I'm not going there again,,,,,,,,

Sama

this thread is interesting so thought I'd bump it....

where would I not go back to? MADURAI. altho I would go back to see the Murugan temple over Meenakshi anyday (sorry, Meenakshi temple lovers...)

(well....maybe ONE more time...)

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BE THE REVOLUTION

PeakXV

Would never say never to any spot in India. Paharganj was the only place/area that felt unusally foreign within in India's border. Backpackers all dressed the same with seemingly the same expression on their face. Even the touts/hawkers seemed to be monotonously going through the motions without any real pizazz to their technique or pitch.

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We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

TimMakins

Sorry, but I object to the whole idea of this thread. Of course its possible to have a bad incident in a place, which can color your whole outlook, but often that is just unlucky, and should not be repeated here on this forum, as it might put other people off from going too.

I've been reading the last few pages, and people keep mentioning wonderful places that I have REALLY enjoyed!! Jaislameer, Calcutta, Puri, Ahmadabad, Manali, Madurai, Jaipur etc. etc.

I feel these incidents often tell more about the traveller's own personality than the city itself. Too many expectations of India, not enough acceptance than India is the way it is, and isn't going to change just for you!!

It reminds me of this story:

A traveller walks into a small village, and the first thing he sees is an old man sitting by the side of the road. The traveller goes up to the old man, and asks
'What are the people like in this village? Are they friendly? Is it a nice place to stay?'
The old man says
'First, answer a question of mine. What were the people like in the last town you visited?'
The traveller replied
'Oh, they were terrible. Always trying to cheat me. Most unfriendly. There was not one person there that I would like to meet again.'
The old man then said
'Well, I think you will find that the people in this village are just the same as in the last village, and are just the same as in the next village too. Go on your way and venture to the mountains. Only there, in your solitude, will you find the company of people you are really happy with!'

Tim in Ireland

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

Nick-H

Oh it is true, and that is a great story (I can think of one person who only ever meets bad people in life. At least that's all she talks about ) (not an IMer, I'd better add).

But it is also interesting to know how the bad days went for people.

And to see the different views... I'd disagree with Yogagal on Meenakshi Temple, Madurai: I thought it was wonderful. A Hindu friend of mine from London thought it was a commercialised disgrace.

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PeakXV

People's viewpoints from slightly different angles, perspectives, and points in life are always interesting, healthy, and good to chew on. I think it is important to remember that we all have different personalities, values, wants/needs. It is important to remember that there are the personality types who are just plain bad forgetters and can't erase a slightly bad experience out of their minds - ever! One person/tout/hawker crosses them in a bad way and that crossroad is for ever marred in their mind as an evil place. There are others who forgive and forget or shrug it off with a smile and chock it up to a valued and interesting lesson. I don't think a thread like this would change the determined travelers route plans - one iota. Although I may never go to the Taj again after reading some of these posts ......

Sama

so there ya go. I loved the Murugan temple outside Madurai and felt "at home" there. The touts at the Meenakshi Temple and all throughout Madurai, gave me a migraine, literally. and truth be told, I would go back, and I am sure my impression would be totally different the second time around. I loved the Gandhi Museum, went there twice, in fact.

There's nothing wrong with talking about the pros and cons of ANY place, what people liked or don't like. I agree with Peak: "I don't think a thread like this would change the determined travelers route plans - one iota." Just because people find a place not to their liking is not going to stop me from going there, as Peak says, not one iota. Hell, I'm trying to book a flight right now to Tanzania and people are looking at me like I need my head examined! "YOU WANT TO GO WHERE?!? TO AFRICA?!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?"

One person's ambrosia is another person's poison, that's life.

on the other hand, Rameswaram....Danushkodi.....m mmmmm.....love it love it love it...felt at peace there.....while I am sure others might say....are you out of your mind?, there's not even decent internet there!

TimMakins

Perhaps I chose my words wrongly. I didn't really mean that bad happenings should not be reported on the forum per se, rather that it is pointless to read such things and let them color your own expectations.

The fact is that this forum's primary purpose is to inform other travellers. Most people, one would hope, will post a true account about a place, so therefore, other people, on encountering a negative comment, will take that on board to some degree, either conciously or sub-conciously. That has to be true, otherwise why do the advertisers stick the name of cigarette-brands on the back of racing cars. Its not like the F1 drivers are smoking!

Peak may be right - a determined traveller will not be put off by the comments on this thread. I am more concerned with the newbies, the ones who are going on their first trip to India and are trying to plan an itinerary. I would say to them: Go everywhere you can, and form your own opinion. If you give 20 people a camera and tell them to take a photo from the same vantage point, each photo will be different. Likewise, what you will find in every city of India, good or bad, will be uniquely your own, a blend of yourself and the other places and people you will encounter.

Haha - absolutely. I am hoping to go to Libya next, to see Leptis Magna ( http://www.leptismagna.com/default.asp?pg=Pictures ). You can imagine the comments!

Tim in Ireland

stellap

My comment: good on you - leptis magna is somewhere that's definitely on my list of must sees - got to get to India first though!!!!

Blind Blake

I have been to a lot of the above places and strongly disagree about nearly all of them. eg I LOVED Puri especially around Jagganath temple Myself the only place I felt very bored with was Shimla. Apart from that can't say I disliked anywhere in India. But we are all different. If we all liked the same thing it would be a drag.

Pheta Ande

Thank Goodness, everybody has such different likes and dislikes.
I love everywhere I have visited in India, even if in a certain moment of being there I was deep in hate and loathing, it passed and something happened to change my experience of that particular place. So many peaople dislike Mumbai, but most of those people just spend a few days there or treat it as a stop off spot. I personally love it there !!!!!
But I guess it is differences like this that makes the world go around.
Come on people! Embrace each others differences!

Nick-H

This thread is all about each other's differences! It is fscinating to see different views of the same place; how someone may have hated somewhere someone else loved.

jivan

For me Mcleodganj esp. Bhagsu would forever have a special place. It's been etched in my memory. It had the most beautiful memories & the most beautiful valleys. The women were nice too but can't just compare with the force of nature. If I had the money, the time & a camera would just go into the Upper Bhagsu & try to capture the night from there. It's truly paradise there.
Place I don't wanna go to... Varnasi might be, tht also due to not many places to explore in sense of country-side & I like to wander in nature

sirensongs

Amazingly, I met a woman here in Kathmandu (American) who absolutely adored Agra. She spent five days there and loved it! Just goes to show, you never know.

You could not pay me enough (okay, you could, but it's unlikely) to go back to Raxaul, Bihar (the Bihari border with Nepal). *What* a hell-hole. If you have a choice (or even if you don't) go through any of the other land borders.

Colombo, Sri Lanka was just creepy, especially after dark. And I don't know how they managed to have a capital city on the ocean and make it so darned flat-out ugly.

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snowcrab

I wasn't too crazy about Dehradun. It seemed to have a very redneck vibe, especially at night.Maybe something about way too many soldiers in one place.All those guns and motocycles made me nervous.

johnrxx99

I beg to differ. Agra is the pits, everyone is out to get ya but to me the majic of the Taj and Fort is like no other place - if you ignore the people.