Anyone Been to India?

[limey]

For some time I have been interested in traveling to India, Nepal, or some other East Asian area....I want my experience to reflect that sort of leisure and "chill" atmosphere. My other interests include what I can very generally describe as mysticism. It is my hope that when I travel I will be able to experience many facets of culture, whether it be food, scenery/trekking?, wildlife, people (natives or other travelers), temples, ganja, (not very selective as far as specifics of belief system, etc.) what have you. What I do not want is to take a trip to another city; obviously planes go where they go but it would be ideal if I could promptly hitch a bus or something out of Mumbai or Kathmandu or wherever I happen to enter.

What would some of you recommend as far as roaming around the countryside, visiting places, eating food, getting good stuff to smoke. How do more remote locals respond to foreign travelers that they might be more used to seeing in cities? Meaning, are they more likely to be hospitable, helpful, etc. or instead cautious and withdrawn? I'd be most interested in traveling in the Himachal/Nepal/Pakistan area

Hi, Budding..!

Well, do go, you will love it.

Starting from the bottom, echoing Hanuman's comments, you can get anywhere in India - it is still a country that relies very heavily on public transport. Long distances you can now fly inexpensively but IMO the only way to see india is by train. The train services are amazing (if slow) and a great way to meet people.

More locally then you would get about by bus, taxi and (auto)rickshaw.

So, where to go? the answer is in the weather and when you go. You can find what you are looking for anywhere in India and you're certainly not going to do the whole country (let alone the sub continent) justice in one trip (unless you stay for lifetime) so.. to get you started...

The south (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa etc) are at their best from mid-November to March. From March-June they will be VERY hot. From June to October inclusive the monsoon is falling, which is fun but makes travel trickier and, well, it rains alot.

Northern India plains (Delhi, Rajasthan, Varanasi, Agra, Amrtitsar, Calcutta etc) are best visited October through to April inclusive. By April, things are hotting up. December and January can be chilly and there will be fog in Delhi, for example. May is unbearable. June-Spetember inclusive is the monsoon. The one bit of timing advice I'd give here is that if you want to go to Varanasi (which I 100% recommend, it is amazing) the the best time to go is right at the end of the monsoon, say the third or final week of September, when the Ganges is in full flood.

the Himalaya - the best times to go are September-October-early November i.e. after the monsoon but before the snows set in and/or it gets very cold. This is peak trekking season and there is usually good visibility of the mountains, less haze. The second best season is March-April. Still chilly in March but ok visibility

The (tourist) party season in the himalaya starts in May, when Goa has gone off season due to the heat and the rains. Good time to meet people in the mountains but less good for actually seeing the mountains, what with the haze and the rain.

personally I foind it more rewarding to be out of the cities in India (with exceptions). If you see nothing else, I recommend most highly (in the north) Varanasi, Rajasthan (especially Pushkar) and (in the south) Hampi, Fort Cochin and the backwaters. all well trodden paths.

I 100% recommend Nepal.

Pakistan - well, I loved it but that was a while back and though I am sure it's still great, travel there carefully. Not the most stable place.

Hope that helps

Limey

 

[buddymate]

Got to correct something there mate,I personally visited about as far north as its possible to get in India and went there summer and winter,kashmir in winter is incredible,skiing in india,you have to try it Pushkar during the camel fair,and dont forget the havelis in Jaisalmer and while your in Rajasthan pop into the rat temple at Bikaner

 

[tintala]

If you haven't done it, TREKKING IN NEPAL is one of the most mystical things you can do in ASIA.. not to mention the temples and no one has mentioned SHIVARATRI: NIGHT OF SHIVA, everyone takes cannabis, bhang, it's legal this day and very festive in NEpal. but only in NEPAL. India is cool but indian MEN are so machoistic that it's crazy. I haven't met a single person that didn't like Nepal better than India once they been to both. BUt you have to go to Nepal first to see it. The king made cannabis illegal in 1974 when the USA paid him 40 millions $$ to do so. since then it's still tolerated but just don't smuggle it. that's it.

I live in NEpal part time have a house. wife ,like i said, it's way less chaotic than India and the Himalays are visable from the KATHMANDU valley. also the hash is the best in NEPAL. When in India, can't wait to get back to Nepal.

 

[whiterabbit9]

^^
the good life

 

[levant]

Hi, Budding..!

The south (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa etc) are at their best from mid-November to March. From March-June they will be VERY hot. From June to October inclusive the monsoon is falling, which is fun but makes travel trickier and, well, it rains alot.

Sheesh Im going to Kerala in mid sept hope its not raining all the time I want to chill in the sun...

 

[LunaShadow]

I reckon it will be ok then Levant.

I went to Varkala in June time and the monsoon was just starting then. Should have past over Kerala by September easily.

Like people have said, Varkala isn't the best place for weed, although the weed i got was very strong and stupefying.

Kerala is a great place to learn about Ayurveda.