alone on a beach or a mountain top an quietly admire the view, because an Indian family will always sit right next to you, vendors will try and sell you something or begging children will be tugging at your clothes. You are never alone in India.

there certianly is great beauty there, but it is like a rose growing out of a pile of manure and needs some blinkered vision and a pegged nose to appreciate.

Having said that, It is worth a look and if Swmbo and I were in good health I would visit again.

Clunk x.

[bonnie]

Clunk you have me scared stiff of visiting India. and as for the crouching bit, if i tried that i would end up down the hole.
Jazz what about Blackpool instead?

[Crocus]

I don't think I will visit India as well, especially for health and hygienic reasons Clunk has pointed out. x

[jazzactivist]

Thanks for the useful info both Annie and Clunk. I was brought up in South Africa and have worked in 'third world' countries before, in Africa and Latin America, so I am familiar with absolute poverty and sanitation issues. I have never been to India though, but think that I could manage it and enjoy being there. However, my OH has never been to a poor country before and I think that it would be a huge shock for him. As you describe, one of the difficult aspects of being a tourist is the constant 'pestering' by people selling things and children begging etc. which are hard to deal with when you first arrive. My OH is a very quiet man who likes his privacy, so I am not sure if he has realised this aspect of the holiday!

I thought that Kerala Province looks to be one of the quieter areas of India and is famous for its ayervedic medicines and cooking spices. The people who live there are also mainly of Christian and Buddhist religions, so the cultures might be a bit calmer as an intro to such a fascinating country. We love Indian food, and could eat it every day, and also really like the colours and patterns and scenes associated with India, as well as Indian music and film, so hope that we would be able to have a relatively quiet holiday soaking up the cultural scene there. Or should we just go to New Zealand, our other dream destination?

[Crocus]

As New Zealand is your other dream destination, why not? Go for it Jazz! xx

[Clunkshift]

Perhaps I should redress the balance of my previous post. India really is a fascinating place and I am sure a visit to some of the older temples and a scrutiny of some of the carvings will spice up your relationship :)
I think the pervading feeling that I don't like in India is that life is cheap. The general belief in re-incarnation gives a negative outlook; why should I bother to improve anything, just wait until next time around, or the beggar will come back as a higher caste next time if he is good now and accepts his fate.

As I said, South Indian food is great - terrific fruit and great vegetables. Just don't eat the meat as they have no idea how to prepare or cook meat; our South Indian chef must have prepared chicken with a mallet instead of a knife, judging by the smashed bones in every portion. In the end I claimed to be a vegetarian wherever I went and the food is really good.
I am sceptical about the ayurvedic and other "natural" therapies - when you are one person in 2 billion trying to get on in life, euphemism and hyperbole are as close to honesty as you will get. All western tourists are like millionaires to an Indian and they just want your money.

But take OH measurements for all clothes before you go - and all your own measurements too (as no Indian will put a tape measure on a white woman) and you can by Jermyn Street standard tailored shirts for an amazingly low price and have them shipped home too, choosing every feature on cuffs, darts, collar etc. tailored clothing is a real bargain. Also if you go to a big city, take eye prescriptions as you can have spectacles in designer frames made much cheaper there too (and sent home of course).

On the other hand, Singapore Airlines are offering bargain flights to New Zealand right now...

Good luck, and don't be put off by health issues, I had a stomach bug only once and if your GP gives you a pack for antibiotics and rehydration, you will soon overcome any bugs. The other thing is to take malaria tablets from at least 2 weeks before and after the trip and don't relax your guard and eat food on the plane home it has been prepared, cooked and stored in India...