All good things come to an end, pt.2

Hi all IM'ers!

Last time I returned from my India trip I wrote up a completely biased and subjective little "report" on the places I visited.

Well, I just got back from another trip of 3 and a half months and here goes again... Actually this time I think I'll evaluate the places on a scale from 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest.

Bombay (10): I have really grown attached to this city after a month there. It seems like there is a secret or surprise waiting around each corner. The atmosphere is so vibrant and the cultural world is lively. "Time Out" -magazine is a good guide to the scene. It's also surprising how clean some of the areas are after visiting other big Indian cities. Bombay is simply wicked!

Jodhpur (8): Jodhpur was to me one of those places where you go to see the sites and then you leave. But what sites, especially the Fort! I love the way it hovers over the city... It's a good idea to take the audio tour when you visit the fort: it's mp3-quality sound and very informative and even humorous.

Jaisalmer (9): Another site-seeing place, but with the extra lure of camel safaris. The old city is indeed magical, but the camel safari was something that really racks up the points for this place. It was brilliant. Camels are hilarious beasts. And the stars at night were unforgettable.

Udaipur (7): No water in the lake. I guess having water would have made the place more impressive, but now too much was left to the imagination. Not a bad word to say about the place though.

Diu (9): Nice and laid back... very relaxing after Rajasthan. Cheap booze and an interesting fort. The beaches were alright but I wouldn't come here again for the beaches... just for the chilled ambience.

Gokarna (10): I spent a month here just, well, doing nothing much, really. But it is exactly that sort of place. I stayed in the last guest house on the deserted and harsh Middle Beach, so isolation was guaranteed. The walk to the village was a daily routine, and I loved the holy vibe of the place. The area around the water tank was my favourite. The Shivaratri festival also took place while I was there and bombing the priests with bananas while they were sitting in a huge carriage that was pulled down the narrow main road was something I'll never forget.

Murudeshwar (9): Points for sheer absurdity. A Shiva theme park!

Palolem (7): The first time I was here was 8 years ago, so coming back and seeing the change was initially a shock. Once I got over it I really enjoyed it. The beach is still beautiful. The place just doesn't have much character.

Margao and Colva (5): Not much to say about these places. Boring.

Visakhapatnam (9): This is a tough one to evaluate since I have friends living here... and the friends have an apartment overlooking the Arcade Beach boulevard. Still, I find the atmosphere in Vizag a bit special... the people seem quite laid back and courteous. I also had the best thalis in the land here!

Bhubaneshwar (5): A bit boring. Had a spanking new shopping mall with good candy.

Puri (9): The area around the Jagannath temple is everything you would expect from... an area around a temple! All kinds of religious tack, clothes and vegetables being sold around the lanes and a continuous hustle and bustle... unique! The beach in Puri was a disappointment, but luckily I had had enough of beaches by then. The folk at Z Hotel were exceptionally kind.

Konark (10): Stunning. Plus I had the most hilarious guide, who didn't really go all that deep into the historical aspects of the Sun Temple; rather, he went through the most graphic statues in great detail: "Here is a man combing the woman's vagina hair with his erect penis". "Here is a dog licking the man's balls." "69". And so on for over an hour. Spot on!

Calcutta (10): This is just another one of those cities that is absolutely unique. You can't imagine another place like this being anywhere else. What I really enjoyed was the friendly attitude of the Bengalis. No hassles! Walking on the streets was a pleasure. The ritual sacrificing of goats at the Kali Temple is forever etched into my mind... a goat kicking around its own head in pool of blood is probably the most bizarre thing I've seen.

Varanasi (8): I had the greatest expectations for Varanasi and when they are that huge, you're likely to be a bit disappointed. There were magical moments and the ghats are incredible... but it was on and off for me. Maybe it was just getting too damn hot or something. I did enjoy the boat ride with a man who had been rowing for 55 years, just like his father and father's father and so on for generations. Beautiful continuity.

All in all, another perfect 10 for India. I love this land! And an extra thumbs up to the transvestites on the trains.

That was a great review. Its good to hear first-hand experiences and your opinions of various places. My list of places to go just keeps getting longer. Thanks for sharing

*goes off in search for Vasko's Pt 1*

that was an excellent summary, vasko! great to know that you enjoyed your stay. so when are you coming in next?

Great review Vasko. I spent 7 wonderful weeks in India last year, yet didn't get to visit any of your 9s and 10s. Now I have a great intinerary to start my next visit that will definately include all of them!

Hi everyone and thanks for the positive replies. It's a mystery how in some places everything just clicks and you have those perfect "10" experiences.

I must say that all the places I've been to I love Bombay the most. It always comes up with something new.

Bigzero, you remember I was supposed to come to Hyderabad? Well, pretty much nothing went as I had initially planned, so I ended up missing it this time.

I'd like to hear of other peoples' perfect "10's" as well...

Thanks for the reviews. It gives me some ideas about what to do when I'm back there in September. For the record, Bombay's 11 out of 10 for me, no question. Varanasi's a 10. Darjeeling 10. Those are my favorite places.

Back from another trip and I thought I should update this thread. So here goes:

We traveled in South India for 5 weeks, and here are the places we visited in the order we visited them with ratings included.

Bombay (10): This city won't let you down, as it is brimming with culinary and cultural delights. We saw Raghu Rai's retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art and had fantastic chicken tikkas at the Food Inn in Colaba. We also had the opportunity to feel some of the Ganesh Chaturthi ambience, although we missed the grand finale at Chowpatty.

Murud (7): The beach was nice and quiet, but not very appealing otherwise (brown sand, all kinds of garbage washed up on the shore). The monsoon rains caught us a bit off guard and we were trapped in our beach house at for relatively lengthy periods.

Ratnagiri (5): Just a stopover.

Ganapatipule (8): This was a whole lot more interesting than Murud, due to the monolithic Ganesh temple. The rock doesn't look like the elephant headed one by any stretch of the imagination, but who cares, the vibe is good. The beach was also quite nice away from the temple area. We witnessed a fascinating monsoon sky that soaked us to the bone within seconds.

Margao (5): Just a stopover.

Panjim (8): Some nice alleys with the old Portuguese feel and great food to boot. Visiting Old Goa was the best bit, it is really well maintained and has some eerie relics of St. Francis Xavier.

Hubli (5): Just a stopover.

Hampi (10): We really expected a lot from Hampi and it delivered. The moment we set foot in the village we decided to stay for longer than planned and cancelled our previously bought train tickets. Hampi is not just about the breath taking scenery and old ruins, it is a place of living culture. Watching the temple elephant bathe in the morning was great, as were the sunsets, the laid back atmosphere, etc., etc. The highlight of our journey. Do not miss this place!

Bangalore (6): Just a stopover. Bonus points for the shopping mall with Western comfort food, as we were ill at the moment.

Trivandrum (7): I had been here earlier and it had left a better impression before. Admittedly we didn't get around to seeing much, as the museums and zoo were closed on the day we wanted to visit them.

Kovalam (3): A stinker. Overpriced, overrated, unimaginative, crowded.

Varkala (9): This beats Kovalam in every aspect. The cliff sets Varkala apart from the more familiar beach scene and provides some spectacular views. The prices for accommodation were great value during the off season. Good food, and not too crowded either in September. But boy, this had changed a lot since I last visited five years ago...

Kollam (8): Kollam itself is nothing special, but it is a great base for backwater excursions. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the houseboat experience, but a day trip to one of the canal areas was altogether pleasing.

Alleppey (6): Just a stopover. Bonus points for the canals.

Cochin & Kodanad (10): The other outstanding experience during our journey. The ambience in Cochin is soothing yet culturally/historically stimulating. An early morning trip to watch and help the orphan elephants bathe was an absolute gem. The magic of India!

All in all another 10 for India, we received the most helpful and friendly treatment from just about everyone, which made for a smooth and thoroughly enjoyable trip. And now on to planning the next one...

Thanks Vasko, nice to hear from you

Kovalam, for me, is like a visit to a theme park. It's fine if you want a dose of that sort of thing. Next time I stay in that area though, I'll be trying our Varkala.

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the reply. Perhaps I was a bit harsh on Kovalam. It does have its better sides, it's true. Regarding Varkala, it may just be heading in the same direction as Kovalam (regarding overcrowding), but it does still have that certain edge... quite literally!

great reading your assessment vasko!
mucho appreciated

looking forward to your evaluation of gujrat, madhya pradesh and the north east.
if you enjoyed hampi - mandu, it has to be on your next trip


:brishti

It's nice to read your report, Vasko. I remember you were going with some trepidation at being not on your own this time -- sounds like it worked out splendidly!

Thanks brishti, the northeast just might be our next destination... Darjeeling has been lurking in the back of my mind for years now. Madhya Pradesh would be great, too.

And yes, machadinha, everything worked out well despite my initial trepidation. In fact, it was the smoothest of my India trips so far, which kind of caught me off guard!

My lady companion was treated with respect and friendliness throughout. A small anecdote: she had walked around Varkala wearing a sarong. One day there is a knock on our hotel door. I open it and find the man from reception standing there with a sarong cloth and a big smile on his face. He says "Excuse me sir, but your wife has been walking around a bit difficult, she is not wearing cloth properly. This is how you do it, and it is easier to walk!" After which he gives us a demonstration on how to wrap and tie the cloth so it is loose in the front and gives more space for the legs to move. Plus an extra tutorial on how men wear it. This came totally out of the blue and put a smile on our faces!

LOL. Ahhh, India... she can be good to you, can't she