India
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
I just wanted to let other travellers know if they are in Sri Lanka and continuing on to India the place to get your visa is in Kandy, it's very simple and a lot cheaper than getting it from Australia or New Zealand. It takes about 3 days so get on to it when you arrive there.
Mia Yealands, New Zealand (Nov 05)
For all travelers staying longer than 3 months on non-tourist visas there is a registration requirement. Filling out the paperwork for this booklet is the best investment one can make because it makes the bearer eligible for domestic ticket prices, a difference which is huge as you can see from your own price listings.
Margaret MacLeod (Apr 05)
Travel Tips
Agra: To see all the sights, rickshaw drivers will charge about 600Rs for the entire day which is worth it. Our driver took us to sunset at the back of the Taj Mahal - there is a park you mention which you pay to enter but next to that is a dirt road leading to the river bank where, for free, you can stand literally under the Taj and enjoy the sunset.
Sunrise is best inside the Taj complex, but note that we arrived just before sunrise but were severely delayed by security checking everyone's bags and not allowing food, books, tripods, etc, in. There is a bag storage though and its probably best to store your entire bag and aviod the queue.
Stuart Wilson & Holly West, UK (Feb 06)
In Pondicherry, be sure to visit the "Voluntariat" shop that sells products made by lepers. The people are very friendly and the goods are very high quality. The factory where the lepers make textiles is near the new lighthouse and the shop is on the road to Chidabaram about 1.5km (then in behind houses) from the train tracks near South Boulevard. MUCH more rewarding than giving to beggers!
In Manali is the Himalayan Buddhist School (on the road to Kullu about 6km from Manali). The school is always looking for volunteers to help the poor kids from Zandaskar who board at the school. Amazing kids - not one mention of "one stylo","one rupee" or "one chocolate". They are very receptive to visitors and are in desperate need of financial assistance due to neglect by the Indian government should anyone be connected to an understanding benefactor.
Getting sick in India is part of the journey. To recover quickly, lots of pills for giardia in your pocket purchased once you're there is the way to go but also eat psyllium husks, lots of curd, lassis etc and pomegranates. Bananas and papayas are also a must. If you hear stories from travellers about cities they got sick, it is often a sign that local water is polluted there (eg "Delhi" Belly) and it should be a warning for you to be extra cautious.
Bruce Roger Thompson, Australia (Jan 06)
The American Express "travel cash" card is worthless in India. It is useless outside major cities, and in major cities you can only pull Rs.15000 a day, regardless of how much cash is "loaded" into the card. And that is at the American Express office in Kolkata. This is not enough cash to carry around if you plan to head off into the rural areas, especially if you are going to pay foreigner rates for some of the top attractions.
You can no longer cash American Express travelers checks at the American Express in Kolkata. It is now strictly a banking service outlet with no travel or travelers checks services. We also found out that US and UK ATM cards did not work in many ATMs, or had a ridiculously low daily limit, like Rs.2000. The Citibank branch in Kolkata was the best bet for an ATM. But it won't change any money on Saturdays, and at counters it will only deal with Citibank customers.
Communications: We had a tri-band GSM phone that works in India, so we tried to get a local SIM card, with prepaid service. Basically impossible, due to the fact that most phone shops are very paranoid about regulations. When we did manage to get one for the Hutch network, which is supposed to have nationwide coverage, we found that most of the time it did not work outside Kolkata because of "network problems". While in or very near Kolkata though it was very helpful. USA T-mobile roaming worked in many of the rural areas we visited in West Bengal, but not in the rural areas of Orissa. It is of course expensive, at $2.99 a minute, but was very helpful in dealing with a couple of family emergencies back home. However we could not access the T-Mobile voice mail. Text messaging rather than voice is definitely the way to go if someone tries to contact you when you roam with T-Mobile. We just told everyone before leaving to send a short email message to the phone's address.
Claude Ostyn, USA (Dec 05)
In India, toilet paper is a luxury item and in most mid range hotels you won't find it, or you will be charged for it. Having some with you is wise, very wise.
It was our experience that if you called beforehand to make reservations you would pay more than if you just showed up asking for a room (in the same hotel, in the same timeframe). This is very counter-intuitive, especially for Americans, so if you're into saving and are not attached to a specific place, it's worth shopping around on site.
Clari Hoi, USA (Nov 05)
Regarding sending postcards: we were told it is definitely worth getting the postcards stamped in front of you at the post office which often involves going round the back of the post office and finding the person who is in charge of this, but at least one is sure that the stamps won't be reused and that the postcards will leave the country and reach their destination.
Martina Moser & Judith Sinn, Italy (Oct 05)
Bring food on the trains if they are overnight if you think you will get hungry. Very few vendors come through the AC classes. You can order dinner but it takes a good hour or two before you get it from ordering it. And its easy to miss the person that comes round to take the order and there is limited choice. Going by train is definitelythe best mode of transportation.
Antonia Colin-Jones, UK (Aug 05)
About the camel festival in Pushkar, India. The guesthouses and hotels are booked up ONLY at the festival days, NOT before! But I noticed that some travellers were avoiding the place because they thought it was going be very expensive and others (like me) were making reservations for the days just before the actual festival days. So when I made a reservation in a guesthouse they told me rooms were hard to find and they quoted me a very high price (6 times the normal price). I wanted to see the camel trading so I agreed. A few days later I arrived, paid for the room and had a look around. I spoke with other travellers and there where still lots of empty rooms in guesthouses and for normal prices! The owners of my guesthouse had not been very honest about it! So please state clear that you need a reservation for the actual 4 days of the festival but there is absolutely no problem getting a room in the days just before, when the camel trading is taking place.
It is possible tough to sleep cheap during the festival days. Some guesthouses offer special deals, but you need some time for that. For example if you stay for 8 nights (including the 4 festival nights) you get a big discount, you will pay only a little bit more as normal for the 'festival nights'.
Jef van Hout, The Netherlands (Aug 05)
Travelling alone as a woman in India can be very hard work, even when I wore local dress, claiming to be going to meet my 'husband' and refraining from drinking alcohol in public, I was still on the receiving end of lewd comments, hassle, staring and even one incident of groping. It doesn't seem to be threatening, but gets very irritating and resulted in me losing my temper on several occasions. On the other hand, when I was with a male companion, it was equally frustrating as I was treated as if I wasn't there - he was asked my name, occupation, age and even what I wanted for dinner! The lack of belief in women's rights seemed worst in Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi, whilst Ladakh, Mumbai and Goa were very different.
Visitors to India need to be prepared to explain their life at home hundreds of times during their visit - everyone seems to be fascinated by life in the West and there are some funny misconceptions about how rich British people must be. Indian people seem more than happy to tell you intimate details of their lives (even how much they earn, when they married and why etc.) so its quite interesting to be nosy back to those questioning you.
Madeleine Rudge, UK (Jun 05)
Use Odomos as insect-repelent, it's sold there and is effectiveand very cheap.
Borja Luque, Spain (Apr 05)
Exchanging money/Travelers Cheques: Almost without exception travellers cheques got a higher exchange rate than currency.
Sariska Tiger Reserve: Sadly several reports in the responsible Indian papers stated in February that all the tigers had disappeared and none had been seen since mid 2004.
Graham Poole, UK (Mar 05)
Film processing in Goa is not reliable according to our experience. Expect 24 hours if you are not in a big city. Transfer from film to CD is hard to get. Wait to be in a larger city if you can.
Jean-Claude Lefebvre, Canada (Jan 05)
A lot of tourist sites allow you to pay entrance fees in US dollars (have the exact amount) or in rupees. If you pay in US dollars it is usually cheaper then in rupees, depending on the exchange rate. It's a small amount of money but if you travel long-term (like me) it accumulates. For example: entry to Taj Mahal you pay $5 or 250rs (+ 500rs tax). $5 at this time are about rs.220, so you can save rs.30. Recommendation: bring with you at least $50 in $1 notes (some places will receive notes only if issued after 2000).
Eric Neemann, Israel (Dec 04)
Moving About
Trains: useful to note that on overnight journeys, 2AC has curtains for privacy whereas 3AC does not, BUT in both 2AC and 3AC the side berths are only 2-tiered so if you're travelling as a couple and can only get 3AC, ask for SU/SL (side upper and lower) berths.
Kerala:
There is lots written about the houseboats but some vital information is missing. The boats leave at 12 noon from "finishing point" (ask a rickshaw driver to take you there, about 1km from the tourist office), so if like us you arrive in the afternoon you've missed the day's bookings. However you can go there and see if any boats are free (advantage that you're seeing the boat first before booking). Note that tours arrive back at 10am regardless of what time you depart.
Stuart Wilson & Holly West, UK (Feb 06)
In India (specifically: Delhi), so-called 'government approved' travel agents are charging very large commissions (up to US$90) to purchase "urgent" internal flights. What they are actually doing in the back office is going to the Kingfisher Airlines website and buying a ticket online. You can do this yourself in any internet cafe, and the 'official stamp' which the travel agent claims you need to get into the airport bears no significance - I confirmed this with Kingfisher.
Ilya Eigenbrot, UK (Oct 05)
We were talked into hiring a private car & taking a trip through Rajasthan. Although it was definitely an interesting way to see the countryside, I felt like a slave to the car & driver. Our driver was nice, but pressured us to stay in certain hotels along the way & when we declined it created weird tension. He also wanted to take us to certain places we were not interested in where he would receive a stipend if we stayed for at least 15 minutes. Overall, it was fairly uncomfortable, & other travellers we met reported the same feelings about car trips.
Female travellers on overnight trains: I would highly recommend NOT getting a bottom bunk. I thought it would be the best, & while it eliminated climbing, it was very uncomfortable because the men sitting near me all felt very free to stare at me. This makes it tough to sleep.
Elizabeth Hart, USA (Oct 05)
To go from Udaipur to Pushkar there is no direct connection anymore so you go through Ajmer. But is very important to know that where the bus drop you off in Ajmer is not where you have to take the bus to Pushkar, but some kilometres away. You will be surrounded by dozens of rickshaws trying to take you to Pushkar meanwhile you are trying to know where is your bus (there are a lot there) and is very useful to know that you really have to take one rickshaws but not to Pushkar but to temple where you can take the other.
Miquel Albareda Sirvent, Spain (Aug 05)
In terms of travelling around Mumbai, the local trains were manageable outside of peak times (especially in the Ladies' carriage) and taxis were very cheap. The whole bargaining issue was avoided with taxis by getting them to use their meter/conversion chart. Every driver I had tried to get away without using the meter though, so you have to be firm, as some of the prices drivers attempted to charge me were four times the actual rate. Clearly the sums involved are not huge and some would say they don't mind paying more, but it does seem wrong to be paying such a hugely inflated price just because you are foreign. 'Broken' meters often seemed to be magically fixed as soon as I walked off to find a different driver.
Though I'm not a rail enthusiast at all, I found the trains in India the most fun and interesting way to travel. The system seems like total chaos, and buying a ticket was challenging, but the train journeys offered a unique opportunity to see Indian people from all walks of life travelling round their country. It was worth trying all the classes in the train for the experience of meeting lots of different people, but 3 tier AC seemed the best compromise for price and cleanliness. Ordinary sleeper class was OK, but in Rajasthan it was extremely dusty due to the open windows, and the fans in the compartments were very noisy. The top bunk is definitely best as you can lie down whenever you like, even when the carriage gets quite full. Unreserved non - sleeper was a crazy experience, 4 hours was my limit! 2 tier AC class was cool, clean and peaceful with chatty busninessmen who put me to shame with their knowledge of world politics. The conductors on all trains were friendly and helpful, helping with problems with seat reservations and pointing out my stop when it was dark.
Madeleine Rudge, UK (Jun 05)
Always book two train trips together (meaning always one in advance), as trains fill up quickly and you can book two trains on the same form!
Christian Ulrich, Switzerland (Apr 05)
My experience with trains is that they're booked up weeks even months in advance so you'll need to plan much earlier to get a definite AC seat (particularly South India at Easter). You can now check on the internet at www.southernrailway.org (or the national rail site) to see how you're going up the wait list and your final seat number
Claire Hardy, UK (Apr 05)
Drivers of private busses (we did not
try state-run busses) sometimes try to charge 10 rupees to carry the
baggage in an enclosed compartment. We received advice from fellow
travellers, tried it and it worked: Carrying the baggage is included in
the bus fare. The drivers just like to make some extra money by charging
the 10 rupees. We took a bus from Udaipur to Mombay; about 6 western
tourists entered the bus at the same time. As soon as the enclosed
comartment was opened and the 10 rupees fee were demanded, we threw our
backpacks in and did not pay. We told them, that luggage is included in
the trip fare and that the driver is in trouble if the luggage is not
safe. We had no problem getting our luggage back then we exited the bus.
No further demands were made.
Wolfgang Müller, Germany (Mar 05)
Best advice on arriving at airports has to be to use the pre-paid Police taxis (used at both Delhi and Mumbai) - didn't get any hassle or scamming.
Simon Davies, UK (Jan 05)
As opposed to what it says in the guide, Indian trains are not always on time, and may last twice as long as scheduled. Our Taj Express was delayed 3 hours, and took 5 hours instead the scheduled 2 and half hours.
Lauren Picard & Karen Ho, USA (Dec 04)
Scams & Warnings
I thought that you might be interested in a problem I encountered while visiting the Kali Temple in Kolkata. You note in the book that in return for a "private" trip around the temple westerners are asked to donate some money... about Rs100 from memory.
My experience was a bit different and they maybe becoming more savvy in their approach. I am a single girl and was immediately ushered over to my own private Brahmin for a tour around the temple complex.. all good and well... I was finally taken to the barren tree area (if you have been there its up a short flight of steps and its kind of in an elevated room of sorts).. From here I was cornered by 3 guys handed a book and asked to give them Rs4000 and write my details in the book for the next person. Essentially the book has the name, country and contribution amount of other poor suckers.. up to and includinga Rs8000 donation. I was hard pressed and in the end had to donate Rs2000 just to leave.
While I don't mind donating to a worthwhile fund their tactics left me less than happy. Would suggest to other travellers that they still visit but in a group would it maybe preferrable to give the donation up front.
Caryn Clarke, Australia (Apr 06)
I think you should be aware that there is a big rise in Indian tourists taking photos of western tourists on the beaches to put on internet porn sites. Several of the locals at the beach shacks in Baga and Calengute warned us about it and they had to chase several people away and call the police on a couple of occassions. The police confiscated their film. We were there for 14 nights and we saw different people doing it every day so it's quite a common occurrance.
Katrina Henderson, UK (Mar 06)
New scam - especially if you are travelling 1st class on the train. An official looking person greets you by name, offers to get tea or coffee and blankets etc. He then says he needs to take your tickets to stamp them! That is the last you will see of him or your tickets. When the real ticket collector comes you will have to pay again. The thief gets the refund on the ticket.
Graham Montgomerie, UK (Mar 06)
I think you should say something about the ear cleaners. Those we have encountered in Calangute and Candolim are aggresive, generally travelling in 2 or 3s. To me they are conmen. They 'claim' to pull stones out of your ears, which is a fallacy. The equipment they use is not hygenic. They thrust themselves on newcomers, stick metal prods in their ears and charge excessively. 250 rupees a stone and I see them 'pulling out' several stones. They are magicians as I don't see these stones come out of people's ears. I am surprised they do not damage people's ears.
Tony Cavanagh & Linda Sonczak, UK (Feb 06)
We arrived overland from Nepal via the Sonauli border crossing where we were scammed. Arriving in Sonauli we were surrounded by touts offering us tickets to Varanasi which we declined, until one person offered a bus to Gorakpur (tourist mini bus) then a train overnight to Varanasi. We duly paid in US$ (about 20 each person) inside a hotel near the bus stand and were given bus tickets and vouchers for train tickets to be converted at the border.
Needless to say that once across the border the Indian "representative" would not honour either of the tickets and in the end we had to get a local bus for the 10hr journey. We felt helpless on our first day in India so would not wish this on anyone else!
Stuart Wilson & Holly West, UK (Feb 06)
Be very careful of falling in cesspits in India, particularly the north. I fell in one near the bus station at Jammu and badly hurt my leg as well as cut my lip and chin. It was eight foot deep. I was lucky to not break a limb as it happened at night. For this reason, a head torch is as ESSENTIAL as your passport in India. Never be without it. Blackouts are VERY common in the north and your head torch will be your lighthouse in the sewer, so to speak.
Bruce Roger Thompson, Australia (Jan 06)
A new scam in Agra: When I book a hotel by phone, I always ask the hotelier the price of a rickshaw from the bus/train station to their hotel. The Agra guest house owner advised me 30r (prepaid) but when I arrived at Agra train station, and asked a auto-rickshaw wallah where the prepaid booth was, he took me to a booth that listed the prepaid price to the Tourist Rest Guest house as 70r. Suspicious, I looked around and saw another booth on the other side of the car park and despite the ardent protests from the tout that 70 was the correct price, I went over and found the second booth was the real auto rickshaw booth â?? the first (70r) booth was for taxis, except the word â??taxiâ?? had been erased. Readers should be advised to check which booth theyâ??re getting prices from at Agra.
Danny Vendramini, Australia (Dec 05)
I read the warning in LP guide about using credit/debit cards, so was very careful when making a purchase not to let the card out of my sight, so they couldn't copy the numbers down. However, they must have copied the numbers off the receipt because 2 weeks after returning home an additional 13 transactions totalling nearly GB£6000 was charged to the card. You may wish to advise readers in your next edition to pay for everything in cash!
Charlotte Fox, UK (Oct 05)
I recently had a black henna tattoo and have suffered a very serious allergic reaction. I have subsequently found that this is well documented and many henna dyes have PPD mixed in which is a very toxic hair dye banned in most countries. I was not aware of this and I am sure many travellers don't know about it either. It can actually cause death. Here is some more information: http://www.hennapage.com/henna/ppd/whybad.html.
Clare Edwards, UK (Sep 05)
Be very careful of people who offer to take your shoes outside temples. Go to the offical place it is very noticable and obvious. Otherwise you may find that unless you pay about 40rs it will prove very difficult to get your shoes back. Also make sure you know what entrance you left your shoes at, especially at the bigger temples.
Antonia Colin-Jones, UK (Aug 05)
We were travelling from beautiful Amritsar to Varanasi in a Sleeper Class carriage. To pass some time and as all our fellow Indian travellers were already asleep, we started to play cards. Suddenly, at one of the numerous stops, a police man approches us. He asked me to come closer and told me in a deep, low voice that in Punjab it was not allowed to play cards. Could be, I thought, as it is a Sikh state. I checked his identity and confirmed: he is obviously a Police chief constable. He continued to talk to me and said that for a payment of outragous 2000 Rupees he would let me go. I was able to bargain him down a bit, but still got rid of 1000 Rupees, and he had a good end-of-the-months income.
The Indians in the compartment said that they had noticed him talking to me, but they would not help me out of the situation. But they confirmed: playing cards is allowed in Punjab. My advice to fellow travellers: whenever the Police approaches you in the train, wake up one of the locals in the compartment and speak loudly, so that everybody hears the conversation. And what is more: check the identity of the policeman and keep the identity card in your hands until the matter is settled.
Christian Ulrich, Switzerland (Apr 05)
We were recently travelling in Nepal and wanted to get from Pokhara (Nepal) to Delhi (India) travelling overland. Despite our reservations we were talked into pre-paying the whole trip from Pokhara (can't remember how much it was). I just thought I'd outline the add-ons that the various parties tried to scam out of us on the way. At the border they tried to get us to pay for rickshaws across the border to the restaurant where we were supposed to pick up our tickets for the next bus and train, big argument (there were five of us after teaming up with some other Westerners so we had some arguing power) and eventually got across on the rickshaws at no charge. All of us had paid for our trip end to end back in Pokhara and waiting for the tickets at this restaurant we knew a scam was coming our way. Unfortunately as the others were heading to Varanasi we had to be split up sooner or later and the locals who took us to our bus put our bags on top of it then walked us right up the back of it and then stood over us and demanded an extra 300rs for our train ticket. The same happened to the others. To cut a long story short we did everything we could to avoid getting into that situation but eventually had no choice but to hand the money over (despite nearly starting a riot!). I suppose the moral or the story is don't prepay unless you get all your tickets in the hand but he did try to do this at the start and were assured there was no chance of doing it that way.
Jon Gourlay & Jeremy Grey, Australia (Mar 05)
To trick tourists and make a quick buck, some shops carry the same name as government bureaus or recommended shops found in the Lonely Planet. To share in the profit, rickshaws or taxi drivers bring you there even when you specifically request to be brought to another destination. Since street indications are practically non existent in India, it is difficult to know you are not at the intended destination.
In Pushkar, if you want to do a puja (prayer) with a priest, be sure to agree on the TOTAL price. My girlfriend and I agreed on an amount with the priest but that number was then multiplied by the number of people in my family and again by the number of Hindu Gods I was praying! It became very uncomfortable to negotiate at the end of the ritual while you are holding a coconut in your hands while Hindu people try to pray around youâ?¦
Jean-Claude Lefebvre, Canada (Jan 05)
Major scam in Jaipur, Rajasthan. On my first trip to India I fell victim to a gang of "jewelers". They tricked me for 2700 dollars, my whole travel budget. It goes like this: on the first day they invite you for tea and show you around in the city. Then, when you think they are your friends, they drop the question: as transporting jewels to foreign countries cost them lots of taxes, maybe you as a tourist would like to take the gems to your country, for which they pay you a huge amount of money. I said "no, thanks," and they acted if they didn't really care about the negative answer. Then you will meet other inhabitants of Jaipur who will sooner or later start to talk about friends of them who coincidentally did the thing you were offered to do and earned a hell of lot of money by doing so. As you tell them there is a bunch of jewelers who asked you to do what these 'friends' did, they act surprised. Finally, after calling my embassy whether it is legal to transport thousands of dollars of gems, I went back to my "friend" and agreed. A man would await me at Amsterdam Airport and pay me my reward and ticket back to Delhi in return for the package.
I met other travelers too who were going to do the same thing for other 'jewelers'. Then things went very quick. They booked my flight home and copied my passport. They locked the door of the store in which I was myself. Surrounded by five men, they kindly asked me to pay for the 'insurance' of the package of jewels right away. Later they would pay it back to me together with the award. I felt there was nothing else to do and hoped for the best. Of course, when I had landed in Amsterdam, there was no-one to pick me up. Few days later they called me to ask me where the hell I had been. Their "man" had been looking for me for hours. Two weeks later they called me again, this time they told me that they were sought by the 'international police' and that I could never contact them again because they had fled to Nepal and, moreover, my name was on the list of the police too! Fortunately just one week before the phone call my father had had it all checked by the police. The 'gems' had turned out to be plastic. These criminals target young fellows traveling alone who are culture-shocked, like I was. This is six years ago, in the years after, I felt too ashamed to tell Lonely Planet. I am pretty sure it is still happening. Three years ago I went to India again and from different people I heard exactly the same stories: they had met people who were going to do exactly the same thing I had done.
Name withheld (Jan 05)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Rekong Peo in Himachal Pradesh is somewhere you shouldn't miss. If you can, it is worth the effort to get the Inner Line Permit. The mountain scenery in this area is spectacular. Spend as much time as you can in high Himachal Pradesh...Inner Line area, Sangla, Sarahan, Rampur (stay in Hotel Narindra on the lowest level so the thundering waterfall will lull you to sleep....bliss!!!), Shimla, Dalhousie, Chamba and Brahmaur. If you get to Spiti, you'll encounter yaks!!
Bruce Roger Thompson, Australia (Jan 06)
While in Hampi, India, I discovered a little-explored village, Anegundi, across the river. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site, with very interesting monuments, including neolithiic structures, a fort, interesting heritage walks, local craft, etc. The village has traditional architecture, some of which has been restored by a
local NGO, The Kishkinda Trust, as part of a rural tourism project run by the locals. One can rent a restored house, a bicycle, an english speaking guide, eat local food...and it's well off the beaten track...for now. I had an absolutely fabulous time. Check it out...or visit thekishkindatrust.org for more info.
Jenny Pinto, India (Oct 05)
In Mumbai, we were approached several times on the street in Colaba to be extras in a Bollywood movie. We decided that this might be a worthwhile experience and ended up in the background of an episode of a low budget soap opera. It is an interesting experience and might be worth mentioning in the Lonely Planet. Travellers should be prepared for a long, and sometimes boring day with lots of sitting or standing around. However, it was a good way to meet other travellers and we were compensated Rs 500. You may even be lucky enough to get some lines! We were brought back to Colaba quite late at night, so it would be worth warning people to agree on the end-time beforehand as well as details such as transport, food, payment, etc. All we are saying is that it was an interesting experience!
Anna Sudra & Hannah Jones, UK (Sep 05)
Vasai: Don't miss this abandoned Portuguese fort (Fort Bassein or Baçaim) from the 16th century; can be made as a day train & rickshaw trip from Mumbai and it's really worthwhile. Lost by the Portuguese in the 18th century, it has been disputed since then until it fell in ruins and was consumed by the tropical vegetation; explore the fort walls and citadel, and amazing half a dozen huge churches, with their convents and cloisters, among palm trees; the town is considered haunted territory so only some people work there during the day.
Jorge Correia, Portugal (Feb 05)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
Airport arrivals: the best bet is indeed the pre-paid cabs. I had booked a ticket and was talking to somebody from the 'office' from the prepaid boot, when a man with one paralysed arm came standing next to us. I thought it was a beggar... huge was my surprise when the man next to me explained that he was my driver. My eyes nearly fell out of my head and I thought it was a joke. Not! So a man with just one arm functioning (luckily the left one) drove us around in Delhi (of all places!), steering, changing gears and horning (very important in Indian traffic) with just one hand. Man, I was so relieved to get there without accident!
Important note: Most drivers however have two functioning arms!
Johan Denis, Belgium (Oct 05)
My husband-to-be and I spent our last four days of traveling in Bombay and had a funny/annoying/ridiculous encounter with some very persistent ballon-salesmen. Your guidebook warned us about the drum-salesmen so we stayed clear of them but walked in another trap! The scam goes like this. All over the place in Colaba and nearby places of interest to tourists you see men trying to sell huge ballons. Mansize balloons they are! They are as persistent as only a saleman in India can be but the real deal starts as soon as you have haggled your way to what you think is a reasonable price for a pack of mansize balloons. Then you are at once chased down the street by three or moore other balloon-salesmen, cutting through the crowd, trying to be the first "nice" guy, telling you that you have been fooled! It turns out that the first guy actually sold you small balloons, not at all what you thought you where haggling for. Ok, so the next guy tells you that he has the real deal and is kind enough to let you buy his bigger ballons, in exchange for the ones you have already bought and - off course - a small amount of rupees to cover the difference between the two products. Ok, so I was stupid enuogh to let my guard down on the last day of travelling and haggled some more and got the big balloons. So this is where it gets ridiculous! I could see theese huge balloons again trying to catch up with me, mowing people down as they made their way down the streets of Colaba. I still hadn't got the kind of balloons I thought I had bought, and although I couldn't do anything but laugh and try to fend of these enormously insistent men, telling them I didn't care if I had just been fooled (not the first time in India) and wasn't interested in their huge and best-in-India balloons, they wouldn't give up. I will never forget the feeling of seeing these balloons in the corner of my eyes, closing in on me from behind and desperately telling me I had just been tricked by a mean person and that they would set things right, for only a small amount of rupees. And being tricked again! Many times during our stay in India I had been angry and upset with people trying to take advantage of us but this time I just didn't care and it is a good story to re-enact and share with our friends that have yet to visit India, to describe what it is like.
Jenny Lund-Hansen, Sweden (Jun 05)
^ back to top
|
