Distressed & Desperate: 2 weeks in India... where?

Hi everyone

I feel compelled to ask for some help. I know this is quite long, but please do try and assist where possible - starting to feel distressed and desperate!!
My friend Peter (my travel partner) and I are heading to India in about 10 days.
Flying into Bangkok next Friday, we only just decided that it was India we would aim for.

We have approximately 13-14 days to devote to India, spanning the end of August and early September.

And we looooove fully researching our trips. However this time I feel we have left too much till too late, and really need some unbiased sensible advice.

Initially we were planning on spending about 5-6 days in Ladakh, and the rest in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan (ideally Jodhpur with trip to desert, then Udaipur via Ranakpur). We are now open to changing this up, for several reasons:

1. CONVENIENCE
Ladakh would be amazing, and I know it is a good destination in Aug/Sep.
But it is not simple to get in and out of (Srinagar-Leh by road takes 2 days alone, and flying into Leh means a day lost to acclimatizing.)
Adding Delhi + Rajasthan to Ladakh means we would be in transit a lot: trains, buses, flights, drives. Probably too much in a 2 week period.
If we persevered with Ladakh, what else north of Delhi - and logistically seamless - is rewarding to see? Valley of Flowers? Rishikesh? Haridwar? Are these last 2 still worthwhile in Aug/Sep?? or is Delhi + Rajasthan + Ladakh actually doable and ideal?

2. WEATHER
The heat and monsoon represents a major concern for us... we know Ladakh should be at its peak around this time - but what else is near its best in India around Aug/Sep?
Are Jodhpur + Udaipur simply hot hot hot, or do they get wet as well?
Some accounts lead me to believe that the south is worth doing in Aug/Sep - that despite the rain the area comes alive. Apparently no beaches/swimming around this time in Goa/Kerala, but that's not on our to-do list anyway. Does it rain everyday down south in Aug/Sep?
We aren't looking to escape the monsoon necessarily - we are happy to visit wet areas that are at their best in the monsoon, instead of visiting areas that are spoiled by the rains. Heat is less of an issue for us than constant showers.

3. FOOD
Even though I've made the decision to go to India, I have some strict eating habits: in particular I really don't like spicy food (in fact my stomach can't handle it) and I have a preference for vegetarian when available. Given my sensitive bowel, I'd like to eat as many simple, familiar (we come from Australia) foods as possible.

Given all of the above, we'd love to hear your suggestions!
- if Rajasthan is simply hot, and not wet, is Delhi + Rajasthan + Ladakh our best option
- if Kerala and Tamil Nadu come alive and thrive in the monsoon, is our 2 weeks best spent there, starting in Mumbai/Chennai/Bangalore
- if these 2 options aren't ideal, what about Ladakh + Uttarakhand (Rishikesh & Haridwar)? is it overly rainy there? what is food like? would this make most sense logistically?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and hopefully respond.
Nate

Do you already have a visa?

Vegetarian food is easily available in India.

I'm not crazy about spicey food, and in fact, I don't like Indian food all that much (I know, it's heresy around here) but I've managed to find quite a few things I can eat.

In South India, you can pretty much live on idli and masala dosas, and the restaurants give you sauces to adjust the heat -- the dosas and idlis are kind of bland.

Anywhere there are a lot of tourists, there is a fair amount of Western food. You can get pizza almost anywhere. Israeli vegetarian dishes in Pushkar. Fried chicken in Paharganj. Delhi has a Mexican restaurant where you can get vegetarian (bean) burritos. You'll find it if you are determined.

Thanks to both of you for replying.
Yes our visas are being sorted at the moment - hopefully no problem.
Why do you ask?

Our new concern regarding Ladakh is altitude sickness!!
So if we skipped Ladakh, which parts of India would you suggest seeing during Aug/Sep?
as mentioned, we want to avoid a place that's ruined by rain - but we are happy to go somewhere that is at its best in August rain.

Difficult to suggest. Why not spend your days Delhi - Amritsar - Jammu - Leh - Manali - Delhi. Just focus on one particular part of the country.

Ladakh by flight is not a problem. All you need is 12 hours to acclamatise. Rest the first day and then next day is fine.

Hi everyone

Thanks for your input so far...

At the moment we are now tossing up between 3 options (the south is no longer considered by us):
1. Delhi + Agra + Rajasthan + Ladakh finishing with 1-2 days in Mumbai
2. Delhi + Agra + Rajasthan + longer time in Ladakh
3. Delhi + Varanasi + Khajuraho + Agra + Rajasthan + Mumbai

I just had some friends finish a month in India, and they said the rain was a factor, and suggested we avoid the south.
Their photos, unfortunately, have made some of India seem drab and overcast.

Is anyone in Delhi, Varanasi or Rajasthan at the moment?
I expect Ladakh to have fine weather right now... and ultimately our decision will come down to weather.
I know it's easy to say "don't worry about the rain"... but we do.

We don't mind a few hours of warm rain on a sunny afternoon.
But we do mind half a day of hard rain, making the city overcast and wet and dirty.

So, what's the monsoon currently doing in Delhi, Varanasi, Rajasthan??

THANKS

if you do a little bit of research there are several online Indian weather stations, that you can link to and stay up to date on the monsoon.

I would go for the 2nd,it's a weak monsoon,so it hasnt realy cooled down. Temperatures are still in the mid 30's.
But it has started to rain in Delhi and there have been good rains in Udaipur,Khajuraho.
http://www.imd.gov.in/ check this.