My first Indian adventure..

rmur

Hello all!
I’ve been creeping the forums for about a month now just reading random and interesting things to get me excited for my trip. My friend and I are volunteering in India/Nepal/Thailand for ~7 months starting September 1st.
We haven’t received the exact location of our India placement but we will be within 30 mins of Delhi somewhere. We plan on flying into Delhi August 24th and staying in Delhi for the week before our placement to soak up some culture, relax, and get used to things over there. We will be in and around Northern India until we leave for Kathmandu on October 30th (so just over 2 months).

So I’m just going to post all my questions at once to get them over with

For our week in Delhi we’d like to stay somewhere for less than 2000 INR per night (1 room for both) so we’ve been looking at Master Guest House.. we just want somewhere clean to relax and doesn’t have to be close to all the sights. A nice escape from the chaos would be ideal. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

As for weather, I guess it’ll be in the low 30’s/high 20’s for the two months we’re there. So here comes the clothes question I was planning on wearing t-shirts or polo’s and shorts for most of the trip. My friend would ideally like to wear t-shirts and shorts/skirts but she’d also like to wear tank tops or sleeveless T’s.. is this appropriate?



I really don’t want to take anti-malarial meds but I think she wants to, so my question is how common will mosquitoes be in and around the city in Sept/Oct?

I love butter chicken, where can I get the best butter chicken in all of Delhi? I must know!! We are both food lovers and aren’t afraid to try anything.. we are well acquainted with Indian cuisine and would love to try some delicious Indian food while in the city. If you could only eat at 3 places in Delhi, what would they be and what would you eat?

We don’t plan on doing a lot of touristy things our first week since we’ll be there for two months (why rush?). We’re looking for some nice places to walk around.. markets, gardens, etc. CP bazaar seems to be a popular place, and lodi gardens looks like a nice place to relax and read on the grass for a while.. Anyone have any secret hideaways that you’d like to share? Or some sights that would be nice to kill a few hours walking around in? Red fort looks neat.

Well it’s way too late and that’s about all I can think of right now.. I realize some of this info has been repeated elsewhere in the forums but I’d like to hear some ‘fresh’ opinions since a lot of stuff I read was from 2004 etc so maybe things have changed
Thanks all, and I look forward to posting on the forum regularly!

jyotirmoy

Welcome to Delhi.
August will be quite muggy so go for aircon room. There are lots of hotels away from the crowded tourist spots.
A hotel on the metro line helps you a lot.
Lodhi gardens, India gate are two great places to go for walks.
Firoze shah kotla ruins are another quiet place.

rmur

Never heard of them until now! Thanks!

ronsaik

Low to mid 30s, and very humid in August.

In public, it's always a better idea to cover the legs - so jeans or trousers / capris will not attract unwanted attention the same way that skirts or shorts will. Even shorts and skirts are fine if they're baggy and at the knee or a little below. Sleeveless Tees and tank tops are worn by legions of college girls here, so no problem. At any rate, if a female is accompanied by a male, then she can wear pretty much anything and no one will dare create trouble (not counting drunken groups of people, which you wouldn't see before late night anyway).

Pretty common. But rub a repellent cream and it's fine.


IMO, Gulati's at Pandara road...though I last ate there ages back. Dhaba at Claridges also serves great butter chicken.
1. Bukhara at Maurya Sheraton - Burra Kebab, Raan, Dal Bukhara and Tandoori chicken with Naan....ummmmmmmm.....but make sure there are at least 4 ppl with you, otherwise you'll waste an awful lot...
2. Chona's at Khan Market. Yummy sizzlers. Alternatively, Gulati's at Pandara road.
3. Sagar at Defence Colony for Tam-bram food. The purists turn their noses up at Sagar, but don't believe them.

Of course, I have left out many, many lovely eating joints...so take these as 'three you could do', and (except Bukhara), not 'three must-dos'.

Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Qamali and Balban's tomb.

karuna

The area round Master Paying Guesthouse is very quiet and relaxed, but just a short walk from main roads where you can pick up tuk tuks and taxis, so it's a good choice for you. If you wander around the neighbourhood it has some small green spaces and gardens, tennis courts, that kind of thing, good to while away an hour here and there if you don't feel like a long trek somewhere.

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rmur

Wow! Fantastic posts, thank you so much! I've noted all the places mentioned, hopefully we can make it to them all. I'm so excited to just relax, eat great food and experience all that is India!

I have thought of another question:

When entering a place where shoes are required to be removed, is it acceptable to wear socks or bare feet?

ronsaik

Socks are usually fine. Take them off while visiting a gurdwara. However, it'll be warm enough in September for you to want to take your socks off, in any case.

rmur

gurdwara = temple?
Excuse my ignorance but why does one take off shoes before entering certain places? Is it just considered rude or does it have some spiritual meaning?
No socks it is!

ronsaik

A gurdwara is a temple for people of the sikh faith.
There's no spiritual significance as such. Traditionally, shoes are considered dirty, and are not worn inside the house. And certainly not in a temple, which is supposed to be a nice, clean place where you can sit and think of nice, clean things.

Nick-H

But there is a spiritual significance to cleanliness, at least in Hindu religion!

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lovish

Even some of the churches in india do not allow shoes inside ( I dont know much about forign ) All the temples do not allow it inside

you should go to some pubs and clubs in south delhi as they are relly rocking

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rmur

Well we'll definitely be checking out some local pubs
I'd also like to go to a cricket game if there's one on when we're there.. I hear it's madness!!

NYTim

It is a five minute pedal rickshaw ride to the Karol Bagh metro station or Rs 50 auto-rickshaw ride to Connaught Place. It is also an interesting 20 minute walk to the metro but in the heat save your energy and use the cycle rickshaw. The area is quite quiet with no bars or restaurants nearbye. All the rooms are air conditioned.

safari vala

wear shalwar kamiz[baggy pants and a long shirt] at all times and blend in and appear decent for places of worship.eating meat can lead to driving the porcelin bus or worse, the delhi belly .I never get sick in India becuae I never eat meat there or anywhere.
I do eat fish and the fish is often excellent In Kolkata at bangla style eateries.
The gardens at Safdar jung's tomb and Lodi gardens are very peaceful to amble around.
NO shoes are allowed inside muslim holy places, and carry a scarf to cover your head in muslim places and to keep the sun off.
It will be very sticky and humid in aug/sept.

safari vala

the south indian chain restaurant near mc donalds in janpath serves the best south indian in Delhi and is often overflowing at lunch time.It is very swish compared to the original branches in Chennai.