India – a summary
Time spent in India: 31 days
Summary itinerary: Delhi – Rishikesh – Missourri – Agra (Taj Mahal) – Jaipur – Pushkar – Udaipur – Goa (Palolem Beach) – Hampi – Goa – Mumbai (Bombay)
Delhi: we stayed in the crawling, winding, buzzing streets of central Delhi. Came to grips with the more extreme aspects of India straight off the bat – the poverty, the scams, the constant attention, haggling, transport (transport was a drag until we discovered the excellent new Metro system), the noise, the traffic. Highlights included the Bahai Lotus Temple and the Red Fort
Rishikesh: (one of) the spiritual hubs of yoga (a little cheesy at times). Beautiful Ganges valley through pre-Himalayan mountains. Beatles’ ashram, great bakpacker crowd, dominantly Israeli
Missouri – only briefly visited at nightfall. Tibetan-cultured Indian family holiday destination – happy, lurid and prosperous with too little conservation of the hill station / Tibetan element
Agra – home to one of the Wonders of The World, therefore given to high prices, not so much by the man on the street (off-season) but by the government – a whopping 750 rupees to get up close to the Taj, and 250 to get into the nearby fort – but worthwhile, but hard to justify at those prices. I stayed out of the Taj whilst Katie, Daz and Tom stumped up.
Jaipur – voted our worst stop yet (paradoxically, we spent quite some time there). Not the market shopping paradise it’s claimed. Local population is hard, rude, greedy and the streets are filthy. Not a happy place. Home to a really impressive fortress some 30k out of town. Loved the hotel we stayed in, the Pearl Palace, a large place with a really friendly and personal owner who rides a beautiful Royal Enfield.
Pushkar – another spiritual Indian place, where Gandhi’s ashes were scattered. Great backpacker chillout where every restaurant offers ’special’ menu items (beer or ‘bhang’ – hashish – flavoured items).
Udaipur – stumbled quite fortunately on a great hotel (Minerva). Where Tom and Daz did their tailoring. Two palace hotels on the lake, hard to get into not because of the watery location, but because of the cost!
Palolem (Goa) – the right balance of bar-buildup and unspoiled beach. Local fishermen an interesting sight, and easy bike rental (2 quid a day) makes it a good departure point for untouched beaches nearby or ito neighbouring Karnataka
Hampi – a real oddity. Piles of boulders seemingly fallen from the sky, covered in sprawling temple/palace complexes and interstitial banana fields and rice paddies as far as the eye can see. Town protected from expansion is small and very friendly, the backpacker it attracts are peculiar, fascinating and very open, and there are some FANTASTIC small hotels, notably the Garden Paradise
Mumbai – suprised us in its westernised civility, buildings, layout, old (Raj era) municipal buildings. Money talks and drugs are offered on many a street corner. Home to the Gaylords restaurant!
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