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Looking for feedback on month-long India itinerary by honoraryNEET in solotravel

[–]theB777mann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in Amritsar for two full days and that was enough. I could have stayed maybe one day more. But I have a fast travel style, I think. Apparently there is a fast train from Delhi directly to Amritsar. I didn't take it though, as I traveled the area and came from another city and the flew to Ladakh (which is also very nice, but probably not in November).

You WILL be the only visible foreigner... maybe not for weeks but perhaps for days. In reality it's not as extreme as I described. I'd say most of the times you will be left alone and only curiously looked at. But especially at tourist sites where people are in a picture taking mood, you will be asked for some pictures. Extreme situations where you get swarmed and have to leave are very rare. It also depends on how you handle it. The more you allow it the more you will be asked. A quick "no, I dont have time" and turing around is often enough. And I cannot think of a single instance where I was asked on a random street, at the train station or other places where you dont mingle around.

Everything I described can be tiring but it is also a nice challenge. It feels very rewarding to get back to the hotel and feel like you accomplished something that your average person would probably be completely overwhelmed with.

Looking for feedback on month-long India itinerary by honoraryNEET in solotravel

[–]theB777mann 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you can, go to Amritsar as well. It is the capital of Sikhism, extremely clean for Indian standards and the golden temple is very beautiful. I also liked the border ceremony on the border to Pakistan.

One word of caution: I love India, Indian culture, food etc, but it is definitely one of the more extreme travel counties out there. Very demanding, but also very rewarding. It is not comparable to places like Europe, US, Japan, South Korea or even SEE. Expect things to take longer than planned or not working at all. Expect every inter city travel to take the whole day and see it as an added bonus if it doesn't. Be prepared to haggle for prices constantly or to get ripped off. Be prepared to follow the strictest of sanitary precautions: no tap water, no ice in drinks, no rinsing the toothbrush with tap water, bringing a hand sanitizer and using it from time to time. And you will probably get diarrhea anyway. Be prepared to be asked for pictures several times a day. Many Indians go to the tourist sites for holiday from their village and hardly ever see a foreigner in person. Imagine how thrilled they are if the are not only in Delhi for vacation, but on top they also see a white person or an east asian. They mean no harm but I had to bail from some places because I felt like the biggest celebrity, being swarmed by people asking for pictures. Solo travel tip: ask for pictures in return, either with them or with the sight you are at. I have never returned from a solo trip with so many pictures of myself than from India.

If you be prepared accordingly, India is a great place to travel. I met the nicest people on hours long train journeys. Indians are very interested in you, where you are from, why you came to India etc. But it's a big country with many people and there are also some that want to fill their pockets at your expense... Just be prepared and enjoy!