India travel in August?

[tiger02]

Originally Posted by m@T

Eric - come to Vietnam instead man

Collect Gizz. Email (not PM) forum member operationexpat. She lives in Hyderabad, might have some ideas for you.

 

[FidelCashflow]

India with a 6-year old kid? Chances are you, your wife, or your kid will get sick with something at some point during the trip (my bet is on food poisoning if you eat out.) You can look forward to weather alternating from extreme heat to monsoons in August which are not very fun. The only time you'll even want to go outside will be at night when its cooler if it's dry. Wait until around February when temperature is tolerable so you can actually enjoy it.

 

[Alter]

OK! Booked the tickets today. One night in HK in transit then arrive in Delhi on August 3 and depart on August 18. Whooohooo! Looking forward to this trip!

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by Alter

OK! Booked the tickets today. One night in HK in transit then arrive in Delhi on August 3 and depart on August 18. Whooohooo! Looking forward to this trip!

If you get worn down, retreat to Kathmandu.

 

[globetrotter]

cool, have fun.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by johnapril

If you get worn down, retreat to Kathmandu.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

cool, have fun.

Thanks!


We have two months to figure out an itinerary but are thinking of Delhi, Agra, Udaipur and Varanasi at least with the possibility of the side trip to Kathmandu (as John suggests) or possibly to Darjeeling or Sikkim or...any other suggestions?

Other initial questions:
How bad is that arrival at Indira Ghandi? Should I pre-book a ride from the hotel?

Any hotel recs for Varanasi or Udaipur? I am already trying to convince the wife that reliving the Octopussy experience is a worthwhile endeavour.

 

[johnapril]

W. Bengal and Sikkim might be disappointing during August. Mountains hide except for part of spring and part of fall. Kathmandu has more to do than either Darjeeling or Gangtok.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Alter

Thanks!


We have two months to figure out an itinerary but are thinking of Delhi, Agra, Udaipur and Varanasi at least with the possibility of the side trip to Kathmandu (as John suggests) or possibly to Darjeeling or Sikkim or...any other suggestions?

Other initial questions:
How bad is that arrival at Indira Ghandi? Should I pre-book a ride from the hotel?

Any hotel recs for Varanasi or Udaipur? I am already trying to convince the wife that reliving the Octopussy experience is a worthwhile endeavour.

I like Katmandu very much, but it means another border crossing.

I think that you will be moving around a lot, and you won't be getting to the south - I would suggest trying to do one city in the north (delhi and agra, you don't have to sleep at agra to see it) and one in the south - they are pretty different.

Varanasi is heavy duty india - it is a cool experience, but could be overwhelming.

(let me tell you that I have brought a dozen or more people to india for work, and two of them completly lost it, literally just lost the ability to function from being overwhelmed. and both were pretty well traveled. do not take for granted that your family will adjust smoothly)

also, take into account the mansoon issue - you may find that you have no problems, but you also may find that 3 days of your trip you are stuck indoors.

you should definatly pre-book a car. it can get pretty ******* chaotic, and you don't want to be standing in line for a prepaid taxi to save 20 bucks, and you can't just flag down a taxi.


pardon me for asking - have you been to south asia before?


I would strongly suggest picking a chain - leela, oberoi or taj, and sticking with it for your stay (if you are a frequent guest of sheraton, you could go with sheraton). they are all pretty spectacular, I would see if one of them will give you the best price. and then just have your hotel pick you up, that is the simpest thing.

I like the eyewitness books, and there are a few on india, that may be a start to look at what you want to see.

 

[johnapril]

India-Nepal border crossings are a ******* cakewalk, Zach.

Anyway, I find border to be extremely interesting facets of travel.

 

[Alter]

I have only been to Thailand in the south and that was only to Bangkok for a week or so. I am aware of the impact of Varanasi and that is one of the things that I am hoping to experience. But I will keep your insights in mind. My wife has actually been there before so she knows what to expect for our son.

It is true that we are focusing only on the North but this is intentional. We plan to visit the south on a separate trip in the future. I actually hadn't realized that India is fairly close. With a hop to HK for an overnighter we can break it into two 5 hour flights. So, we will probably head back in a year or two and stick to the South.

But...I understand what you are saying...if I were to head South for a few days...which city would you recommend?

Regarding the North....we would fly in to Kathmandu so hope the border crossing would be OK. And I agree with John...that can be part of the travel fun.

But the real hope was simply to experience some of the grandeur of the mountains. Any thoughts on Sikkim/ Darjeeling area as opposed to Nepal? I won't be able to do any major trekking anyways with the child being there..not to mention my advancing years and beerbelly.

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by Alter

Regarding the North....we would fly in to Kathmandu so hope the border crossing would be OK. And I agree with John...that can be part of the travel fun.

Flying into Kathmandu is no problem. Visas are available for a fee and 2 passport-sized photographs at Tribuvan Int'l Airport.

Originally Posted by Alter

But the real hope was simply to experience some of the grandeur of the mountains. Any thoughts on Sikkim/ Darjeeling area as opposed to Nepal? I won't be able to do any major trekking anyways with the child being there..not to mention my advancing years and beerbelly.

The English built nearly 100 hill stations in India for the express purpose of retreating from the Indian plains that baked in the summer. Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal are two of the most famous in the eastern portion of India. Gangtok, in Sikkim, is northeast of Darjeeling/Kalimpong. Views of the Eastern Himalayas from Darjeeling and Gangtok are glorious, albeit elusive. Good day hikes can be taken in the foothills, though I preferred those in Sikkim: Pemayangtse to Yoksum was my slog. I had 1 good day of seeing mountains in Darjeeling and 1 good day in Gangtok, all because of the weather. Spring and fall are the best seasons, and every Indian tourist knows that. August may be different, but it's my understanding that the eastern ranges are well clouded over by then. I was in Pakistan by June-July, and the views of the Karakoram were clear. By August I was in Lhasa, then Kathmandu, along the eastern ranges, and the mountains were hidden in clouds.

If you want crystal clear, unobstructed views of South Asian mountains, be there in November or December.

I recommend Barbara Crossette's book The Great Hill Stations of Asia for more detail on the hill stations.

 

[dkzzzz]

Don't forget to pack monkey-repellent, insect-repellent and strong broad spectrum antibiotics.
Welcome to hell-hole.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by johnapril

India-Nepal border crossings are a ******* cakewalk, Zach.

sure, but add to that the pleasure of traveling with a 6 year old.

I basically agree with you, and keep in mind that I probrably do 100-120 or more border crossings a year, and have taken my son to 6 or 8 countries, and the twins on 4 or 5 international trips. so I don't see this as a huge issue, but it is something to think about when you are traveling with a 6 year old on a two week trip.

Anyway, I find border to be extremely interesting facets of travel.

interesting, I am not sure I have ever seen it that way - I sort of see them as part of work, something to get over with as smoothly as possible.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Alter

I have only been to Thailand in the south and that was only to Bangkok for a week or so.


not to freak you out, but thailand is usually what I call "asia light" it is a great place to take people to for their first trip to asia. the people are nice and not very invasive, it is very clean, and you have a lot of the support (starbucks, good metro, malls) that make life familiar. when some of us refer to "south asia" we mean indian, nepal, bangladesh, pakistan, sri lanka, maldives. they can be a little more, um, intense.

I asked that concerning your question about arranging a ride from the airport - here's the thing, it really depends on how you react, and it is sort of hard to know until you see it. it will be very crowded, noisy, smelly, hot, and people will be really crowding you, possibly very smelly people who look and sound very differnt to what you are used to.

when I am traveling with others to south asia, I usually insulate as much as possible - I don't take street taxis, I use hotel cars, I don't eat on the street, etc. that really doens't take that much away from the expereince, but it can make things easier. I would think this way, you can always stage out your "insulation" once you are there.

It is true that we are focusing only on the North but this is intentional. We plan to visit the south on a separate trip in the future. I actually hadn't realized that India is fairly close. With a hop to HK for an overnighter we can break it into two 5 hour flights. So, we will probably head back in a year or two and stick to the South.

cool, good plan

But...I understand what you are saying...if I were to head South for a few days...which city would you recommend?

well, to be frank, I see what you are saying in a slightly differnt light, now - I was seeing this as two weeks to see as much as possible while trying to keep it comfortable for a 6 year old. what you are saying gives you a lot more time to see things in depth, and that it actually better than I would have suggested.

Regarding the North....we would fly in to Kathmandu so hope the border crossing would be OK. And I agree with John...that can be part of the travel fun.

in that case, yeah, I'd go to katmandu - in a lot of ways nicer than much of india. one suggestion - if you are planning on getting pashminas, get them in katmandu.



have fun, this really sounds like it is forming into a great trip

 

[johnapril]

I hadn't read the bit about children. I would not go to India with my son (5 year-old) unless I insulated the living **** out of the experience for him, as Zach suggests. Seeing my son ill in the US is upsetting enough. The things that can happen to the body in India are at a different level.

Nepal is much more set up for westerners and would be the first place I would go in South Asia with a child. Second, Bhutan.