India is truly a special place, and to fully understand what I mean, you really have to go there and receive the full sensory overload...The people we met, both locals and expats, were amazing. I don't think I can say that we encountered anyone who tried to scam us, except for the usual "tourist price" that visitors usually pay due to ignorance. The service we received at restaurants was great, the accomodations (after learning to not trust the pictures online...) were comfortable and super cheap, and getting around was easy.. The only thing I couldn't get over was the smells and the trash strewn or burning all over the place! It definitely takes some getting used to.
If you ever decide to go to India, head to Goa first and then get acclimated to what India is all about. Goa does have a facade because of heavy tourism there, and it is one of the richest states, but it is a good place to ease into life in India.. It is cheap, the food is great, and the people are friendly. We really loved south Goa, where it is not as crowded as the north. There is still lots of places geared toward tourists, but, it's not like the shack after shack after shack like near Anjuna beach up north. If a party is what you are looking for though, the north is the place to go. Not our cup of tea, anymore though.
For accomodations in India, always consult Trip Advisor before booking.. Often the pictures do not fully represent what you are getting. Hotels are usually the best option, as you can get a really good deal on 2/3 star rooms...If it's not too much more, opting for a "deluxe" rather than "economy" will probably give you a lot more for your money. We got an "economy" for our first hotel and it was a smelly windowless basement room infested with mosquitoes and smelled like sewage. Yuck. Contrastly, we only spent $250 for 7 nights in Goa, and it was a brand new hotel with breakfast included! By the looks of most of the hostels, I don't think I would risk it in the bigger cities. But, the beach huts and backpacker-y places in Goa looked pretty decent and would probably be a cool place to meet other travelers and chill.. And as always, finding a good AirBnB host is a great option too, and we had the pleasure of staying with cool people!
Taking a train ride in India is another must do when traveling in India.. We opted for 2-tier AC, which means 4 beds in a cabin. We were the only people in the cabin, so I don't know how usual that is, but it was great! We could have gone cheaper, and gone for 3AC (6 beds) or Sleeper class, but since it was an 18 hour train ride and overnight, 2AC was still relatively cheap ($40 per person) and very comfortable. With my eye mask and ear plugs, I slept all night and into 9 am! Then the guy coming around yelling "coffee coffee coffee chaaaaiiii" and "biryani biryani biryani" made himself known and I was up. It was also great to see the Indian countryside as we made our way from Kerala to Goa..I felt like we were in the Jungle Book.. It was so green and beautiful!
Our Ashram experience was not only inexpensive but rejuvenating as well. The Sivananda ashram in Neyaar Dam set my mind back right.. After leaving and returning to the "real world" I missed the quiet and "me time" I was able to have there.. And at 12/day per person for food, accomodation, and 4 hours of yoga, it was really a money saver. We even got to go see things we would have not otherwise, like a backwater boat trip and a trek through the jungle to an amazing waterfall. The prices the ashram charged were way less than what we had seen elsewhere, so it was peace of mind in the financial area too! I will never forget the friends we made there, and we even met up with one of our friends who is traveling here, in Bangkok! Definitely a memorable experience.. I think everyone should take some time for themselves and check into a place like an ashram.. Even if you don't like yoga or meditation, it's a great way to step our of your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and recharge.. I can't say I've ever felt anything like it. Plus, I can do a headstand now, so I can say only positive things!
The food in India was really good, but I did get tired of eating curry based dishes for every meal. We opted to keep our Brunch/Dinner scheme going that we started at the ashram, and it made the rich, filling food more bearable... It was also a money saver because you are only buying 2 meals a day! Fish and meat dishes varied, fish being more expensive at around 500 rupees for a whole fish and sides, but you could still get a good meal for under 100 rupees, especially if it's a veggie meal. It's even cheaper in places not based on tourism.. In Trivandrum, most of our meals combined came to 300 rupees with drinks included. Putting that into perspective, $100 is close to 6,000 rupees..The beer in India ranges between 60-150 rupees dependingo brand and size, and other drinks can be more than a meal! It's usually cheaper, as it is everywhere, to visit a convenience store and pick your poison than get it at a restaurant... For me, I enjoyed the feeling from the ashram too much to overindulge in that stuff!
India definitely made it's mark on me, and because it's such a big place, I definitely think I need to visit again to see more of its people, culture, and scenery. We only visited Mumbai, Trivandrum/Kerala, and Goa.. We barely scratched the surface during our month long stay! I would love to go up north to Rishikesh, or to Jaipur, or to Pondicherry... There's so much to see and do, you would have to stay a few months to see even just the major sights. Of course, if we had booked with a tour company or the like we could have been whisked around from place to place in air conditioned buses, but I don't think we would have seen the "real" India had we done that.. I loved walking through the cities, running in the parks and on the beach, jetting around in rickshaws, having my personal space invaded on the city buses, cycling through the madness, and really living India. There are so many things I love about the place, and so many things that are hard to look past.. The poverty, the class and sex inequality, the lack of waste control... It is hard to take in.. But once you take India for what it is, good and bad, it truly is a wonderful place with so much culture, tradition, and history. The cheerful "hellos" from the smiling locals we met time and time again will forever echo in my mind, and that is how I will remember India.
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