10-11-2004, 06:52 AM
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#2 (permalink)
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Location: in the backwoods
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I've been thinking about travelling to India after reading this series of articles about it.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2107063/entry/2107071/
in addition, there's a small bit on tips for India, would you say these are accurate?
Quote:
Things To Know Before You Go to Southern India
Things To Know Before You Go to Southern India
Getting There
Since our travels were all in South India, we flew into Bangalore and then out of Mumbai (connecting in Frankfurt both ways). Flight times to/from Washington, D.C., totaled about 15-16 hours each way.
Where To Stay
In Kerala, I cannot recommend the Casino Group Marari Beach resort highly enough. It was a perfect spot and surprisingly affordable. Moving north to Cochin, the Taj Malabar is luxurious, if a tad pricey. The Park Hyatt Goa was certainly nice (the largest swimming pool in India, they claim), and on a lovely beach, but for more than $100 per night, you might find better. In Mumbai, we stayed at Gordon House, a well-appointed and centrally located boutique hotel.
Eating and Drinking
Mumbai is a massive city, so dining and nightlife options are limitless. We were somewhat partial to Tendulkar's, the restaurant owned by legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. The Taj Hotel offers a range of good eating, including Wasabi, a new Japanese restaurant from Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
Books and Movies
Goa is the setting for the opening of the film The Bourne Supremacy. Kerala is the setting for Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things. I found some insights, some entertainment, and even some (unintentional) comedic value in V.S. Naipaul's India: A Wounded Civilization and W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge. The excellent film Monsoon Wedding takes place in Delhi, but it is nonetheless a must-see for its glimpse into modern Indian life.
Tips
Haggling is a skill, and you can get better with practice. At the beginning of your trip, make sure the stakes are low, and see what happens. By the end, you'll be pretty confident in your negotiations. You can often get a merchant (or auto-rickshaw driver) down to 25 percent of his original asking price. Or, as I sometimes did, you can also decide it's not worth the stress of arguing … and just let yourself get ripped off. Getting ripped off for the equivalent of $2 is not the end of the world.
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