Spend a Week in India, Vietnam, or Italy?
Feb 19, 2015, 12:56 pm
#46
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My first trip to India, arrived in Bangaluru somewhere at 3 am.
Took a taxi and spend the next hour scared as the driver was speeding and dodging people, animals, obstacles (we had a near mis with a big rock which was right in the middle of the highway for some reason), lorries packed with too much stuff while seeing absolutely nothing. No accident though. So I can amagine the 5hour trip @pinniped
But you get used to it so fast. Crossing the street trough all the traffic without looking seems almost normal now.
Took a taxi and spend the next hour scared as the driver was speeding and dodging people, animals, obstacles (we had a near mis with a big rock which was right in the middle of the highway for some reason), lorries packed with too much stuff while seeing absolutely nothing. No accident though. So I can amagine the 5hour trip @pinniped
But you get used to it so fast. Crossing the street trough all the traffic without looking seems almost normal now.
THE TRICK
Stand and watch the natives crossing. They seem not paying attention to the traffic, the trick lies in walking non cahantly. Does not mean you just dash in teh traffic. What has eveolved is both the driver(s) and pedestrian know instinctively as to who is going to prevail. You do not watch straight up looking at the driver but check the progress and spped of the vehicle !
I have seen expats having trouble crossing the roads. (self included).
Feb 19, 2015, 1:00 pm
#47
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When I went from Delhi to Agra there was no modern superhighway, so I did get the animals, pedestrians, tuktuks, markets, etc. Definitely wasn't boring but it did take a long time. I did see the Taj as a day trip from Delhi, but I would have preferred at least an overnight there. I haven't been to Jaipur but I know that there is a lot to see there.
I have primarily been to India for work and have been able to see things only as individual add-on days to my trips. Everything I have seen seemed to beg for more time than I could devote to it, hence my thought of more in-depth experiences in fewer places.
I have primarily been to India for work and have been able to see things only as individual add-on days to my trips. Everything I have seen seemed to beg for more time than I could devote to it, hence my thought of more in-depth experiences in fewer places.
Feb 19, 2015, 6:23 pm
#48
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I haven't read through the entire thread, but I wholeheartedly recommend Vietnam. I just returned from a week there and completely loved it. Hanoi - not so much, but Saigon is completely charming. I took the train from Saigon to Nha Trang to Hue and enjoyed it immensely.
Feb 19, 2015, 6:55 pm
#49
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My first trip to India, arrived in Bangaluru somewhere at 3 am.
Took a taxi and spend the next hour scared as the driver was speeding and dodging people, animals, obstacles (we had a near mis with a big rock which was right in the middle of the highway for some reason), lorries packed with too much stuff while seeing absolutely nothing. No accident though. So I can amagine the 5hour trip @pinniped
But you get used to it so fast. Crossing the street trough all the traffic without looking seems almost normal now.
Took a taxi and spend the next hour scared as the driver was speeding and dodging people, animals, obstacles (we had a near mis with a big rock which was right in the middle of the highway for some reason), lorries packed with too much stuff while seeing absolutely nothing. No accident though. So I can amagine the 5hour trip @pinniped
But you get used to it so fast. Crossing the street trough all the traffic without looking seems almost normal now.
Fond memories!
Feb 20, 2015, 2:48 am
#51
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For all of us who are used to looking both ways or vehicles slowing or stopping when we cross......Forget that in many parts of the world. (come to think of it, the signs are here that US will follow in about a decade !0.
THE TRICK
Stand and watch the natives crossing. They seem not paying attention to the traffic, the trick lies in walking non cahantly. Does not mean you just dash in teh traffic. What has eveolved is both the driver(s) and pedestrian know instinctively as to who is going to prevail. You do not watch straight up looking at the driver but check the progress and spped of the vehicle !
I have seen expats having trouble crossing the roads. (self included).
THE TRICK
Stand and watch the natives crossing. They seem not paying attention to the traffic, the trick lies in walking non cahantly. Does not mean you just dash in teh traffic. What has eveolved is both the driver(s) and pedestrian know instinctively as to who is going to prevail. You do not watch straight up looking at the driver but check the progress and spped of the vehicle !
I have seen expats having trouble crossing the roads. (self included).
Last edited by txflyer77; Feb 20, 2015 at 2:56 am
Feb 20, 2015, 6:46 am
#52
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Feb 21, 2015, 9:10 pm
#53
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Funny, I remember telling some friends here that crossing a busy street was like playing Frogger. This was thirty years ago !
Feb 22, 2015, 1:09 pm
#55
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Feb 22, 2015, 2:54 pm
#56
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India info here is interesting...have been to Nepal and Sri Lanka but have always thought of India as a kind of traveler's hazing, the kind needing preparation and maybe 3 weeks at minimum. But I s'pose a chopped off version with just the triangle (and Mumbai and Goa on another trip?) would also work. Don't U.S. citizens need a visa (costing money) to go?
My cousin who went was among those fitting the old joke that India stands for I'd Never Do It Again. It does tend to be a polarizing kind of place.
As for the O.P.'s question, with Vietnam you'd need to pick the north or the south and try not to move around too much, as the transport links can be slow and unreliable. Italy is more efficient for that (e.g. going to Florence on a daytrip out of Rome by train) and probably the best weather-wise of the three for the time of year.
My cousin who went was among those fitting the old joke that India stands for I'd Never Do It Again. It does tend to be a polarizing kind of place.
As for the O.P.'s question, with Vietnam you'd need to pick the north or the south and try not to move around too much, as the transport links can be slow and unreliable. Italy is more efficient for that (e.g. going to Florence on a daytrip out of Rome by train) and probably the best weather-wise of the three for the time of year.
Feb 22, 2015, 3:36 pm
#57
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India info here is interesting...have been to Nepal and Sri Lanka but have always thought of India as a kind of traveler's hazing, the kind needing preparation and maybe 3 weeks at minimum. But I s'pose a chopped off version with just the triangle (and Mumbai and Goa on another trip?) would also work. Don't U.S. citizens need a visa (costing money) to go?
My cousin who went was among those fitting the old joke that India stands for I'd Never Do It Again. It does tend to be a polarizing kind of place.
As for the O.P.'s question, with Vietnam you'd need to pick the north or the south and try not to move around too much, as the transport links can be slow and unreliable. Italy is more efficient for that (e.g. going to Florence on a daytrip out of Rome by train) and probably the best weather-wise of the three for the time of year.
My cousin who went was among those fitting the old joke that India stands for I'd Never Do It Again. It does tend to be a polarizing kind of place.
As for the O.P.'s question, with Vietnam you'd need to pick the north or the south and try not to move around too much, as the transport links can be slow and unreliable. Italy is more efficient for that (e.g. going to Florence on a daytrip out of Rome by train) and probably the best weather-wise of the three for the time of year.
The sheer number of people at first may make you wonder....mu three year old Othis first trip to India asked " where are these people coming from and going to....?"
Feb 22, 2015, 3:50 pm
#58
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India info here is interesting...have been to Nepal and Sri Lanka but have always thought of India as a kind of traveler's hazing, the kind needing preparation and maybe 3 weeks at minimum. But I s'pose a chopped off version with just the triangle (and Mumbai and Goa on another trip?) would also work. Don't U.S. citizens need a visa (costing money) to go?
Feb 22, 2015, 9:27 pm
#59
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India is the most un-American English-speaking (largely) country on earth.
(Not "un-American" in the Cold War sense, but in the "most unlike America" sense).
It's an assault on your senses, your common sense, your sensibilities and your generally accepted understanding on how a society functions. In five trips there, I've yet to figure out how a single person gets through their day alive, fed, hydrated, sheltered and employed; yet every day, a billion+ do just that.
If you want to turn your understanding of the world on its head: India.
(Not "un-American" in the Cold War sense, but in the "most unlike America" sense).
It's an assault on your senses, your common sense, your sensibilities and your generally accepted understanding on how a society functions. In five trips there, I've yet to figure out how a single person gets through their day alive, fed, hydrated, sheltered and employed; yet every day, a billion+ do just that.
If you want to turn your understanding of the world on its head: India.
I am an American and I am currently sitting in "North Vietnam" on a couch in Hanoi i can tell you there is no anti American sentiment sure they might charge you a couple extra dollars at an entrance to a touristy spot but they do that to the Russian gentleman standing in line behind me. In the past year I have spent almost 5 weeks here in Hanoi and never feel like I'm somehow behind enemy lines or something. I think you should come out here and take a look for yourself.
I've never felt more welcome as an American than I did during a 2 week trip to Vietnam in 2012. Yes, the "American War Musuem" and "Hanoi Hilton" were an emotional challenge to visit but every person we interacted with was happy and excited to meet us and we had some fantastic discussions on politics, sports, history, etc... I'd almost go as far to say that we enjoyed the conversations with our guides/drivers, etc... than we did sightseeing.
Comparing that to some of the anti-American sentiment and anti-semitism i've observed in Belgium, Denmark, Italy & The former Yugoslavian countries would make me feel perfectly comfortable to recommend a trip to Vietnam (and Cambodia if you can fit it in).
But of India, Italy or Vietnam i'd vote India as well.
Comparing that to some of the anti-American sentiment and anti-semitism i've observed in Belgium, Denmark, Italy & The former Yugoslavian countries would make me feel perfectly comfortable to recommend a trip to Vietnam (and Cambodia if you can fit it in).
But of India, Italy or Vietnam i'd vote India as well.
If one were to do a 2nd trip to India, what region would you recommend? Somewhere in the far south? Mumbai and surrounding area? Something else?
I can see why 10 trips might lead you to say "OK, somewhere else now..." But my wife and I do want to go back...there was a lot there that we loved, even as our, um, "senses were assaulted"...
I can see why 10 trips might lead you to say "OK, somewhere else now..." But my wife and I do want to go back...there was a lot there that we loved, even as our, um, "senses were assaulted"...
If I had to rank the three India, Vietnam, and Instanbul. Cambodia I'd put in too. It has a sad recent history, and in the race to bring it back, they are not really practicing sustainable tourism, and it might not look the same in a few years.
Go and explore
Feb 23, 2015, 6:48 am
#60
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 89
If you want to visit India
Late May/early June is around the peak of the hot season. Personally, I would avoid the golden triangle completely (45C or higher in the shade is *NOT* my idea of a relaxing vacation).
Whoever told you that DEL would be cooler than BOM in late May is just plain wrong. BOM will be mid 30s, but very humid (this would be just before the monsoons), DEL will be on the upper side of 40C and dry.
I wouldn't go to Leh, you want to budget around two weeks for that trip.
As a native (who dislikes hot dry weather), here are a few additional suggestions:
(a) If you don't mind the heat, and a bit of additional travel, go to watch a cat or two.
Ranthambore, Kanha, Kaziranga, Tadoba, Corbett are good options for tigers, Gir for lions.
(b) If you want a historical holiday along with a few beach trips, fly into BOM (wander around the old city, visit Elephanta, possibly the Vasai fort and Kanheri), and go down the coast to Goa or Kerala (Kochi and Thiruvantanapuram are good options to end the trip, there are flights to the middle east from both cities and from Goa). You could wander down to Murud-Janjira, and then continue to Goa (spend a day or two there dealing with Portuguese influenced architecture and food). From Goa, head down to Mangalore and finally end up in Kochi
(c) Spend the entire week in Kerala
(d) Visit the Himalayan foothills (note that you will be visiting in peak season and there will be crowds). On the eastern side, Sikkim (fly into DEL, then to Bagdogra, or fly to CCU and overnight train to New Jaipaiguri) and Darjeeling (same options). In the west, Dehradun, Mussorie, Haridwar, Dalhousie, Dharmashala/Mcleodganj are overnight road trips from Delhi.
(e) Fly into Bhubhaneshwar and tour Orissa.
(f) Do the Bangalore, Mysore, Belur/Halabeed trips, with a couple of days to visit Hampi (again, heat).
Whoever told you that DEL would be cooler than BOM in late May is just plain wrong. BOM will be mid 30s, but very humid (this would be just before the monsoons), DEL will be on the upper side of 40C and dry.
I wouldn't go to Leh, you want to budget around two weeks for that trip.
As a native (who dislikes hot dry weather), here are a few additional suggestions:
(a) If you don't mind the heat, and a bit of additional travel, go to watch a cat or two.
Ranthambore, Kanha, Kaziranga, Tadoba, Corbett are good options for tigers, Gir for lions.
(b) If you want a historical holiday along with a few beach trips, fly into BOM (wander around the old city, visit Elephanta, possibly the Vasai fort and Kanheri), and go down the coast to Goa or Kerala (Kochi and Thiruvantanapuram are good options to end the trip, there are flights to the middle east from both cities and from Goa). You could wander down to Murud-Janjira, and then continue to Goa (spend a day or two there dealing with Portuguese influenced architecture and food). From Goa, head down to Mangalore and finally end up in Kochi
(c) Spend the entire week in Kerala
(d) Visit the Himalayan foothills (note that you will be visiting in peak season and there will be crowds). On the eastern side, Sikkim (fly into DEL, then to Bagdogra, or fly to CCU and overnight train to New Jaipaiguri) and Darjeeling (same options). In the west, Dehradun, Mussorie, Haridwar, Dalhousie, Dharmashala/Mcleodganj are overnight road trips from Delhi.
(e) Fly into Bhubhaneshwar and tour Orissa.
(f) Do the Bangalore, Mysore, Belur/Halabeed trips, with a couple of days to visit Hampi (again, heat).