India in December

I got the trots once, in Agra. We did the elephant trip up to the fort, which was terrifying.

In Delhi town centre, we got lost and had to take a rickshaw out!

We went to Bombay, too, briefly (Delhi airport was fogbound). Our bus to the airport was so clapped out we had to get out and push it.

Went with Cox and Kings in Nov 2013 They were excellent .Golden Triangle,Jaipur,Varanasi (glad we didnt miss that) Uidapur and an add- on to Amritsar (highlight of trip).Be prepared for the squalor-I remember seeing a tent city on the outskirts of Jaipur just below an amazing palace hotel .I had expected poverty but not the mess .The driving is awful .And our guide's attitude to those less priveleged was well...shall we say 'interesting' We had some lively discussions.
I have IBS and was a bit anxious but none of our 9 strong party was ill.Took the obvious precautions and didn't touch meat .Hotels were fine (we stayed in one palace one and met the Rani, who was beautifully dressed and the epitome of graciousness)and laundry is indeed very cheap and fast ..Its a real culture shock but was so glad we went .Some of the architecture is Amazing .The countryside not so much until we got to the Aravelli (?spelling) hills

Sadly I wont be going our for the first time in 15 years to our flat in the S.

Now got osteoporosis, and the indian pavements are in as bad a state as ours here in UK.

Calcutta is my favourite city in India.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=92iZCp75Mpg

Street food, called pani puri in the S, different in the N.

Not my taste however

We went to the other side of India, Calcutta, Darjeeling, Sikkim in October, a few years ago. I took cotton/ linen clothes. In the hotels you can get them washed and pressed for practically nothing. The ironing put mine to shame. My husband has very sensitive digestion and lots of food intolerances and so took rice cakes and, a suggestion from a friend, tins of mackerel! They stayed untouched and he did not have any bother while there!
Have a lovely time Noonie,Nonna, Aquagran and anyone else going out soon. Very envious!

Thanks Riverwalk, Stansgran, Jollyg and Nonnie. All advice really appreciated.

Don't worry about Delhi Belly, I got it, hotel called doctor and he gave me a quick injection, I was better in a couple of hours and it cost about £12!

I would recommend India to everyone. We had a wonderful time doing the Golden Triangle with some added extras like the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the evening ceremony at the border with Pakistan. If you do that, take your passport so you can go in the VIP area. We have so many wonderful memories and would do it all again.

We always take Ciprofloxin as well as the usual Imodium and anti sick stuff. A packet of straws I felt was useful if you want to buy a canned drink as they are often stored in not very clean surroundings. Always check that you open the bottled water if buying in the street as there used to be a tendency for refilling used bottles. I take sachets of 4711 wipes. My standby.

I can't remember if I took a digital picture then uploaded it onto the laptop, or took a picture using laptop camera.

I had trouble trying to size the photo to fit the requirements so forwarded it to a friend who re-sized and sent it back and voila all was fine!

The application is a bit long-winded with lots of pages to fill in but you do get a reference number somewhere along, so if you leave the application for some reason and go back in it saves the info and you don't have to start at the beginning again.

Sorry disagree with immodium,unless you are going on a bus journey and cant 'go'.

Immodium bungs you up and keeps whatever has caused the problem 'in'.

I would go easy on the ice, have seen how they deliver it? , in a dirty piece of sacking drawn along the ground, on on a bicycle.

If you have problems, 'Curd' or 'Dahi' yoghourt to you and me with flat coke will help.

The only time I had dreadful diahorrea, was when staying in a 'heritage' hotel.

Street food is fine if its something like pakoras which have jut been cooked, and are piping hot, possible served in newspaper, as Fish and chips used to be here.

I have been travelling in India for over 20 years, and only twice have I had the runs, 1st I have mentioned, 2nd was dodgy ice cream. 2 days in my room which had a balcony with a book and the loo nearby.

Noona we rented a flat in the south, doing our own cooking, it was fine.

Jaipur has a bad reputation for scamsters, so beware.

We have seen on the e-visa web site that we need to send a photograph that meets a particular standard. How did you take your photos for visa application?

Regarding visas - we did it all online, no visits to consulates, or sending passports to visa companies, etc.

e-visa

It was quite straightforward and you are sent a confirmation email which you print out and take with you. On arrival at immigration we didn't need to show the piece of paper as it was all on their computer system.

What did you do in your free time. Did you walk around, go on rickshaws and go shopping?

The monsoon season varies according to area, but in general it's June to September. Where we go, the SE, the best time is Feb.-March.

You will have a wonderful time. We went 2 years ago. There is something new and fascinating around every corner.

Thank you, I am stocking up with Imodium. Thanks for your advice. I am really pleased about the ice in gin and tonics!

As I said in my 'Am I now insane' thread, am going in November with Solo Holidays! Am nervous as am a walking disaster!!

If you're staying in good hotels then you can safely eat and drink anything therein, including ice in your gin & tonic, in my experience.

We didn't eat street food.

As for clothes, in October it was hot and dry, so most Westerners were dressed in floaty dresses, kaftan tops & trousers,capri pants & tops/T-shirts, and sun hats, but definitely no shorts or low-cut tops.

Even staying in good hotels I would still take some Immodium, as a change of diet and water can make you a bit 'loose' so nip it in the bud with a couple of pills!!

Hi Riverwalk and others who have done The Golden Triangle,I know it is a while since your post, but me holiday is getting nearer, and I am getting slightly apprehensive, so can I ask you a few questions please? Did you wear any particular clothes? We are staying in nice hotels, but were there any foods that I should avoid (other than the obvious)? Any other tips? Thanks in anticipation

I met my friend yesterday who was born in India and her father had been the headmaster of a school there. She is 75 and returns once or twice a year as she loves it so much.

Now for a cautionary tale. As you would expect she is very savvy about the country and totally at ease.

She and her partner were travelling by train overnight second class with air con. She was in her bunk bed in the sleeping corridor. She lay on her side towards the wall with ear plugs in with her valuables under her pillow. She woke suddenly in the night to find her bag containing her passport, IPad, phone, money, credit cards, diary had been stolen. they had to stay on a number of extra days to get a temporary passport.

So please take a body belt in which your valuables are stored and wear it. Have a wonderful time and possibly like me, who was robbed in broad daylight last year, have your purse etc on a slim chain attached to your bag, you can get them from Amazon. I have two purses and car keys = 3 chains.

Last October I did the Golden Triangle, plus 4 days in Shimla - all fabulous!

Aqua I have been speaking to Cox and Kings about a trip to India next March.We want to do the Golden Triangle,Shimla and Amritsar. My friend has been to India many times and loves it .

Hi Careof 123. I too am doing this holiday, but in October. Our trip sounds similar to yours, we are travelling with Cox and Kings. We are going because we wanted to go on a holiday where we wondered "What will it be like?" . We are regular cruisers and met a chap on a ship who said the Golden Triangle was the best holiday he had ever had! So let's hope it lives up to our expectations.

oh how exciting!!!!,

You have reminded me jollyg that we did have snow ( the first of the season) in Shimla !

One thing to be aware of if you intend having a driver is that the company which employs them is a good one. Trans India make sure their drivers stay in hostels overnight and have one day off a week and the cars are well maintained. We heard of other drivers who were expected to sleep in their cars. Our driver considered Trans India to be the best in the business and was very pleased to be working for them.