Im afraid.......am I alone?

lizziedripin

dont be afraid but do go to Ladakh, stay in leh a few nights to acclimatise the take trips to nubra valley, alchi, all the monasteries and go trekking.....its fabulous!! Places to avoid are, Delhi, Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala, rishikesh, agra and worst of all MUSSOURIE.......its the pits , every other shop is an amusment arcade and there are only Indian tourists there, and believe me that makes a huge difference!!
Before you go start a course of low dose antibiotics, you wont be ill then, buy them there very very cheaply and start immediately.
Have a great time......and go to Ladakh

machadinha

Ahem, seeing how Lobo posted his question in 2004, you'd hope he made it back alive by now. I believe his post history indicates he did

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Maz 1979

I made the trip with him and he is fine - ironically enough we went to Delhi, Shimla, Dharamsala, Rishikesh, Agra and Mussourie (Amongst other places) - in fact Mussourie was our favourite place by a mile - lovely food and great walks - and we never set foot in an amusement arcade. We have a place in England called Southend which is 100 times worse than anything Mussourie had!

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kristinm

OMG An Indian version of Southend

azizdhamani

What makes u guys fear... I wonder. I am not a frequent traveler but i do take 15 days off every 6 months and coming next month heading for Srinagar and if i am lucky i might even touch Leh... what is the fear all about is it the culture shock or language bar or skin difference trust me when a indian or asian goes into white land he also goes through the same fear i guess its our state of mind which makes us feel as if we are alien in a particular country... but in most cases ppl of every country are friendly and u just have to pick the right one from the crowd.
Cheers

Nick-H

I wonder what frightens people about India too?

Yes, it is utterly different to anything European, but that does not make it frightening, does it?

Except in certain districts, it is probably one of the safer countries to travel, for a start. In terms of being lost with nobody to talk to, you might find it easier to find an English speaker nearby than in some parts of Europe, and they may well be more helpful!

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saritat

hello there!
i am leaving for delhi next thursday, its my first time and u can imagine what my knees are doing!i am afraid, nervous and icredible happy at the same. hope big ganesha will help meheading after delhi upwards to himachal.... in greece i am living next to the sea, so the himalayas will give me a big crush. i am laughing from yet one as imagine my face. any words of encourange are welcome, very welcome... especially from my knees

Beena450

I don't think its india as much as doing something totally different, different culture. I've already been to india and I'm going again in 6 weeks and I'm still a bag of nerves... I keep asking myself will I be able to cope.

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azizdhamani

hi saritat
dont be scared just relax trust me india is always fun to visit and its the perfect time to visit i am heading for srinagar first time ia m origing from bangladesh and i love nature and venture into new lands
cheers and have a safe journey if u have more time look into nepal also its fun out there too

biondopiero

I will start my first trip to India in the beginning of december (travelling solo, five month to go). And yes, I'm scared!!!

All those warning about scams you get to read on the guides, may be usefull to avoid problems, but they also made me really paranoid. Sometimes I imagine myself in Bombay getting on the wrong taxi, ending up somewhere in the worse place of the city, robbed and beaten to death......

Hopefully this will not occur.

But at the same time I'm really excited and I try to get conscious of the fact that I'll have to be very very unlucky to have such a devastading experience....

So, paranoia or not, India I'm coming!!!!

Buck

I've been going through the same apprehension too. Apart from the beaten to death scenario! Thanks for that!! But it comes and goes. I'm just as excited about my trip to Glasgow and back today to see Rush but I'm a little bit nervous too because of the roads weather etc. Hey that's what lets us know we're alive!
32 days to go - can't wait.
Unless I'm going to get beaten to death........

mary10

You'll be fine. And being male, people will strike up a conversation with you easier. The great thing with India is that so many people speak english! Meaning you can always ask someone. When I was in Tokyo it was a whole different deal... not a single sign could give a clue, most of the people knew no english and you basically had no idea where you were and where you were going not to mention that the Japanese dont speak to strangers but are very reserved. A VERY lonely experience!

I've never been afraid or apprehensive about traveling to India. Perhaps exaspirated at the thought of always having to be on guard for various scams, a constant signpost for beggars to cling onto and so on, but not otherwise. If you're worried why not take a charter trip to India? I always felt charter with a group is the best way to see India because India has a very rich culture and it will be introduced better to a short term traveler. Heck with all my years of background in India, I'd rather travel charter than by myself just for the joy of having a guide and not having to care about standing in lines for tickets anywhere!

My take on delhi belly is that many travelers stomachs react to the spices but they immediately think they have a bug. If you truly get a bug, rest assure you will know the difference! Its not all from spoiled food or unclean food at all. I spent years and years in India and had stomach problems maybe only 6-7 times in all those years.
The secret is never to eat anything that has been laying around but it must be freshly cooked (even your own cooking as the heat tend to make everything quickly suspectible to going bad). Avoid meats and salads during your trip. Buy a bottle of those traveler handcleaner gels and use them before meals, or ask them in retaurants to bring the bowl of hot water with lemon before the meal as well as after (they tend to bring it after for cleaning hands. I actually saw a tourist trying to drink from it! It was hilarious!).

India has wonderful vegetarian food and you will not even miss meat! You will love punjabi food, with their naans and rich sauces. The Delhi style often replaces the cooking oil with yogurt, an interesting method which makes the food easy to digest. In the north they have food worthy a king and I've gotten many friends hooked on Indian food who earlier had refused to even try any. Best cooking is always homecooking in India, and if not availale, 5 star hotels. And they do love their food!