Off to India for a month in a little over 2 days

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: hypn0tik

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: hypn0tik
Glad to hear you had an awesome time there!

Hyderabad is an awesome place. I was there in 2006 with my dad to visit family. It was a good time. The heat, dust, and traffic is ridiculous, but you learn to love it.

Yeah, it's funny how that worked out. Traffic is one of my primary stressors in Atlanta, yet here I'd say it's worse and yet I'm not particularly bothered by it. Maybe it's because it seems like it's always moving, even if that means moving in front of traffic, people, etc. The whole city is constantly moving.

Hyderabad has a lot of nice restaurants, so I was happy about that. Fusion 9 is quite good, especially considering how varied their menu is. After 3 weeks of dahl + curry every day, I admit that I had to try some Italian. It was quite good.

Well, I've found that it makes a huge difference depending on if you are driving or not. If you aren't driving, there's not too much stress on you.


The restaurants there are awesome. We hit up a few places. One was the Taj in Abids, another was Minerva in Himayatnagar, Taj Tristar somewhere in Secunderabad (amazing lunch buffet) and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head. I haven't heard of Fusion 9.

What I like more than the restaurants are those little pani puri stalls on the side of the roads. I used to go often when I was younger, but I didn't brave it on my last trip as I was afraid of catching something from the water.

Speaking of that, one of my cousins took me to a kick ass chat place which I *think* is in Himayatnagar, but I really can't recall.

I think the only thing I have yet to experience is the night life there (nobody to go with). Hopefully next time I'm there, some of my cousins will be there and can show me around.

I'll see if I can find some of these places you're mentioning. I find myself craving it all the more I have it...

I haven't braved the pani puri stalls just yet, but I did get some of the pakoras, puffed rice (I don't remember what it's called) and a few other things while at Tirupati. I also took a few items that I didn't realize contained water until it was too late, but so far I haven't been sick or anything.

I haven't done much as far as night life either, but we did go to Bottles and Chimneys a few times. It's a tapas type of place with a pretty decent variety of drinks. They play some good music, and the crowd tends to be more on the progressive side. We have a good time there. The food is pretty good too.

 

[Svnla]

OP, glad you make it. Now we need a pic of you in front of the sacred cows or ban

Some comments (from my previous trip to Asia):

Stare: don't feel bad, when I went back home a few years ago, people stared at me all the time, even I was the native (born there and lived there for about 10 years). Guess the way we dress and talk make us standout.

Traffic: I would never drive a car in any big cities in Asia. In the countryside, sure, but in the capital or any big cities, no way. Talk about kamikaze traffic, close calls and dart in and out all over the streets.

Soda/coke: I knew right away the coke was different. Asian cola had less sugar/not as sweet and didn't pack a high punch of caffein as American cola. I refer American coke.

The foods: It did not have as much meat and grease as Asian foods in America but much better in freshness, especially in fruits and vegetables.

Tipping: oh yeah, I felt like a walking ATM machine overthere. Everwhere I went, I had to go with a relative or the prices would be 2-3X minimum. Also beggars followed me and asked for changes.

Looking forward for pics. I am planning to go back home sometimes this year. BTW, if you don't mind, how much did you pay for the airfare? I checked American and Delta and the best prices were around 1500 US dollars for round trip ticket for 1 person (economic seat).

 

[jai6638]

Sounds like your having a ball!! thats great!! Honestly, if the locals see your white, they quote double the actual price... When I was in bombay, I found it interesting how this vendor charged the foreigners Rs. 200 more for something that I had just bought.. Oh well.. Have fun in India!! You can really enjoy it if you accept it for what it is... Waiting for the pics.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Aharami
glad to see you're having a good time. yea staring is unavoidable there. I was getting stares when I went back and was wearing shorts outside....and Im indian!

Haha, yeah, I didn't notice a single person wearing shorts in this trip. I actually wanted to wear shorts during the climb to Tirupati, but I was advised against it I guess white boy + white boy legs would be too much, especially since my lower extremities are without any hint of a tan

I have to say though, Im quite jealous of your trip as you've seen more of India than I have and I used to live there the first 12 yrs of my life. If you dont mind me asking, how much is this trip costing you (I havent been back to India in a while and not sure how cheap/expensive things are there now). Im in the opposite situation than you in that Im indian and my fiance isnt. So I would like to take her to India for a long trip after we're married

I am quite glad that I've been able to see so much in a relatively short period of time. Next year we're going to try Himalayan regions: Manasarovar, Darjeeling and Sikkim. I'm told it's beautiful around there, and Darjeeling has always interested me for some reason.

The cost was really reasonable. For four of us, the trip to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur was only 50,000Rs. So, somewhere around $1200 I guess? The flights were a separate $800 or so for four of us on Deccan Air.

This doesn't include any costs for the Hyderabad trip itself since we're staying with her family, but flights to get here from Atlanta were about $1300 each. Train tickets to Tirupati and Avanaram from Hyderabad were 1000Rs each for 2nd AC.

So, really, you could have a pretty thorough trip for two people in under $5k. That depends on where you want to stay in some of the larger cities of course. In Hyderabad, some of the hotels are upwards of $350/night, but there are very nice flats that you can most anywhere for $50-100/night at the top end.

<cliffs>
Somewhere around $5k for two, but could probably be done more cheaply and more expensively as well
</cliffs>

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: isasir
I take it your wife is from Kerala? There's a very good chance that my itinerary will be quite similar when my wife (she's Malu) and I go.

Nosir, my wife is from Hyderabad. We just wanted to visit Kerala since we're told it's beautiful there. I've always had an interest in tea and coffee, and wanted to see the hill country filled with it.

Enjoy your upcoming trip! I know I've had a great time.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Svnla
OP, glad you make it. Now we need a pic of you in front of the sacred cows or ban

Oh, I have you covered there. I have pics of cows, buffalo, cats, dogs, monkies, camels and probably other animals as well

Some comments (from my previous trip to Asia):

Stare: don't feel bad, when I went back home a few years ago, people stared at me all the time, even I was the native (born there and lived there for about 10 years). Guess the way we dress and talk make us standout.

True. I don't really feel bad about it, especially since so many people were so nice. It just made me uncomfortable in some situations. At Tirupati, for example, when we entered the hall for the pooja I had to walk (in my dhoti, showing the full effects of my farmer's tan) through a sitting crowd of at least 500. You would have thought I was famous with the way people were pointing, smiling, talking to me, etc. I'm just not used to such attention.

I've noticed it's the elder people that tend to give me the dirtier looks. That's understandable though.

Traffic: I would never drive a car in any big cities in Asia. In the countryside, sure, but in the capital or any big cities, no way. Talk about kamikaze traffic, close calls and dart in and out all over the streets.

No doubt. Our drive from Delhi to Agra was insane. I got used to it after that, but the constant swaying from left to right, speed up and slow down, etc. made me a little nauseous. That doesn't include the countless cut-offs, pulling into oncoming traffic, and blazing full speed through an intersection when people are still crossing it. There's no way I could drive here; I'd be stopped all the time trying to let everyone else pass...

Soda/coke: I knew right away the coke was different. Asian cola had less sugar/not as sweet and didn't pack a high punch of caffein as American cola. I refer American coke.

Ahh, you might be right. I haven't noticed about the caffeine though.

The foods: It did not have as much meat and grease as Asian foods in America but much better in freshness, especially in fruits and vegetables.

Yeah, I've noticed that. In Hyderabad, the family has a cook since there are so many people here. The notion of having a cook is by itself rather interesting to me, but they make some fantastic curries. All from vegetables that they got from the market the same day. Good stuff. I could eat a few pounds of mango dahl alone.

Tipping: oh yeah, I felt like a walking ATM machine overthere. Everwhere I went, I had to go with a relative or the prices would be 2-3X minimum. Also beggars followed me and asked for changes.

Yep, I experienced the same. Since we were in Agra alone (without the wife), we were hit pretty hard with some of the prices, gimmicks, etc. I bought quite a few items while I was there, and the wife says I still overpaid at least 2x even after I negotiated the price down to 50%. Live and learn.

The beggars were tough as well. I felt compelled to offer something initially, but was advised not to do so. The little kids that come up to you are hard to turn away. In one case, I had a little girl that grabbed my hands and literally started yelling at me. I gave her some fruit that I had and she lit up like a candle.

Looking forward for pics. I am planning to go back home sometimes this year. BTW, if you don't mind, how much did you pay for the airfare? I checked American and Delta and the best prices were around 1500 US dollars for round trip ticket for 1 person (economic seat).

$1500 is a little higher than we paid. We paid ~$1100 for two and $1300 for another two. We flew NWA (KLM) and we booked the tickets a few months early. This was my first experience with KLM, but I'd recommend them. Very courteous staff, the food is decent and there's a nice entertainment selection.

Have fun on your return trip!

 

[sonambulo]

Alright alright alright have lots of fun out there

 

[Descartes]

Made it back last night after about 34 total hours of travel time. That puts total travel in India at at least 100 hours. That includes trains, car, etc. I'm tired, but I can't sleep.

So, I thought I'd upload some pictures since ATOT a lot of you were kind enough to follow the thread without them.

Mom, brother and I at Charminar, Hyderabad. We didn't get to stay here very long, because we were absolutely swarmed by people. Our driver and my brother-in-law were somewhat concerned for us, so we left pretty quickly.

Qutar Minar. My pictures didn't come out very well, but it's a pretty amazing structure. The detail is incredible. There were probably a thousand or more children running around, and all of them would wave and run up to us to shake our hands. We had a fun time here. This is in New Delhi for those not familiar.

President's palace/house in New Delhi. The British influence in this area is pretty clear.

Monkey somewhere between Delhi and Agra. This was the first monkey I saw on the street, but they proved to be more common later on in the trip.

Taj Mahal from the entrance. The scale doesn't capture well in the photos, but this tries to capture some of the essence.

Taj Mahal just inside the entrance.

Me at Taj. The wife is absent, because if you read my earlier post she was unable to come with me due to the death of her grandmother. She had to drive back from Agra, and I stayed with my family.

Another typical Taj shot showing the reflection.

A decent Taj shot showing the pool and the reflection again.

Taj from the Agra Fort. I took this from the "prison" of Shah Jahan. His son imprisoned him, and from his room you could see the Taj.

Step 2000 at Tirupati. That's my brother-in-law's foot. We climbed 3600 steps that day. We were pretty wiped out by the end of it. Pilgrims generally walk barefoot up the mountains.

Sunset at Tirupati. There were some really beautiful areas around here.

That's a good start. Let me know if anyone has any specific requests as I have hundreds of photos. Overall I'm not very happy with the quality of the shots. My lens was somewhat dirty due to a lot of the areas I was shooting, and I had no time or ability to clean anything. I don't think I captured the heart of India very well, but the videos should help compensate.

Overall, it's great to be in my home again, but a large part of me misses India. We'll be going back for at least 2 weeks every year.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Made it back last night after about 34 total hours of travel time. That puts total travel in India at at least 100 hours. That includes trains, car, etc. I'm tired, but I can't sleep.

So, I thought I'd upload some pictures since ATOT a lot of you were kind enough to follow the thread without them.

Mom, brother and I at Charminar, Hyderabad. We didn't get to stay here very long, because we were absolutely swarmed by people. Our driver and my brother-in-law were somewhat concerned for us, so we left pretty quickly.

Qutar Minar. My pictures didn't come out very well, but it's a pretty amazing structure. The detail is incredible. There were probably a thousand or more children running around, and all of them would wave and run up to us to shake our hands. We had a fun time here. This is in New Delhi for those not familiar.

President's palace/house in New Delhi. The British influence in this area is pretty clear.

Monkey somewhere between Delhi and Agra. This was the first monkey I saw on the street, but they proved to be more common later on in the trip.

Taj Mahal from the entrance. The scale doesn't capture well in the photos, but this tries to capture some of the essence.

Taj Mahal just inside the entrance.

Me at Taj. The wife is absent, because if you read my earlier post she was unable to come with me due to the death of her grandmother. She had to drive back from Agra, and I stayed with my family.

Another typical Taj shot showing the reflection.

A decent Taj shot showing the pool and the reflection again.

Taj from the Agra Fort. I took this from the "prison" of Shah Jahan. His son imprisoned him, and from his room you could see the Taj.

Step 2000 at Tirupati. That's my brother-in-law's foot. We climbed 3600 steps that day. We were pretty wiped out by the end of it. Pilgrims generally walk barefoot up the mountains.

Sunset at Tirupati. There were some really beautiful areas around here.

That's a good start. Let me know if anyone has any specific requests as I have hundreds of photos. Overall I'm not very happy with the quality of the shots. My lens was somewhat dirty due to a lot of the areas I was shooting, and I had no time or ability to clean anything. I don't think I captured the heart of India very well, but the videos should help compensate.

Overall, it's great to be in my home again, but a large part of me misses India. We'll be going back for at least 2 weeks every year.

Wow. There's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Taj Mahal ftw!

 

[Kaolccips]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Didn't know if anyone would be curious to know about my trip or not, but I thought I'd document it anyway for at least the benefit of me and a few others. I'll also include pictures as I can. I'll be visiting the following locations:

1) Hyderabad. I'll be there for about a week or so total.
2) New Delhi. I'll be there for a few days.
3) Agra. Taj Mahal. Just a day.
4) Jaipur. Just a day. Forts, a little elephant riding, etc.
5) Tirupati. Going to the temple. Should be just about a day.
6) Kerala. We'll probably be around there for about a week.

That doesn't exactly add up to a month, but the wife is keeping most of the itinerary. There's also one more location that I can't remember.

I'm extremely anxious about the flight. I've been on flights to Europe, but never two essentially back-to-back; total travel time will be about 22 hours with about 18 hours of in-air travel. That's rough.

Anyway, try not to miss me too much. I'll bump this thread with some pictures of what should be some interesting sites for those not familiar with the area.

Shouldn't be too bad. Just bring a good book and your laptop, you'll be fine
I actually enjoy riding on planes. After realizing it is normal for the plane to shake sometimes, it was ok lol.

Originally posted by: Descartes
Damn, you could have lied to me

My doctor gave me some Ambien for the flight. I've never taken it before, but I'm kinda hoping I'll just be in a fog the whole time. I was fully alert on my Euro flights, and they just about killed me. I don't do well with anything for any extended period of time.

Either that or you will be walking around half zombie, harrasing the stewardesses and trying to open the door hatch to get in your car and drive to the local Wendys.


edit: Hah.. leaving replies after you're already back.
I'm a failure..

side note: I was literally a pillar in front of one of those palaces once, won't explain how.. but.. Was only like 3 seconds, felt like 5 minutes. I've never even been there.. weird experience. Bad idea.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Kaolccips

Originally posted by: Descartes
Didn't know if anyone would be curious to know about my trip or not, but I thought I'd document it anyway for at least the benefit of me and a few others. I'll also include pictures as I can. I'll be visiting the following locations:

1) Hyderabad. I'll be there for about a week or so total.
2) New Delhi. I'll be there for a few days.
3) Agra. Taj Mahal. Just a day.
4) Jaipur. Just a day. Forts, a little elephant riding, etc.
5) Tirupati. Going to the temple. Should be just about a day.
6) Kerala. We'll probably be around there for about a week.

That doesn't exactly add up to a month, but the wife is keeping most of the itinerary. There's also one more location that I can't remember.

I'm extremely anxious about the flight. I've been on flights to Europe, but never two essentially back-to-back; total travel time will be about 22 hours with about 18 hours of in-air travel. That's rough.

Anyway, try not to miss me too much. I'll bump this thread with some pictures of what should be some interesting sites for those not familiar with the area.

Shouldn't be too bad. Just bring a good book and your laptop, you'll be fine
I actually enjoy riding on planes. After realizing it is normal for the plane to shake sometimes, it was ok lol.

I'm there and back The flight there wasn't a problem at all. The first flight back was a breeze. The second flight back was miserable.

 

[Whitecloak]

very nice:thumbsup:

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Kaolccips

Originally posted by: Descartes
Damn, you could have lied to me

My doctor gave me some Ambien for the flight. I've never taken it before, but I'm kinda hoping I'll just be in a fog the whole time. I was fully alert on my Euro flights, and they just about killed me. I don't do well with anything for any extended period of time.

Either that or you will be walking around half zombie, harrasing the stewardesses and trying to open the door hatch to get in your car and drive to the local Wendys.


edit: Hah.. leaving replies after you're already back.
I'm a failure..

side note: I was literally a pillar in front of one of those palaces once, won't explain how.. but.. Was only like 3 seconds, felt like 5 minutes. I've never even been there.. weird experience. Bad idea.

Yeah, the Ambien made me do some weird things. It only keeps me asleep for about 4 hours though. After that I'm wide awake.

The wife said I talked a lot on my Ambien-induced return flight. I was apparently talking to people, eating, etc. and I have absolutely no recollection of it all. That's not a comforting thought.