Patna for beginners

Jorge Reverter · Jul 8th, 2009, 16:29

alouise,

I can't imagine a tourism website saying something like " Don't come to ... is terribly dangerous..."

I've been in Patna only three days last November 2006 for the Sonepur Mela and everything was good and safe but it doesn't mean that Bihar in general is safe because the statistics say that it is not even if people in general is friendly with the couple of tourists visiting the city.

I reccommend Hotel Windsor with a very good restaurant, probably the best in town.

Jorge

alouise · Jul 8th, 2009, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorge Reverter

alouise,

I can't imagine a tourism website saying something like " Don't come to ... is terribly dangerous..."

I've been in Patna only three days last November 2006 for the Sonepur Mela and everything was good and safe but it doesn't mean that Bihar in general is safe because the statistics say that it is not even if people in general is friendly with the couple of tourists visiting the city.

I reccommend Hotel Windsor with a very good restaurant, probably the best in town.

Jorge

Good to know that Jorge, I was thinking of staying at Hotel Windsor and now you've affirmed it's the no. 1 choice. Yes, safety is an uppermost consideration for travel into the countryside. I was thinking of hiring a taxi from Patna for a day trip to Nalanda, do you think that would be relatively safe?

wat · Jul 9th, 2009, 02:34

I think traveling in the day in a Taxi would be safe. Used to make Patna Nalanda trips 15 years ago when I lived in that area.

alouise · Jul 9th, 2009, 17:26

Wat, that's good, and I hope the situation has not changed since you went there.

machadinha · Jul 9th, 2009, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by alouise

That didn't upload to Home page either.

I think the forum must be inadvertently set to not show up on front page yes. (Or expressly, but I can't think of a reason why.) I did notify the mods about it.

Quote:

Mach, is that what you meant by a new forum opened recently?.... ie. only three threads so far??

Yes; after its creation, it would be a matter of older threads being moved there (apart from new ones being posted in it, of course), but it takes a moderator to have the time or inclination to do so, it's a bit of a job as you can imagine, to look for & sift through (numerous...!

) threads with possible relevant keywords. Easily takes a few sessions of several hours. I did notify them of this issue, too.

Quote:

Also, stupid question to ask: What does the blue, as opposed to yellow, colour of the folders for Bihar and Jarkhand signify?

Those icons get explained somewhere at bottom of page; I think it's to do with are or aren't there new posts in the forum, relative to when last you looked.

alouise · Jul 10th, 2009, 14:18

Thanks Mach for taking the time to explain all of this.

sarkar · Jul 27th, 2009, 16:26

I have been to Bihar. Although most of the train stations in India are dirty but Patna Station ranks at Top in them. People spit Gutka, Paan here and there on the platform itself and its red everywhere.. lol. Hundreds and hundreds of dirty Fly will be around you every time(Actually i didn't got time to take a bath on that 1 day journey to Patna.

)

Single Women traveling to Bihar should be careful. Some recent incidents of Eve teasing and Molesting shown on news were disturbing. Anyway Patna city has nothing so great to see. Places like Gaya and Nalanda are famous historically.

Once my mother survived an attempted theft at Gaya Station. Just when train was about to start someone pulled the purse from the window. But it got stuck in the window bar and seeing train gaining speed and unable to get the purse out of the window, that thief ran away.

AusE · Aug 1st, 2009, 13:54

I spent about 3+ weeks in Bihar for work back in April-May, based in Patna at the glorious Chakakakakanya hotel

which is apparently famous for having the best sizzlers in town...worst thing is the restaurant took SUCH a long time to prepare anything, but the housekeeping etc staff were lovely and would go out of their way to help you. I did question the hygiene standards of the hotel though, as quite a few of us (Indians included) had a few 'off' days from the food. Moruya (spelling) is nicer though AND with a pool (although I don't know if I wouldve been game to go for a swim due to the spectacle it would create...maybe in shorts and t-shirt..), and it has a few more shops around it. I remember going on a mission to find roll-on deodorant, after 6 chemist and a couple of supermarkets I ended up buying spray on

. I actually did wonder for a while if anyone in the state used deodorant

Did some local adventuring when we could, not a whole lot going on in Patna but we gave it our best shot - the planetarium (everyone gawking at me instead of the planets

), climbed some 'egg' lookouty thing (am sure it has an official name haha) to take in the view of Patna, hired a boat that looked like it would sink( except for the fact that a wee boy bailed us out the whole time) and took a cruise around the mighty Ganges. Well worth rs150 or so to see how excited my co-workers were at going on a boat...BYO lifejackets

Oh yes - and we drove across that long bridge - I think it's the longest bridge in Asia or something like that

It IS a VERY dirty town though, so much construction and rubbish everywhere, and also a very very poor town (and state). Not much to do there, guess you'd use it as stop=over on way to other areas.

I must admit I had my suspicions about going there, but apart from a whole lot of gawking going on (guessing that dangerous reputation means not many foreigners go there!!), didn't have any issues. That being said, I generally always had an Indian with me, which I think was handy given the sheer population of the state and crowds that I encountered. I was fortunate to pretty much cover the whole area of Bihar and visit HEAPS of villages, where I was 100% sure they had NEVER seen a white woman before. Just thousands of children everywhere, and I have never seen so much manual labour before in my life. I probably wouldn't catch the train around, I had a local driver, who I think was fairly cheap, and felt like a celebrity driving me around.

Nothing for miles and miles except for hundreds of brickworks, yet up in the 'Chicken's Neck' it was lush with rice paddies etc. Villages in the middle of absolute dust bowl, incredibly hot and dry when I was there (summer), BYO water! Actually found it to be quite a pretty state, particularly heading towards Jharkhand where you finally get to see a few mini-hills! People were great, although English speakers were obviously hard to come by, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. Jai Bihar!!

alouise · Aug 2nd, 2009, 04:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarkar

I have been to Bihar. Although most of the train stations in India are dirty but Patna Station ranks at Top in them. People spit Gutka, Paan here and there on the platform itself and its red everywhere.. lol. Hundreds and hundreds of dirty Fly will be around you every time(Actually i didn't got time to take a bath on that 1 day journey to Patna.

)

Single Women traveling to Bihar should be careful. Some recent incidents of Eve teasing and Molesting shown on news were disturbing. Anyway Patna city has nothing so great to see. Places like Gaya and Nalanda are famous historically.

Once my mother survived an attempted theft at Gaya Station. Just when train was about to start someone pulled the purse from the window. But it got stuck in the window bar and seeing train gaining speed and unable to get the purse out of the window, that thief ran away.

Sarkar

Yes, I heard similar reports going back decades. I'm going there to visit the museum and perhaps Nalanda and its museum - not Bodhgaya, not interested in the present or recent past, only the very ancient one.

alouise · Aug 2nd, 2009, 04:18

Great post, AusE! I laughed more than once ... it reminded me of a few places I visited back in the early eighties. Some are all prim and proper ('developed') now, eg. Nasik - what a hole that was! Or Arsikere, just saying the name was enough in those days to remind me never to return.

Those were the days when leprosy was always up close and personal, when platform thongs were an absolute must for toilet stops .... nothing but a concrete shack with a small open drain along the back wall, no water either. Yes, I remembered wondering the same thing about deoderant use.

Oh well, I hope your time in Patna paved the way for fewer stares when I go there.

Incog · Aug 4th, 2009, 22:19

anyone have any ideas how much time it would take from Patna to nalanda in a car? I would be having a day in Patna, have a train to catch at about 8 PM. Is it possible to start early in the morning, cover nalanda and Rajgir and be back in time to board the train from hajipur Junction? Any help appreciated.

alouise · Aug 8th, 2009, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incog

anyone have any ideas how much time it would take from Patna to nalanda in a car? I would be having a day in Patna, have a train to catch at about 8 PM. Is it possible to start early in the morning, cover nalanda and Rajgir and be back in time to board the train from hajipur Junction? Any help appreciated.

Incog, I was actually looking at doing that too. Nalanda is about 80km from Patna if you take NH31, so depending on traffic and the state of the road (hopefully no Naxalite road blocks) that would be around 1.5 to 2 hours each way. Plenty of time if you start early, but better start the return trip a couple of hours before sunset ... I've read it's safer in Bihar travelling in daylight hours. There's also a morning train from Patna to Nalanda 2392 Shramjeevi express that departs 7.30am and is scheduled to arrive at 9.38 am. However, the return trains from Rajgir would arrive back in Patna after 9 pm, which would be too late for your train - there are no trains from Rajgir or Nalanda to Hajipur jn

Incog · Aug 25th, 2009, 21:58

Well, Hi guys. I went to Patna and from there went to nalanda and Rajgir. The road is not too great, and there are a couple of bottlenecks as well. I dont know if I got fleeced but I paid Rs 1600 for the round trip from Patna to nalanda, I did not try out many other people because I had reached Patna late at night and I had to start out early. There are no Naxalite road blocks to speak of, the Naxals seem to be in force beyond Rajgir. Patna to Nalanda is pretty quiet. It took me a little over 2 hours each way. The overwhelming impression that I have got about traveling in Bihar is that it is always better to have a pre-paid all agreed upon taxi (which includes the time until which the driver stays with you, no questions asked) than to try out buses and trains. Not that it is not possible, but because there are sections where local transport is either simply not available, or is too inconvenient or so expensive that you end up paying as much as you would have given to hire a taxi in the first place. For instance Nalanda railway station is a fair distance from the actual ruins and there is precious little that will take you from the station to the ruins. That is unless you dont mind sitting in a shared jeep, feeling like crowded out chicken or sit on top of some bus and hope that the wind doesn't blow your turban off.

Incog · Aug 25th, 2009, 22:06

This for instance is at Bihar Sharif, on the way to Nalanda.

alouise · Aug 26th, 2009, 17:56

Incog, thanks for that really valuable tip. I was going to catch the train to Nalanda, stay overnight there and then look for taxi bus or whatever to go to Bodhgaya. But now I think I'll get off at Patna and arrange taxi trips for these places from the hotel. Your report has convinced me that this will be a saner plan.

Aug 1st, 2009, 13:54	#23
AusE Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 227	Yeehaa Bihar I spent about 3+ weeks in Bihar for work back in April-May, based in Patna at the glorious Chakakakakanya hotel which is apparently famous for having the best sizzlers in town...worst thing is the restaurant took SUCH a long time to prepare anything, but the housekeeping etc staff were lovely and would go out of their way to help you. I did question the hygiene standards of the hotel though, as quite a few of us (Indians included) had a few 'off' days from the food. Moruya (spelling) is nicer though AND with a pool (although I don't know if I wouldve been game to go for a swim due to the spectacle it would create...maybe in shorts and t-shirt..), and it has a few more shops around it. I remember going on a mission to find roll-on deodorant, after 6 chemist and a couple of supermarkets I ended up buying spray on . I actually did wonder for a while if anyone in the state used deodorant Did some local adventuring when we could, not a whole lot going on in Patna but we gave it our best shot - the planetarium (everyone gawking at me instead of the planets ), climbed some 'egg' lookouty thing (am sure it has an official name haha) to take in the view of Patna, hired a boat that looked like it would sink( except for the fact that a wee boy bailed us out the whole time) and took a cruise around the mighty Ganges. Well worth rs150 or so to see how excited my co-workers were at going on a boat...BYO lifejackets Oh yes - and we drove across that long bridge - I think it's the longest bridge in Asia or something like that It IS a VERY dirty town though, so much construction and rubbish everywhere, and also a very very poor town (and state). Not much to do there, guess you'd use it as stop=over on way to other areas. I must admit I had my suspicions about going there, but apart from a whole lot of gawking going on (guessing that dangerous reputation means not many foreigners go there!!), didn't have any issues. That being said, I generally always had an Indian with me, which I think was handy given the sheer population of the state and crowds that I encountered. I was fortunate to pretty much cover the whole area of Bihar and visit HEAPS of villages, where I was 100% sure they had NEVER seen a white woman before. Just thousands of children everywhere, and I have never seen so much manual labour before in my life. I probably wouldn't catch the train around, I had a local driver, who I think was fairly cheap, and felt like a celebrity driving me around. Nothing for miles and miles except for hundreds of brickworks, yet up in the 'Chicken's Neck' it was lush with rice paddies etc. Villages in the middle of absolute dust bowl, incredibly hot and dry when I was there (summer), BYO water! Actually found it to be quite a pretty state, particularly heading towards Jharkhand where you finally get to see a few mini-hills! People were great, although English speakers were obviously hard to come by, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back there again. Jai Bihar!!

Aug 25th, 2009, 22:06	#29
Incog Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 12	This for instance is at Bihar Sharif, on the way to Nalanda. Attached Thumbnails

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Jul 8th, 2009, 16:29	#16
Jorge Reverter Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Murcia - Spain Posts: 1,465	alouise, I can't imagine a tourism website saying something like " Don't come to ... is terribly dangerous..." I've been in Patna only three days last November 2006 for the Sonepur Mela and everything was good and safe but it doesn't mean that Bihar in general is safe because the statistics say that it is not even if people in general is friendly with the couple of tourists visiting the city. I reccommend Hotel Windsor with a very good restaurant, probably the best in town. Jorge

Jul 9th, 2009, 02:34	#18
wat Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: India Posts: 56	I think traveling in the day in a Taxi would be safe. Used to make Patna Nalanda trips 15 years ago when I lived in that area.

Jul 9th, 2009, 17:26	#19
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 821	Wat, that's good, and I hope the situation has not changed since you went there.

Jul 10th, 2009, 14:18	#21
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 821	Thanks Mach for taking the time to explain all of this.

Jul 27th, 2009, 16:26	#22
sarkar -(!)- Eve -[^!^]- Wall-E Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Shyamnagar, India Posts: 127	I have been to Bihar. Although most of the train stations in India are dirty but Patna Station ranks at Top in them. People spit Gutka, Paan here and there on the platform itself and its red everywhere.. lol. Hundreds and hundreds of dirty Fly will be around you every time(Actually i didn't got time to take a bath on that 1 day journey to Patna. ) Single Women traveling to Bihar should be careful. Some recent incidents of Eve teasing and Molesting shown on news were disturbing. Anyway Patna city has nothing so great to see. Places like Gaya and Nalanda are famous historically. Once my mother survived an attempted theft at Gaya Station. Just when train was about to start someone pulled the purse from the window. But it got stuck in the window bar and seeing train gaining speed and unable to get the purse out of the window, that thief ran away.

Aug 2nd, 2009, 04:18	#25
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 821	Great post, AusE! I laughed more than once ... it reminded me of a few places I visited back in the early eighties. Some are all prim and proper ('developed') now, eg. Nasik - what a hole that was! Or Arsikere, just saying the name was enough in those days to remind me never to return. Those were the days when leprosy was always up close and personal, when platform thongs were an absolute must for toilet stops .... nothing but a concrete shack with a small open drain along the back wall, no water either. Yes, I remembered wondering the same thing about deoderant use. Oh well, I hope your time in Patna paved the way for fewer stares when I go there.

Aug 4th, 2009, 22:19	#26
Incog Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 12	anyone have any ideas how much time it would take from Patna to nalanda in a car? I would be having a day in Patna, have a train to catch at about 8 PM. Is it possible to start early in the morning, cover nalanda and Rajgir and be back in time to board the train from hajipur Junction? Any help appreciated.

Aug 25th, 2009, 21:58	#28
Incog Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 12	Well, Hi guys. I went to Patna and from there went to nalanda and Rajgir. The road is not too great, and there are a couple of bottlenecks as well. I dont know if I got fleeced but I paid Rs 1600 for the round trip from Patna to nalanda, I did not try out many other people because I had reached Patna late at night and I had to start out early. There are no Naxalite road blocks to speak of, the Naxals seem to be in force beyond Rajgir. Patna to Nalanda is pretty quiet. It took me a little over 2 hours each way. The overwhelming impression that I have got about traveling in Bihar is that it is always better to have a pre-paid all agreed upon taxi (which includes the time until which the driver stays with you, no questions asked) than to try out buses and trains. Not that it is not possible, but because there are sections where local transport is either simply not available, or is too inconvenient or so expensive that you end up paying as much as you would have given to hire a taxi in the first place. For instance Nalanda railway station is a fair distance from the actual ruins and there is precious little that will take you from the station to the ruins. That is unless you dont mind sitting in a shared jeep, feeling like crowded out chicken or sit on top of some bus and hope that the wind doesn't blow your turban off.

Aug 26th, 2009, 17:56	#30
alouise Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: sydney Posts: 821	Incog, thanks for that really valuable tip. I was going to catch the train to Nalanda, stay overnight there and then look for taxi bus or whatever to go to Bodhgaya. But now I think I'll get off at Patna and arrange taxi trips for these places from the hotel. Your report has convinced me that this will be a saner plan.