More INDIA Recommendations

INDIA - South + Central

MAMALLAPURAM (TAMIL NADU)
The 411 - Worth a stop if you're in the area to see the impressive temples carved out of a single rock. If given a choice, I'd see Ellora + Ajanta (Maharashtra) instead though.
Eat - The salads at Le Yogi have REAL olive oil dressing... Mmmmm.

AUROVILLE (TAMIL NADU)
The 411 - The surreal Matrimandir is only the beginning. Stay a few days to a few weeks or months and volunteer at one of the many worthwhile projects in the city. There's alot to be learned here. This also makes a fine base for exploring nearby Pondicherry.

TIRUVANNAMALAI (TAMIL NADU)
The 411 - If at all possible, make it here for the 14km Full Moon pilgrimage around the sacred mountain. Plan to arrive to day before as the time is dependant on the actual moon rise. Highly recommended!

CHIDAMBARAM (TAMIL NADU)
The 411 - This exceptionally lively temple is worth an overnight stop if en-route

FORT COCHIN (KERALA)
The 411 - This quiet, tropical scene is a world away from the rest of India. It's a comfortable place to relax with old, crumbling architecture and a lively fishing scene to keep you interested.
See - A Kathakali performance at See India in Ernakulum and take the last ferry back to Fort Cochin

CANNORE (KERALA)
The 411 - Go out of your way to see 1 or more all-night Theyyam rituals in the surrounding villages. The beaches here are decent and a nice place to rest up mid-day for your all-nighter.
Sleep - Arafa International Hotel is only 1km away from the train station and offers clean rooms at a good rate. Best of all, the very friendly manager + staff are great advisers for visiting non-touristed Theyyam rituals.

MADIKERI (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - This cool hill station is a nice break from the flatlands and a scenic place to visit coffee + spice plantations and even do short day or overnight hikes. It's also not as touristy as Kumily in Kerala.
Sleep - Honey Valley is a wonderful place, 35km from town and a great base for exploring the countryside without paying for an organized trek

MYSORE (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - This town's got charm and makes a good stopover for a few days. Check out the nice, old market (for good perfume oils + incense) and the Raj Palace. It's also a good place to do some serious yoga.
Sleep- Hotel Maurya has cheap, clean + quiet rooms and helpful management

HALEBID + BELUR (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - Some of the nicest carvings we've seen at ANY Indian temples at these little-touristed gems

SRAVANABELAGOLA (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - Worth an overnight stop to admire this hilltop temple complex with the largest monolithic stone statue in the world, and to soak up the Jain vibe of this small town

HAMPI (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - Worth many days of your time to explore the numerous temples and boulder-strewn hills of this crumbling, ancient city. It's a nice place to chill out too and most find themselves staying much longer than expected.
Sleep - The town is a good base for exploring the majority of temples (by bicycle) and there are lots of homestays. Across the river, it's less "village" and more touristy, but there's a good communal vibe going - try Manju's.
Eat - The Italian pizza joint (with blacklight posters) on the lane near the ferry crossing serves tasty pizza + pesto pasta. The German Bakery (across the river) serves reliably good food - the Greek salad, hummus + set breakfast are recommended.

BADAMI (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - Worth a night en-route to explore the scenic caves, temples + bathing ghat in the old part of town. Nice views from the top of the hill at sunset. Depending where you're going from here, nearby Bijapur also comes recommnded by savvy travelers.

GOKARNA (KARNATAKA)
The 411 - This very lovely holy town also boasts some nice beaches with very minimal development.
Sleep - We preferred Shastri's (in town) for it's large doubles with balcony. It's an easy + scenic walk to the beaches. There are also plenty of simple bungalows to stay in on the sand if you want to get away from it all.

GOA
The 411 - Say what you will about Goa, but people have been coming here for 40 years for a reason! We've heard it's a bit packed over the holidays, but found Feb./March to be just about perfect in all respects. A nice variety of unique + beautiful beaches all accessible via moto driving through scenic countryside + villages. I recommend checking out everything from Anjuna to Querim. Development in most is still limited to thatched shacks. The added bonus is that you can also boogie down with cool people at numerous parties about town(s).
Sleep - It depends what you want. Arambol's a bit developed, but good for meeting other travelers. Asvem/Morjim are good for getting away from it all and staying right at the beach. Chapora is a well-located village scene and good for hanging in the non-dancing evenings.

MUMBAI (MAHARASHTRA)
The 411 - The cultural capital of this vast country is a little slice of London mixed with modern India. Not nearly as dirty or crazy as anything we saw in Delhi. It's an easy + easy to like stop.
Sleep - Prices are the highest here in all of India. Expect to pay $15 for the cheapest double.

AURANGABAD (MAHARASHTRA)
The 411 - Both the Ellora + Ajanta Caves are very impressive and unique, so see them both, but take your time to savor the details and don't cram them in to a single day. The nearby, and dramatically sited, Daulatabad Fort also makes a good 3-4 hour stop before taking the night bus to your next destination.
Eat - Tirupati (near the train station) makes Indian food a tasty notch above the usual. Worth going back to again + again.

PATAN (GUJARAT)
The 411 - It doesn't look like much at first glance, but this dusty town offers architectural gems hidden down back lanes, a one-of-a-kind silk weaving operation + an amazingly preserved step well.

JODHPUR (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - Dramatically sited Fort + Blue City. I recommend the free audio tour when exploring the Fort/Palace complex. Great for a few days of wandering, and not nearly as touristy as some other cities in the state.
Sleep - Sunrise Guesthouse is a great value for your money - friendly, well located + lots of charm.

JAISALMER (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - Lots of crumbling, beautifully detailed, sandstone havelis about town. The inside of the walled city would be a more interesting living museum if it weren't so full of shops. Still, it's got enough character to make my recommendations list.
See - An overnight trip to the nearby village of Khuri with a night spent in the dunes is magical and not too bad on the butt.
Sleep - Outside the Fort walls to help preservation + for a less-touristy vibe
Buy - There's a good selection of stuff here at good prices and with less hassle than Jaipur

AJMER (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - Worth a stop to break a long haul. It has almost none of nearby Pushkar's tourist flow, but is an interesting place to explore. The old town, Dargah shrine + Bazaar leading up to it are unique + colorful. Also, be sure to check out the Jain golden model.

CHITTOR (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - An unexpected surprise. This very impressive Fort complex is dramatically sited and worth a day or two exploring by foot. It's a chill + scenic escape from the bustle of town below, though none of it is touristy. The people are also a delight.

BUNDI (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - Another town of crumbling ruins. The Palace looming above town (great murals) + view from the Fort above at sunset make it well worth the stop. It's pretty + chill enough that you may find yourself staying longer.
Sleep - Kasera Paradise has beautiful rooms (half price in off-season) + a killer rooftop restaurant with views. The food isn't bad either, though the staff are a bit surly.

RANTHAMBORE (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - Touted as one of the best places in India to see a Bengal tiger. I saw one. Cantor vs. jeep doesn't matter when it comes to rowdiness of your co-riders as all the vehicles tend to converge on the same spot anyway. Still, it was a worthwhile experience. There are lots of deer, peacocks + exotic birds and beautiful landscape too.

JAIPUR (RAJASTHAN)
The 411 - One of the handful of places of the entire trip I'd recommend skipping. The sites aren't all that and the people are some of the most pushy and bothersome (for women especially) I've dealt with anywhere.


RECOMMENDED ITINERARY-
Give it as much time as you can and don't try to cover too much ground or you'll run yourself ragged. For 2-3 weeks I'd pick ONE region and stick to it or try these suggestions -
Route 1 - Fly into Mumbai and spend a day getting acclimatised. A worthy loop includes the must-see Ellora + Ajanta caves (2-3 days) + Hampi (3-5 days), possibly going through Bijapur en-route (2-3 days). Then back west to Gokarna (3-5 days), and Goa (5-7 days) before returning on a night bus or flying to Mumbai (1 day).
Route 2 - Fly into Delhi (1-3 days), before heading to Agra + Fatehpur Sikri (1-2 days), then to Rajasthan (10-16 days) for the remainder. I've listed some of my favorites above.

APPROXIMATE COSTS (For Low Budget Travel)
Room - $5-10/2p
Meal - .50-$2/pp
Tea - .15 - .25
Beer - $1
Moto/Bicycle - $4-5/day
Visa - $60/ 6 months ($40 non-U.S. citizens)

Visa Info
Must be applied for in advance, either from capitals of neighboring countries or at your home embassy. The standard issue is for a 6-month Tourist Visa, but U.S. citizens can also apply for a 10-YEAR Visa. Check the "link" for more info.

What's to Like?
You'll get the most bang for your travel buck here. Unforgetable + unimaginable images and experiences are what it's all about. It's places where you're challenged that tend to offer you up so many enriching gifts in return. Definitely try to hit at least one festival or pilgrimage spot.

What's Not?
The difficulty of traveling around, the masses of humanity, being stared at, the grime + smells.

Will you Starve to Death?
Indian cuisine is a god-send for vegetarians as many Hindus observe this themselves. Even many meat-eaters prefer to forego meat while here as hygeine is sub-standard. That said, the food that's served here is not nearly as varied in flavor as what we get in U.S. Indian restaurants, so you'll soon be begging for a change. Everything here is greasy + very spicy or greasy + uber-sweet. Don't get your hopes up restaurants that claim to do pizza + pasta as most have NO idea. The spinach-mushroom burgers with fries are usually decent though. Buy your own curd or milk and add fruit + packaged Badam (spiced almond) powder for a refreshing change. Fresh veg salads (bought + washed yourself) with cubed paneer (cheese) or pakoras (fried veggies) with salt + lime also make refreshingly tasty meals. And resign yourself to chai (milk tea) only (unless you're a Nescafe fan), just order it without sugar.

Will you Dig It?
India's not for the faint at heart and you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone + challenge yourself. If your game though, it'll offer you experiences you'll remember for a lifetime.

Books to Read -
The big cities + tourist hot spots have good + cheap second-hand bookshops. Many trade on a 2 for 1 basis, so bring a few with you to trade along the way. A fun + interesting satiric history that I highly recommend is The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor. The Spice Route: A History by John Keay is great read while traveling through Kerala. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster is a classic. The Elephanta Suite or The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux are both entertaining reads, as is Delhi: A Novel by Kushwant Singh. Other very good books to trade for when you're here are God of Small Things* by Arundhati Roy, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Karma Cola by Gita Mehta, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts + A Fine Balance* by Rohinton Mistry (all easily available). There's also a broad selection of self-help books or others dealing with yoga + anything spiritual.

Check the "link" for photos from India