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

RTodor · Jan 7th, 2005, 17:48

Places I'd never go again? The answer is : I'd be more than happy to visit each place I've ever been in India again and also all the places I've never been in so far no matter what you write here

.
The problem is whether I'd like to have the same experiences with the people over there. Don't take me wrong - there are wonderful people indeed and I cherish the memories of meeting such sweet souls....The problem is what to do with the others

I'll never forget an experience I had in a very small village in Gujarat where I had to wait for the third bus on my trip to Diu (5 buses + 1 taxi from Ahmedabad to Diu - a trip that took me a whole day) I stayed there at the bus station surrounded by a croWd that asked 5 questions ONLY: your name? what country? how old? children? your husband? then the crowd would disperse and a few seconds later another crowd would gether and the same 5 questions would be asked and it went on and on and on for about 3 endless hours. What annoyed me most was that the crowds were constituted by almost the same people who made the previous one so the questions sounded absolutely silly... they didn't bother to remember what they were told the previous time... I guess they enjoyed very much listening to their voices.... at the end of the second hour I was ready to chop heads and tear tongues off when 2 Italian guys appeared from nowhere and I was saved as the crowds left me and started pestering them

Well, that is THE SITUATION I'M NOT GOING INTO AGAIN

Indiafan · Jan 23rd, 2005, 11:27

First time in Pune I did not like it much because of the polution but after getting used to it there are several things I did like e.g. people, food, some sights, closeness to Mumbai and other places.

Dave&Jewel · Feb 12th, 2005, 18:13

Recently got back from our first trip to Goa. Loved most of it. Decided to spend a day in Calangute. As soon as we stepped out of the taxi we knew it was a bad decision

. Not wanting to spend any time in the town, way too busy yet seemingly devoid of any good vibes (very unlike the rest of the places we'd seen) we thought we'd check out the beach & get a drink in a shack, it was a scene straight out of an Ibiza brochure, WHY anyone would want to lie on sunbeds that you can't put a grain of sand between baffles us in any country but, in India it seemed a very sad sight to actually witness. Jumped in the nearest taxi outa there, total stay 20mins tops..a record??

Annett · Feb 12th, 2005, 19:45

For me it’s definitely Khajuraho – booked an Ayurvedic Massage in Hotel Jhankal but that “professional” masseur just abused me sexually. I reported this to the local Police station but after consultation with my embassy they (the embassy) recommended to sign an affidavit at the local lawyers office that I am taking back the report, just to leave Khajuraho!!! In view to the Indian law system I decided to sign that piece of paper – otherwise I would still sit there!

…Agra – have seen the Taj Mahal already but I don’t need those aggressive hawkers EVERYWHERE. Since they raised the fee from 5$ to 20$ I don't even want to see the Taj Mahal again!

…Ahmedabad – the filthy city of piss and betel spit! …is there anything else to discover?

…North Goa (especially Arambol) used to be nice until ‘95, but now it’s just an accumulation of pubs and litter…if people would just take more care it would be probably still the nicest place of North Goa!
…Baga and Calangute (no need to explain)

cazaresil · Mar 12th, 2005, 04:37

List of places I plan not to go back:
1. Pushkar: beautiful place, but the Pushkar passport is one of the most annoying tourist experiences in the entire world. Besides, one day in Pushkar is more than enough for a life time. I had the feeling that the city is not very authentic, but rather tailored for the tourist taste. Now, if someday I return to Rajasthan in November, I will strive to see the camel fair. So, I may come back...
2. Bikaner: too much to see in Rajasthan and no need to go as far as Bikaner. Junagarh is an awesome fort and Karni Mata a must see place, but one visit to those places is enough. I must say that I would go back to every place I visited in Rajasthan excluding Pushkar and Bikaner.
3. Tiruchirapalli: now that I have seen Srirangam, I don't see why in the world I would go back to Trichy.
4. Varanasi: this is the city that puzzles me the most. You will find dozens of IndiaMikers who just love Varanasi. Blame me for my "lack of spirituality" or anything you want, but Varanasi is the filthiest and most chaotic place I have seen in the world. The smells and the traffic are unbearable. I can't understand how the sacred river is so dirty (aren't we suppose to preserve nature?) and why so many people tell you so many lies to grab your money. I apologize if people get offended, but Varanasi needs a change. People may be very rich spiritually and that's very important, but besides that, the standard of living in Varanasi is probably the lowest I've seen in my life. Every visitor to Varanasi can tell stories about autorikshaw rides, or should I say bumper car rides. Can someone tell me why the government does not help the city by doing 3 simple things: promote hygiene, improve the traffic and paint the ghats. Varanasi has great potential, but it needs work. Again, my apologies if I'm offending someone. For the record: most of the foreigners I met in Varanasi shared my opinion.
5. Khajuraho: now that I've seen the temples, I don't think I need to return. The temples are gorgeous though! Do not miss them!

And for the record as well: I would go back to almost every other place I visited in India. India is in my heart forever. It's too soon to say it, but I don't think I'm the same after my trip. And the change is a very good one.

crvlvr · Mar 12th, 2005, 08:27

Goa during New Years.. Wow, what a difference.. .The number of people there quadruples.. traffic congestion everywhere. All the rates are sky high.. I hearr locals leave goa during new years.. that should have been a sign..

xealot · Mar 12th, 2005, 09:01

I just read the first few pages of this thread hoping to find out places to avoid ... ended up coming to the conclusions that I won't have any idea what i like and don't til I get there ... made me grateful that the trip i'm planning has no specifics, but I will certainly avoid Goa around new Years!

seventies'hippy · Mar 12th, 2005, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by cazaresil

List of places I plan not to go back:
1. Pushkar: beautiful place, but the Pushkar passport is one of the most annoying tourist experiences in the entire world. Besides, one day in Pushkar is more than enough for a life time. I had the feeling that the city is not very authentic, but rather tailored for the tourist taste. Now, if someday I return to Rajasthan in November, I will strive to see the camel fair. So, I may come back...
4. Varanasi: this is the city that puzzles me the most. You will find dozens of IndiaMikers who just love Varanasi. Blame me for my "lack of spirituality" or anything you want, but Varanasi is the filthiest and most chaotic place I have seen in the world. The smells and the traffic are unbearable. I can't understand how the sacred river is so dirty (aren't we suppose to preserve nature?) and why so many people tell you so many lies to grab your money. I apologize if people get offended, but Varanasi needs a change. People may be very rich spiritually and that's very important, but besides that, the standard of living in Varanasi is probably the lowest I've seen in my life. Every visitor to Varanasi can tell stories about autorikshaw rides, or should I say bumper car rides. Can someone tell me why the government does not help the city by doing 3 simple things: promote hygiene, improve the traffic and paint the ghats. Varanasi has great potential, but it needs work. Again, my apologies if I'm offending someone. For the record: most of the foreigners I met in Varanasi shared my opinion.

I won't comment on Varanasi, I'm sure some varanasi lover will do that.
But I will say a little on Pushkar, How can you say that it's not authentic, The Brahmin people of Pushkar must be some of the most dedicated followers of their faith in the world, If you had bothered to get out of the circle of tourism I'm sure that you would have experienced that.
Theres very few places in the world where you can arrive and instantly be welcomed with open arms, you have to spend time there to get to know thre place & it's people,,,,,
No different than if you move to a new neighbourhood or someone moves in near you, you don't get to know them or a place in just a day. If you only want to go someplace to tick the box to say you've been then that doesnt really give you a true perspective of what a place is really like only your flying impression.

xealot · Mar 12th, 2005, 14:44

well said

Dr Funkenstein · Mar 12th, 2005, 17:20

Good stuff from seventies hippy.

The 'taking your time to settle in / getting to know the place and people' thing's really important. My first impressions of quite a few places in India have changed dramatically after a few weeks.

After a bit I realised that Manali isn't just Israeli Techno Hell, it's also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Likewise, Dharamshala isn't just some Buddhist Theme Park where Westerners pop in to get an Enlightenment Fix.

These are both places I was pretty cynical about when I first arrived. A month later it was a different story.

<whispers it>: I still think Hyderabad's crap, though.

xealot · Mar 12th, 2005, 17:59

Read the 2nd half of this thread and now i wish i born 20 years earlier and had the chance to travel there in the years gone by...

but like my mum says pi*s in one hand and wish in the other... see which one gets full first.

i guess i'm just going to have to look for that beauty underneath the tourist targeted facade (when i finally get there :'( )

apologies for the crassness

machadinha · Mar 12th, 2005, 18:43

I don't think it changes so much Xealot, in twenty years time you'll be yakking on about the way things used to be just like those oldtimers are doing now. I cannot count the times I spoke to "travellers" complaining about how beach X had turned into a tourist dump, but hey man beach Z was now really the place to be... Carefully pointing out that maybe it was their advertising those places and visiting themselves when there was just the one coconut hut which initiated such developments and that the same thing might well happen to beach Z because of it somehow just wouldn't register. No man it's the tourists, nothing to do with us travellers.

xealot · Mar 12th, 2005, 20:58

LOL! your so right Machadinha... if you beleived everybody nothing would be anybodies fault

Not to have a go at the India die hards, I still wish I could have been back there but I will relish in what India has to offer now nonetheless... and hopefully discover some secrets of my own

rangss · Mar 12th, 2005, 21:23

As a kid born and brought up in India, I always thought that I should see the world before I die. But now, after 30 years and travelling extensively all over India, I consider myself satisfied if I see this land completely. The world can wait.

Ikuru · Mar 12th, 2005, 23:16

The Taj is Beautyfull but Agra is a Dumpster.
And I didnt like Orisa much. Konark was a boring litle place with a shit beach (full of big dead turtles etc).

Jan 7th, 2005, 17:48	#106
RTodor Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Bulgaria Posts: 119	Places I'd never go again? The answer is : I'd be more than happy to visit each place I've ever been in India again and also all the places I've never been in so far no matter what you write here . The problem is whether I'd like to have the same experiences with the people over there. Don't take me wrong - there are wonderful people indeed and I cherish the memories of meeting such sweet souls....The problem is what to do with the others I'll never forget an experience I had in a very small village in Gujarat where I had to wait for the third bus on my trip to Diu (5 buses + 1 taxi from Ahmedabad to Diu - a trip that took me a whole day) I stayed there at the bus station surrounded by a croWd that asked 5 questions ONLY: your name? what country? how old? children? your husband? then the crowd would disperse and a few seconds later another crowd would gether and the same 5 questions would be asked and it went on and on and on for about 3 endless hours. What annoyed me most was that the crowds were constituted by almost the same people who made the previous one so the questions sounded absolutely silly... they didn't bother to remember what they were told the previous time... I guess they enjoyed very much listening to their voices.... at the end of the second hour I was ready to chop heads and tear tongues off when 2 Italian guys appeared from nowhere and I was saved as the crowds left me and started pestering them Well, that is THE SITUATION I'M NOT GOING INTO AGAIN __________________ rossy

Jan 23rd, 2005, 11:27	#107
Indiafan Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: India Posts: 225	Pune First time in Pune I did not like it much because of the polution but after getting used to it there are several things I did like e.g. people, food, some sights, closeness to Mumbai and other places.

Feb 12th, 2005, 18:13	#108
Dave&Jewel Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Cambridgeshire UK Posts: 67	*Recently got back from our first trip to Goa. Loved most of it. Decided to spend a day in Calangute. As soon as we stepped out of the taxi we knew it was a bad decision* . Not wanting to spend any time in the town, way too busy yet seemingly devoid of any good vibes (very unlike the rest of the places we'd seen) we thought we'd check out the beach & get a drink in a shack, it was a scene straight out of an Ibiza brochure, WHY anyone would want to lie on sunbeds that you can't put a grain of sand between baffles us in any country but, in India it seemed a very sad sight to actually witness. Jumped in the nearest taxi outa there, total stay 20mins tops..a record?? __________________ We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars

Mar 12th, 2005, 04:37	#110
cazaresil Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 30	My list List of places I plan not to go back: 1. Pushkar: beautiful place, but the Pushkar passport is one of the most annoying tourist experiences in the entire world. Besides, one day in Pushkar is more than enough for a life time. I had the feeling that the city is not very authentic, but rather tailored for the tourist taste. Now, if someday I return to Rajasthan in November, I will strive to see the camel fair. So, I may come back... 2. Bikaner: too much to see in Rajasthan and no need to go as far as Bikaner. Junagarh is an awesome fort and Karni Mata a must see place, but one visit to those places is enough. I must say that I would go back to every place I visited in Rajasthan excluding Pushkar and Bikaner. 3. Tiruchirapalli: now that I have seen Srirangam, I don't see why in the world I would go back to Trichy. 4. Varanasi: this is the city that puzzles me the most. You will find dozens of IndiaMikers who just love Varanasi. Blame me for my "lack of spirituality" or anything you want, but Varanasi is the filthiest and most chaotic place I have seen in the world. The smells and the traffic are unbearable. I can't understand how the sacred river is so dirty (aren't we suppose to preserve nature?) and why so many people tell you so many lies to grab your money. I apologize if people get offended, but Varanasi needs a change. People may be very rich spiritually and that's very important, but besides that, the standard of living in Varanasi is probably the lowest I've seen in my life. Every visitor to Varanasi can tell stories about autorikshaw rides, or should I say bumper car rides. Can someone tell me why the government does not help the city by doing 3 simple things: promote hygiene, improve the traffic and paint the ghats. Varanasi has great potential, but it needs work. Again, my apologies if I'm offending someone. For the record: most of the foreigners I met in Varanasi shared my opinion. 5. Khajuraho: now that I've seen the temples, I don't think I need to return. The temples are gorgeous though! Do not miss them! And for the record as well: I would go back to almost every other place I visited in India. India is in my heart forever. It's too soon to say it, but I don't think I'm the same after my trip. And the change is a very good one.

Mar 12th, 2005, 09:01	#112
xealot Longing for India ... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 195	I just read the first few pages of this thread hoping to find out places to avoid ... ended up coming to the conclusions that I won't have any idea what i like and don't til I get there ... made me grateful that the trip i'm planning has no specifics, but I will certainly avoid Goa around new Years! __________________ Laziness is not a real word! It's most literal translation is "Differing Priorities"

Feb 12th, 2005, 19:45	#109
Annett Refused Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mera Bhaarat Mahaan - Bangalore Posts: 381	For me it’s definitely Khajuraho – booked an Ayurvedic Massage in Hotel Jhankal but that “professional” masseur just abused me sexually. I reported this to the local Police station but after consultation with my embassy they (the embassy) recommended to sign an affidavit at the local lawyers office that I am taking back the report, just to leave Khajuraho!!! In view to the Indian law system I decided to sign that piece of paper – otherwise I would still sit there! …Agra – have seen the Taj Mahal already but I don’t need those aggressive hawkers EVERYWHERE. Since they raised the fee from 5$ to 20$ I don't even want to see the Taj Mahal again! …Ahmedabad – the filthy city of piss and betel spit! …is there anything else to discover? …North Goa (especially Arambol) used to be nice until ‘95, but now it’s just an accumulation of pubs and litter…if people would just take more care it would be probably still the nicest place of North Goa! …Baga and Calangute (no need to explain)

Mar 12th, 2005, 08:27	#111
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,518	Goa during New Years.. Wow, what a difference.. .The number of people there quadruples.. traffic congestion everywhere. All the rates are sky high.. I hearr locals leave goa during new years.. that should have been a sign..

Mar 12th, 2005, 14:44	#114
xealot Longing for India ... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 195	well said

Mar 12th, 2005, 17:20	#115
Dr Funkenstein Joolay !!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manali, Himachal Pradesh Posts: 854	Good stuff from seventies hippy. The 'taking your time to settle in / getting to know the place and people' thing's really important. My first impressions of quite a few places in India have changed dramatically after a few weeks. After a bit I realised that Manali isn't just Israeli Techno Hell, it's also one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Likewise, Dharamshala isn't just some Buddhist Theme Park where Westerners pop in to get an Enlightenment Fix. These are both places I was pretty cynical about when I first arrived. A month later it was a different story. <whispers it>: I still think Hyderabad's crap, though. __________________ Out There Somewhere : My Travel Blog.

Mar 12th, 2005, 17:59	#116
xealot Longing for India ... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 195	Read the 2nd half of this thread and now i wish i born 20 years earlier and had the chance to travel there in the years gone by... but like my mum says pi*s in one hand and wish in the other... see which one gets full first. i guess i'm just going to have to look for that beauty underneath the tourist targeted facade (when i finally get there :'( ) apologies for the crassness

Mar 12th, 2005, 18:43	#117
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 11,153	I don't think it changes so much Xealot, in twenty years time you'll be yakking on about the way things used to be just like those oldtimers are doing now. I cannot count the times I spoke to "travellers" complaining about how beach X had turned into a tourist dump, but hey man beach Z was now really the place to be... Carefully pointing out that maybe it was their advertising those places and visiting themselves when there was just the one coconut hut which initiated such developments and that the same thing might well happen to beach Z because of it somehow just wouldn't register. No man it's the tourists, nothing to do with us travellers. __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Mar 12th, 2005, 20:58	#118
xealot Longing for India ... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 195	LOL! your so right Machadinha... if you beleived everybody nothing would be anybodies fault Not to have a go at the India die hards, I still wish I could have been back there but I will relish in what India has to offer now nonetheless... and hopefully discover some secrets of my own

Mar 12th, 2005, 21:23	#119
rangss Bulk Carrier Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,838	As a kid born and brought up in India, I always thought that I should see the world before I die. But now, after 30 years and travelling extensively all over India, I consider myself satisfied if I see this land completely. The world can wait. __________________ ...and I took the road less travelled.

Mar 12th, 2005, 23:16	#120
Ikuru the only "end" is "you" Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: infront of the screen Posts: 1,913	The Taj is Beautyfull but Agra is a Dumpster. And I didnt like Orisa much. Konark was a boring litle place with a shit beach (full of big dead turtles etc). __________________ http://www.ikuru.se My art.

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