Wolverine

I'll be travelling around South India for 11 days.

I'm working with an Indian travel agent to bookk me up some inetresting locales.

Thus far, many "in the know" have almost uniformly suggested Bangalore, Cochin, Periyar, Kumarakom.

QUESTION:
1.) Which of these other suggestions would you recommend?:
Kovalam, Trivandrum, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai?
..........OR, are the any other cities you would recommend more?........

2.) Is Madras/Chennai worth visiting?
3.) Is Calcutta worth visiting?

travelmad478

I agree with all of these except maybe Bangalore. I haven't found it particularly thrilling from a tourist perspective.

To that list, I would also add Madurai (super temples) and Trivandrum. I would give a major thumbs down to Kovalam. The beaches are filthy. If you must do beaches there, Varkala is better.

Yes. You can combine that with Pondicherry fairly easily.

Absolutely, but it's not in South India--nowhere near the rest of your itinerary. Cal is one of my favorite cities in India, despite its bad reputation (which I think just comes from the Mother Teresa connection). It's got very interesting post-colonial feel, and is certainly no worse than any other large Indian city in terms of dirt, crowds, and poverty. They're all bad. But don't let that stop you from visiting India.

Wolverine

My wife said the same thing about Calcutta-Mother Theresa connection.

I thought it might be worth going away from the South since Jet Airways has this 21 day ALL INDIA excursion ticket for $810 (including taxes). All my Indian tech friends has advised me against visiting Calcutta b/c it's very dangerous and very poor and depressing compared to other Indian cities.

Thanks for your suggestions btw.

My wife is urging me to choose only "must see" Southern cities b/c she wants to saturate the environment--something she says she can't do by being on the road all the time.

So if you had to choose only a handful of cities by taking this constraint into account, what would you recommend?.........

Yaatri

Madurai has great temples.I would love to go there myself. As long as you have he Jet Airways pass, why not try DEL, you can se most of the sites worth seeing a couple of days. If you do go to DEL, you may want to think about Rajasthan too, say Jaipur, Udaipur, Chittor. If you want to stay in the osuth itself, try Ajanta and Ellora caves.

travelmad478

Possibly, but be aware that travel within India will take a long time and will wear you out. I wouldn't attempt to be too ambitious. Dealing with the airports and the transit to and from them can be very tiring. And car travel (some of which you'll have to do in order to get to many of the cities you mention) takes AGES. Plan on an average speed of 25 km/hour. I am not exaggerating.

Have they been there? I disagree. Many Indians I've met have very strong (usually negative) opinions about any place they didn't grow up in. Like I said before, Calcutta is no filthier or poorer than any other big city in India. It's got an excellent cultural life, and Bengali food is definitely worth trying. I think Cal's really interesting. It's quite distinct from other Indian cities. Of course, they all have their own character, but this one just really appeals to me.

This is a tough question. They've all got their own particular charms: Madurai for Hindu temples, Cochin for Portuguese-Dutch colonial influence, Periyar (not a city, by the way) for wildlife/peace and quiet, Kumarakom for laid-back relaxing in the backwaters...and so on. I also have to say that Yaatri is right on in the recommendation to get up north. I would not go to India and miss Rajasthan--it's so unique. I was in Udaipur earlier this year, and that alone is worth a couple of days. You've got your work cut out for you planning this trip!

B747-437B

Kolkota is a city of contrasts. Chances are that if you enjoyed a visit there, you didn't see the way the "other side" lives. It's highly depressing and for that reason alone I try to stay the heck away from the "real Kolkota". That said, I do enjoy the city immensely when I stick to the right side of the tracks. As travelmad478 says, it has a very distinct personality.

As for Delhi, well the less said the better. Its summer climate is too hot, its winter climate is too foggy and the rest of the year the pollution is so bad you can barely breathe. I detest that city with a passion. It is geographically convenient to the Northern tourist triangle though.

Since everyone here is busy plugging their regional favorites, I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out for my homeys in the West. You can easily spend nearly all your 11 days in Maharashtra and Goa alone, not even considering the urban attractions of Mumbai.

Finally, my view on Chennai is that it is far too bland a city to be worth too long a visit.

I'm sure you appreciate the irony that a post requesting advice how to narrow down your choices has actually thrown up MORE suggestions than you started with! Just goes to show how much India has to offer.

travelmad478

Well, that is undoubtedly true. Whenever I visit anyplace in India, I don't see much of how the "other side" lives--if you're a business traveler or a tourist, you just don't. Actually, if you're a middle-to-upper-class Indian, you don't see it either.

Or to be more clear: I see the other side, living their daily lives on the under-construction lanes of the Mumbai flyovers as I drive past in my car. I see the other side sleeping on the train platforms at 5 AM as I board the Shatabdi Express. And so on. I do see it, and it is depressing, but it's just what you accept when you visit India. There is just such huge social stratification that you're surrounded by this sort of poverty all the time, and yet (for the higher classes), you're not actually caught in it.

Yaatri

One advice. You should take advice from those who grew up in India with a grain of salt.

Travelmad is on the mark when he said "Many Indians I've met have very strong (usually negative) opinions about any place they didn't grow up in." But the it applies to almost people of any nationality.

I, grew up in Delhi and B747-437B in Bombay ;we are sworn enemies. I am well aware how passionaately he "loathes" Delhi. . I have fond memories of Delhi, but then that was the Delhi of 30-45 years ago. I alos have fond memories of Bombay from pictures and movies of the 50's when Bombay, oops, Mumbai appeared roamntically beautiful to me. Now Delhi is crowded, foggy and the air is polluted. I noticed the gradual decline int he quality of air in delhi begining in the Early 70's. There has been a marginal imporvement during the last 18 months or so. DEL airport beiing fooged in in winter is still a major concern. If you can look past the congestion and the dirt, DEL CAL and Bombay have distinct charcters. I was in MAdras, Chennai a long time, but didn't get a chance to see much.

Travelmad is also right about the fatigue of road travel and the avergae speed not being more than 25km an hour except on some tracts.

Sorry for ranting on. B747-437B got me started. LOL. If you hav a good time, you will probably go back to India again. If you don't have a good time, you obviously won't. Three weeks isn't enough to cover all the sites that have been mentioned here so far.

Not to confuse you more, besides Madurai, Cochin, Ajanta, Ellora, and he rest of the cties/places mentioned, there is Kahjuraho, Konark, and the obvious Tajmahal. Now people will ask you upon your return, "Did you see the Tajmahal?" Even if you skik Delhi, you can visit Udaipur and Jaipur from Agra too.

travelmad478

I feel better. I didn't grow up in India (New Jersey, actually). But I have been there seven times, and spend a lot of time with Indians and NRIs in my work.

Yes, this is true. The first few times I went to Delhi I couldn't stand it either--after a few hours there, I'd get a headache that lasted until the end of my stay. But it really is improving with all the CNG vehicles and emissions controls. And I think the weather in the winter is just fine--a really nice temperature. Delhi is starting to grow on me.

Very true. And I must say, it really is worth seeing. There aren't many places as famous and landmark-y as the Taj that actually live up to their reputations. This does. I've been to Paris three times and never been to the Louvre, but the Taj Mahal I would not miss. Of course, you can always see it on the return trip!

I guess the key thing to know about India, if it's your first visit, is that you need a LOT of patience. You won't be able to see all you want to see, every process will go about one-fourth the speed that you think it should, and things get done very differently than they do in most other countries. BUT it is an amazing experience--cultures throughout India are so interesting, so distinct from one another around the country, and so different from Western experience. I will never get tired of traveling to India. I feel very lucky to have it as part of my job.


P.S. travelmad478 is not a "he." Just to clarify!

B747-437B

This is very true and something that I try to take pains to avoid falling victim to whenever I'm in India.

It's the small stuff like traveling in a local train during rush hour, eating unhygeinic food from a roadside vendor with flies buzzing around, crowding up against a paanwallah's shop to catch the latest cricket score, arguing with an autorickshaw driver who wants to overcharge your fare, etc... that defines the essence of India for me.

What I truly love about what Mumbai has become today is that it has been able to use the best of technology to improve the quality of life without losing sight of the tradition that every Mumbaikar loves. If rural India can pull the same thing off, its tourism potential will grow exponentially.

Yaatri

How was I to know? You never asked for show and tell.
Where in DE are you? I went to graduate school at U of DE, bought my frist house in Newark, DE.

You have made very good points about travelling in India. It can be very frustrating. Travelling in India is not for the weak hearted. You have to have passion, patience and perseverance.

[This message has been edited by Yaatri (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

Yaatri

Dupe

[This message has been edited by Yaatri (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

travelmad478

No problem. Just remember in the future, it's always safest to stay away from personal pronouns!

Wilmington. Been here about 5.5 years now. It's the whitest of white-bread places, but as long as I get to keep traveling, I don't mind. And thank God, there is an Indian grocery store here.

Sorry to get off topic, Wolverine. If you need any other information about India, please ask!

Yaatri

My sincere apologies for using the wrong pronoun.

As for Indian grocery stores, there were a couple when I was in Newark, and thought thre would be more by now. I heard there was also an Indian resturant in Newark on Elkton Road early 90's

meanstreetdude

I recently came back from South India and have been to India several times for travel

Avoid the north. JAIPUR is the only facinating city and stay at Rambag Palace if you go.

I love Kerala and this is the best of India. Cochin is the best city and hotel Malabar is nice. Periyar wildlife sanctuary is a once in a lifetime exeprience.

the city Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu is a place to use as the southern base for exploring. Stay at The Residency as it is as good as 5 star. Best shopping in Coimbatore and interesting temples.

Ooty and mysore are interesting too. Avoid big cities like Chennai, Bangalore etc etc