Need help with 6 or 8 week itinerary

reneeautumn

I am planning a trip to India from mid-May to either early or mid-July. I realize it's about the worst time of year to go, due to the heat and the monsoon, but it's the only time I can go and I don't want to go anywhere else, so I'm going to make the best of it.

I've looked at the climate chart posted here and also read a good bit about climate in my Lonely Planet. Will going to a place where the monsoon has recently started actually be good because the heat will have broken? Or is it as hot as before but with rain as well?

Probable destinations: a southern loop of Mumbai, Diu, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, possibly Fort Cochin, Pudicherry, places in Tamil Nadu. More destinations in the north: Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Mt Abu, Jodhpur, Jaisalmar, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, then Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho, Varanasi, Bodggaya (?), finally a loop up to Shimla, Chandigarh, and Amritsar.

I thought I should do the southern loop first before the monsoon hits hard and then head north. Is this a good idea?

Also, at some point, probably just two weeks after I arrive, my mother and sister will join me for just 10 days to do a whirlwind Taj Mahal/other touristy things and then leave.

I want to see a lot, but I'm okay with skipping some destinations if they'll be truely miserable this time of year, and adding others (Darjeeling?) that would be better this time of year.

Also, how easy will it be to find Bollywood movies with English subtitles? If impossible, I saw one once and I wonder if I'd be pretty entertained and understand what was going on pretty well even without subtitles. The first opera I ever saw was in Italian with Hungarian subtitles, and I still had a good time. I thought movies would be a good way to beat the heat if the theaters are AC.

I'm also not sure if I should leave in early or mid July. If the climate is that terrible, should I just plan to stay six weeks and I will still have an amazing trip? If I stay longer, it will be to spend a week or so meditating in an ashram somewhere, but more for relaxation and the experience than as a spiritual awakening (though that would be great, too). I'd like to stay the full eight weeks, but not if the whole country is just getting progressively crappier to be in, climate-wise.

machadinha

Hi Renee,

The weather quite apart (which I'm not really the one to comment on -- never been there in summer. The whole thing doesn't look like the greatest idea to me though, more because of the heat than the rains, which I think will hit more towards the end of it, although they may well come into play esp. down south already), I think this is way too optimistic for the time you have. Others may disagree. It's always hard to say what one can do with one's time of course. Maybe if you throw in a couple of flights. I personally tend to even out at around 2.5 days per place, between swift visits and sitting down for a bit (and a bit often meaning far longer, either because you or your travel partner[s] if you have any need it). (Was it on this forum or another site that I read the excellent advice the other day that a day of doing nothing means a day of doing nothing -- no sightseeing, no shopping, no having to scout for train tickets, no wondering about where to eat next, no having to do anything? And may I add to that your partner if any and you being adult enough to leave one another alone and let the other read or practice juggling or whatever they like to do already?)

I do think the heat will mean more relaxation time required. I wouldn't try to travel hard and fast under those conditions. You can count on having to live by night more too, taking it easy in the daytime. This will slow you down I think.

A few of these also don't make sequential sense, but maybe you didn't mean them to. (I.e., you'd want to go Mumbai-Goa, then Ahmedabad-Diu later on your way to Rajasthan, for instance. These are all quite some distances. Then Diu-Udaipur: Probably over A'bad again, quite a ride again no doubt. Etc.) And why leave out the rest of Gujarat while you're at it... Bloody hot again, btw and no doubt.

Movies, Bollywood or otherwise: I don't think you'll find subtitled screenings all that easily no, save for some arthouses in the major cities maybe (foreign movies may be shown with local subtitles though). It's a fun experience though, and you can usually get the gist of what's going on. Except for the Indian arthouse genre again (not to be underestimated), Bollywood movies are not generally very intellectually demanding if I may say so. I much enjoyed (and enjoy) seeing them though, subtitles or not. And it's just fun to go to the cinema, and gives you something to do indeed. I thought seeing Terminator II in some Keralan smalltown was quite funny.

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reneeautumn

Shoot. I definitely don't want to feel I'm rushed. I'm trying to remember how much, geographically, I saw of Europe in a six-week trip there. That did involve a few flights. I'm wondering now if I should throw out the whole southern loop and not go further south than Mumbai.

The nice thing is I have a friend who's lived in India twice and will again, and my significant other has been wanting to go for years and can't go on this trip with me, so it's not likely this is the only trip to India I'll make in my lifetime. It's good to approach a trip by saying, this is just my first trip here; I don't have to see absolutely everything in the country.

Thanks, machadinha!

reneeautumn

Also, except for the ten days I'm with my mom and sister, I'll be alone. So that makes it more difficult b/c I can't share, say, finding the ticket office and buying tickets, etc. Although I am hoping to find a couple of travel partners while I'm there just for shorter trips or to move to one or two other places with.

sannna

My advice: skip a couple of really hot places and throw in some hill stations and wildlife parks. Summer is the best time to spot wildlife - so if you have to be here in the summer, best take the advantage of that. Hillstations - well, mountains are nice and relatively cool.

Otherwise: your itinirary is way to crowded. I like to stay somewhere at least two nights and sometimes three. Also you arelikely to find a place that you completely love and don't want to leave for a week...

Start reading on the places you want to visit keeping in mind wh it is that you expect and want to find in India (cities, wildlife, culture, history etc). Than keep only those that you really want to see. And next.. expect to change your travel plans once again upon arrival.

I never thought of Hindi films as Opera's though I like it.. Do see a movie in India and enjoy the experience. If you are female, make sure you don't go alone to a cheap one-screen only cinema hall where the audience is 99 % boys.. It will spoil your experience. Apart from that: cinema is fun!

reneeautumn

Heh heh. I pictured opera critics fainting at the comparison to Bollywood epics.

I'm thinking I should scrap the whole southern leg.

Really, what I want to do is wander the streets, take long walks, sit in restaurants, just look at India and the people and the culture and, to the extent possible, live among them and see how they interact, what their public spheres are like, how they live. So I can do all that anywhere. I also like architecture and cities (I'm a city planner).

sannna

While risking a lot of conterversy with this I would choose to leave out North India and stay in the South. If it is your first trip to India, your will enjoy the South better I think. South-India IMHO is more relaxed, easier to navigate and very varied.

To meet up with your family you could choos to fly there and back or take one insane long overland journey by train to experience that part of India thoroughly as well. It is worth it.

South India has some very interesting cities: from ancient to brand new, from sadly dilipdated to shockingly renovated. Enough to enjoy there on the architecture front. The difference between Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore, Madurai, Cochin and Mumbai (to name a few southern cities) is already so big that you would not have the feeling that you saw only a tiny bit of India.

Also the Western Ghats are pretty amazing, I'd say and one of my fondest memories are of Coorg (Karnataka).

ranjan154

North India is not that bad since it is the happening place in India be it political, social, industrial and like wise, but I agree that South India is coparatively calm and cool.

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ananda2193

I agree that your itinerary is too crowded. I also agree with sannna that the south might be a better choice. But I think 4 weeks south, 4 weeks north is an ideal introduction to India. But choose your places wisely as it's going to be a scorcher in some parts. The Himalayas are awesomely beautiful and peaceful. It's another world from the plains. I would definitely spend some time up there. Most of the places you mentioned you'd like to see up north will be on fire then. But your from Florida and your summers are no picnic either. Maybe your used to it.

reneeautumn

I figured the north would be better than the south because the monsoon would already be hitting the south. But if y'all think it's better, I can definitely scrap most of the north instead. Although I'm not sure my mom and sister would want to miss the Taj Mahal so I guess we should keep that part of the trip as it is.

zoltan

> Mumbai, Diu, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, possibly Fort Cochin, Pondicherry,

If you were to do the southern loop only and avoid the North (you're looking at averages of 40-50c daily), then I'd consider the following:

- drop Pondicherry (it hasn't got a lot going for it) & Goa (it's not India, it's more of a Ibiza)

- include Mamallapuram; Tanjore; much of Kerala.

As far as your mother & sister going to the North to see the Taj, it's going to be scorching. You can't wear footwear when you are on the steps of the Taj itself, so make sure that you take thick woolen socks to avoid getting your feet burnt by the heat on the ground.

You could fly from Chennai /Tridvandrum => Delhi and get an AC car to take you to the Taj but, this is going to add significant costs to your journey.

To get an idea of the distances you'll be looking at, check this on-line map www.mapmyindia.com

Cheers
Zoltan

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machadinha

All good advice above; I'd been thinking later I shouldn't have said anything as I can't really suggest any alternatives anyway. But those are all good tips to go on.

One thought is 6-8 weeks allows you the luxury to be flexible anyway, I wouldn't want to pin it all down for such a period. So just go with your plan in mind, then see how you feel and how it works out on the ground.

Other thoughts: yes, as a woman alone be just a little careful about visiting those cinemas. If you feel unsafe in any situation, presume it isn't and just retrace your steps. There's no shame in that. One can always (or usually) walk away or subtly attract the attention of sympathetic bystanders.

The heat: I do agree, with all our cautions, India isn't the only place in the world to get maddeningly hot. Some people can handle it very well, others can't at all.

Oh and Coorg: Beautiful area yes, I stupidly just drove through there, pretty enough in itself though. Would certainly suggest hanging out there for a bit should you get in the area. It's higher up so might suit your needs; don't know how wet it might be getting by that time though. Mind you, even the rains some people do enjoy; and then some others don't at all I guess.

Beaches: While blasphemy to others, like many here I can think of a lot better destinations than India for a beach holiday (save for the islands I suspect). I wouldn't go out of your way to visit a whole lot of them, although it can be nice if it's on your route of course, and one or two are probably part of the experience. I'm also not a fan of the crowd in its several varieties that seems to be stereotypically attracted by the popular ones no, but to each their own. Of the ones I've seen, I found Diu the prettiest, with the added bonus of having what I found to be perfectly safe waters. On most others, be aware of dangerous undercurrents, and don't even think about swimming in the monsoon, or so they say.

ps Regarding your final original question: Given the choice, why not go for the full 8 weeks. Unless you find you hate India, I don't think any sort of weather should be a reason to return earlier no. Just go for it, and that week's retreat sounds nice If you find you really don't like it somewhere or are frying up, what's nice in India is at transport costs you can teleport yourself to the other side of the country in a matter of a few days for what is really peanuts at least to a westerner, or certainly second-class. Less drastically, there's always a bus or train to a next town that may suit you better, and again, the costs of transportation or accommodation need not stop you.

If you really go absolutely nuts with it, your airline company may agree to let you take an earlier flight home, perhaps at a slight premium. Would really depend on the company and the conditions of your ticket though.

reneeautumn

Thanks, y'all. Yeah, I live five miles from one of the world's top beaches, so I wasn't even going to bother going (esp b/c I wasn't sure I'd want to wear a bathing suit). But I changed my mind b/c of the architecture in Goa; I thought it would be cool to see Portuguese architecture blending with Indian.

I definitely plan to be flexible with my itinerary, though I do want some idea.

I liked the comment that South India is more varied; I didn't know that.

sannna

Well, I did not intend to say that it is more varied just that it has enough varity in itself to satisfy your needs and not feel after those weeks that you have seen nothing.

About the monsoon: it depends on where you go, I think, but personally I have never really minded it. The monsoons that I have seen usually meant that it would pour dwn for a couple of hours in the afternoon and be dry the rest of the day. As long as you are not in a place that is flooded it is okay. The only thing that becomes more difficult really is transport. Buses and trains get delayed more and some roads may get closed.

I agree what has been said above: it depends on your system and preferences how well you can cope with the weather. I myself do not mind humidity as much as dry heat, an prefer 40 degrees to 10 degrees... But thats me.

Mamalapuram: yes., do go and see. But Pondy is also worth it, I think. It is a sweet city unlike any other in India due to its French past. If you are into ashrams, as you stated above, Auroville might appeal to you which is only an autoriskhaw drive away.

bijapuri

well, it sounds like apart from your whirlwind tour with your mommy, you are open to having the best trip you can. Mindful of the good counsel in the above posts, I would add this:

Keep it simple
hit the hills
be flexible- change your plans once you get there if you like.

Specific things to keep in mind:
* Indian movies DO NOT usually have English subtitles in India
* Beaches are dangerous and disappointing during the wet
* Northern game parks close during the monsoon. Southern ones stay open.
*Southern Karnataka (Mysore, Belur-Halebid, Saravanbelagoda,game parks, Bangalore) is "pleasant" during the monsoon, as it is a few thousand feet up in elevation.
* Tamil Nadu gets very little rain then- their monsoon hits in Nov-Jan
*The Taj and the northern plains are much better in the wet than the hot. In the hot, they are simply insufferable. In the wet they are merely very hot!
* Many westerners find Pondy disappointing, and a waste of time. Ditto for Bangalore- which has nothing interesting besides serving as a transport hub, lots of good food and drink, and the gold-paved streets for those working there, hahaha . . .

Comment:
* Rajasthan . . . with all the other wonderful places to visit, perhaps you might consider saving it for the next trip, as it's really freakkin hot in summer, wet or no!

Recommendations:
2 weeks in S Karnataka, the balance in the Himalayas, a
TaJ tour as late in your trip as possible.

Oh, the things you'll see!!!

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