To China... and Beyond!

India

Planning a two-week trip to India was, oddly enough, a big part of why I (re)started this website on travel to China. The Internet abounds in recommendations for travelers to both countries, but clear and comprehensive guides — especially for the short-term traveler — are scanty. I'm even farther from being an India travel expert than I am from being a China travel expert, so this page is by no means the end of the story. But if you're a perfectionist agonizing over which of several unappealing guesthouses to stay in, I might be able to help.

Traveling in India is an overwhelming experience. It is easy to fixate on the dirt and discomforts, and you should be prepared for that. But I think the rewards absolutely outweigh the difficulties. The country is holding onto its past even as it embraces the present, creating a balancing act that is fascinating to observe. The monuments are exactly as beautiful as they say — and I'm not just talking about the Taj Mahal. And the food... oh the food. It's absolutely worth the stomachaches that will ensue.

Warning: The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays! Maybe everyone else knows this, but, uh, we didn't. Plan accordingly.

Our itinerary

My roommate and I had two weeks to travel in April 2009, and when we found affordable tickets from Hong Kong to India, we snapped them up. But where were we going to go? We had friends in Mumbai. We couldn't miss the Taj Mahal. Ditto for Rajasthan, summer heat notwithstanding. And Varanasi... sounds awesome? Suddenly, we had an itinerary.

Day One: Arrive by air in Varanasi.
Days One to Four: Sightseeing in Varanasi. Walk along the ghats and through Varanasi's narrow streets, take boat rides on the Ganges, attempt to see the Golden Temple from afar, drink lots of chai, and do plenty of shopping. Buy lots of silk scarves here — my shopper's regret was not getting more of these. They are a bargain at around 150 rupees. Day trip to Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first sermon.
Day Four: Overnight train from Varanasi to Agra.
Day Five: Visit Fatehpur Sikri (via public bus from outside the Agra train station). Evening drinks at the Oberoi hotel, which is where we learned that the Taj Mahal is going to be closed the next day, a Friday.**
Day Six: Early morning Intercity Express train to Delhi, arriving around 11 a.m. Afternoon sightseeing/rickshaw-dodging in Old Delhi, including the Jama Masjid (mosque).
Day Seven: Full day of sightseeing, shopping and food poisoning in Delhi, of which the highlight was Humayun's Tomb.
Day Eight: Early morning Taj Express back to Agra. Visit the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Evening train to Jaipur.
Days Nine and Ten: Sightseeing in Jaipur, including the absolutely incredible Amber Fort (for which you will need to take a bus out of the city), the City Palace and an election parade on rickshaws.
Day Ten: Late afternoon train to Mumbai, arriving on the morning of Day Eleven.
Days Eleven through Thirteen: Sightseeing, relaxing and last-minute shopping in Mumbai. There aren't many unmissable tourist attractions in Mumbai, but it is a fascinating contrast to the other four cities on our itinerary.
- Dinner at Trishna is an absolutely worthwhile splurge. (And it's only a splurge relatively speaking — dinner for three with beer ended up costing around 1500 rupees, or $60.)
- If you're nervous about tummy troubles courtesy of street food, but still want to try Mumbai's famous snacks, check out Swati Snacks. We heard about it first in this New York Times article on Swati Snacks and other restaurants that dish up chaat, pav vada (India's veg answer to the hamburger, a deep fried potato patty served on a bun and smothered in garlicky sauce) and other yummy things in more sanitary environments. Then our host recommended it for lunch, so we knew we had to go. Most menu items were priced around 60 rupees or less, and one is enough for lunch for one person.
Day Thirteen: Late-night flight back to Hong Kong.

**This is where the itinerary becomes "do as I say, not as I did." Don't plan to visit the Taj Mahal on Friday! Check the opening days and times of the once-in-a-lifetime attraction before you finalize your itinerary. And then check it twice. Originally, we would have spent all of day Six in Agra, gone to Agra that evening, had Day Seven to sightsee in Delhi and taken a morning train from Delhi straight to Jaipur.