India

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jarramackem

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Look at me....off to Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Apart from the obvious (like don't drink the water) any wise SMB advice of what to do/ see/ not to do/see?

Cheers.
 


Never fancied India like, bar Bombay, and I consider myself reasonably well travelled

Let me know how it is
 
I went to Chennai (Madras for Dave's benefit) and Madurai a few years ago with my work.

Loved every minute of it and I'd go back tomorrow if I had the chance.

It's no wonder the locals couldn't get rid of us until 1947.
 
Never fancied it but I must say that folk do seem to become attached to the place/people. Must be something to be said for the place.
 
I went to India at the beginning of 2016 (New Delhi, Agra, Janipur), it was a mixed, but above all a very valuable experience, prepare for the following:

1) You will be overwhelmed like never before with people trying to sell you everything under the sun. Indians in India are extremely pushy businesspeople and don't lay off easily. You cannot walk down a street with at least being solicited by three rickshaw drivers or beggars.
2) In addition to point one, expect a lot of people to ask you for money or a "tip". Indians do it upfront, don't be scared to say no, but if you are on an organised tour and your guides and helpers ask for a tip they will openly express disgruntlement to you if you don't hand them "enough".
3) You will have no language problems, almost every Indian speaks perfect English.
4) Toilets in India do not have toilet roll! bring your own wet wipes and I mean lots of them!!
5) Prepare for the event of getting an upset stomach, it's almost unavoidable. Bring necessary tablets and necessities.
6) Make sure you secure your wallet in a place not reachable by thieves. I had no issues whilst there, but there is always a risk in a country like that
7) prepare to see a lot of unusual things: such as cows roaming the streets, wild street dogs, monkeys on rooftops and beggars knocking on car windows for money at lights and junctions
8) Always make sure you get the right change
9) If you're going into tourist shops, be prepared to negotiate hard.

Once you've got your head round all of this, you'll be fine. India is an incredible experience, the culture and history are simply priceless to see.
 
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I went to India at the beginning of 2016 (New Delhi, Agra, Janipur), it was a mixed, but above all a very valuable experience, prepare for the following:

1) You will be overwhelmed like never before with people trying to sell you everything under the sun. Indians in India are extremely pushy businesspeople and don't lay off easily. You cannot walk down a street with at least being solicited by three rickshaw drivers or beggars.
2) In addition to point one, expect a lot of people to ask you for money or a "tip". Indians do it upfront, don't be scared to say no, but if you are on an organised tour and your guides and helpers ask for a tip they will openly express disgruntlement to you if you don't hand them "enough".
3) You will have no language problems, almost every Indian speaks perfect English.
4) Toilets in India do not have toilet roll! bring your own wet wipes and I mean lots of them!!
5) Prepare for the event of getting an upset stomach, it's almost unavoidable. Bring necessary tablets and necessities.
6) Make sure you secure your wallet in a place not reachable by thieves. I had no issues whilst there, but there is always a risk in a country like that
7) prepare to see a lot of unusual things: such as cows roaming the streets, wild street dogs, monkeys on rooftops and beggars knocking on car windows for money at lights and junctions
8) Always make sure you get the right change
9) If you're going into tourist shops, be prepared to negotiate hard.
Watching sacred cows eat mounds of raw garbage is an interesting sight, too.
 
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I went to India at the beginning of 2016 (New Delhi, Agra, Janipur), it was a mixed, but above all a very valuable experience, prepare for the following:

1) You will be overwhelmed like never before with people trying to sell you everything under the sun. Indians in India are extremely pushy businesspeople and don't lay off easily. You cannot walk down a street with at least being solicited by three rickshaw drivers or beggars.
2) In addition to point one, expect a lot of people to ask you for money or a "tip". Indians do it upfront, don't be scared to say no, but if you are on an organised tour and your guides and helpers ask for a tip they will openly express disgruntlement to you if you don't hand them "enough".
3) You will have no language problems, almost every Indian speaks perfect English.
4) Toilets in India do not have toilet roll! bring your own wet wipes and I mean lots of them!!
5) Prepare for the event of getting an upset stomach, it's almost unavoidable. Bring necessary tablets and necessities.
6) Make sure you secure your wallet in a place not reachable by thieves. I had no issues whilst there, but there is always a risk in a country like that
7) prepare to see a lot of unusual things: such as cows roaming the streets, wild street dogs, monkeys on rooftops and beggars knocking on car windows for money at lights and junctions
8) Always make sure you get the right change
9) If you're going into tourist shops, be prepared to negotiate hard.

Once you've got your head round all of this, you'll be fine. India is an incredible experience, the culture and history are simply priceless to see.

Sounds awful and stressful

Holidays are meant to be fun and relaxing, not constantly being harassed :eek::lol:
 
Only spent 6 hours in Ahmedabad waiting for a train connection but it was the most polluted city that I'd been to in India. Was 20 odd years ago so may have improved since then.
 
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