Northern India – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

This is the supplementary blog about travelling in Northern India only – and sorry for some of the photos. The following are our personal view of our time in Northern India, during the 8 weeks that we spent there. Please note, unlike other visitors we stayed in locations longer than some other travellers who may only visit as a day trip (e.g. we spent 3 nights in Agra, where most visitors treat it as a day trip from Delhi, or only stay 1 night).  

This blog gives readers an idea what to expect, based on our real experiences of travelling in this part of a 3rd world country.

THE GOOD

• India has a number of amazing monuments that are impressive eg Forts, Taj Mahal, etc.
• People are extremely open, and at no time did we feel threatened.
• Bottled water is cheap – and is sold across the country at a standard price.
• The young kids in the deprived areas we walked through always came out smiling and happy and wanting to practice their English.  
• Medicine (without prescription) is readily available and is cheap.
• Although not for us, there were some amazing opportunities to buy goods – paintings, gems, Kashmiri carpets, leather, etc.
• Vegetarian food is cheap and readily available everywhere.
• The food, although spicy is delicious – if you do order western food please be aware that it will be their perception, so prepare to see the fusion of western and Indian.
• Getting an Indian SIM and data package is cheap (we got 2 months for NZ$8 – inclusive of 1.5Gb of data a day!!) – downside, there is time consuming security check process including sighting original passport, photocopy of passport and photo requirement and you can only recharge online/via App with an Indian Credit Card. Therefore, make sure the plan covers all your time in India.

THE BAD

• Almost any attraction, monument, museum and even some temples will cost you if you want to visit – the most expensive being the Taj Mahal at 1,100 Rupees, (NZ$22) plus 200 Rupees (NZ$4) to go into the mausoleum) each.
• Searches on the web will show a range of prices on what to expect to pay – ranging from nothing through to a higher amount – almost without exception it will be the higher price.
• There is a significant price differential between costs to Indians versus Foreigners – between 5 and 22 times as much.  These costs will impact your budget!! For example as a couple if you visit 20 sights during your stay this will cost you over NZ$500, excluding any guides you may opt to use (cost of a guide can be 600 rupees (NZ$12) plus a tip).
• Sights and attractions  are trying to charge per camera/ mobile phone fees – or mandatory audio-guides.
• Whilst the Taj Mahal and other key attractions are well cared for, so many of the other other temples and site are in decay – I would guess in 3/5 years the limited amount of original artwork at the Beatles Asham will be unrecognisable.
• The Official Indian IR CTC website for self booking of trains is the worst website in the world!! It is almost impossible, even with an Indian SIM, and therefore, almost all train travel will need to be booked through a Travel Broker.
• For ‘meat eaters’ there are limited outlets to get ‘non veg’ meals, and when you find them the cost is likely to be 50% higher than vegetarian meals. There are also some parts of the country that are vegitarian only (no eggs and no alcohol).
• Food costs in June 2023 have risen by 20-35% due to shortages in rice and vegetables. This has reached such a crisis that the Indian Government has blocked the export of certain foods.
• There are price differences that cover almost all goods and services – be aware there are local/Indian prices and tourist prices.  At one location the TukTuk drivers had a disagreement as one driver gave us the local rate which was 90% less than the Tourist rate.
• As cows are sacred, and only holy men can eat them, they are everywhere – including on the major highways, which can be disconcerting and dangerous when cars are travelling at speed .
• Dogs are also everywhere, and roam the streets at will – they are mostly active at night as daylighthouse they appear to sleep most the time..
• Everyday Indians will ask for ‘selfies’ with you.  At first this is a bit of a novelty, but after a while or when you’re tired it just gets frustrating.
• The concept of personal space is non existent.  This goes from people walking in front of a camera shot, vehicles stopping right in front of you to park and queuing is not a consideration as it’s whoever gets in first.
• Indians will openly stare and I mean STARE at white women – whether they are walking, on a scooter or driving.

THE UGLY

• There is an ingrained belief amongst Indians that Foreigners are rich and have a never ending supply of money.  As such there is a constant expectation of tipping for opening a door, showing you to your hotel room, taxi ride, etc – you will hear the term ‘white ATM’ which is a name for Foreigners.
• Begging is rife, this is done by women, men and children – sometimes all at the same time.  It will occur in the street, when vehicles stop at lights, bus/railway stations and any tourist attraction.  The easiest way is to say no once and then walk on or just look away.
• There are SCAM, SCAMS and more SCAMS – e.g. you must have a guide, gps doesn’t work, this is a private temple, etc.  At all attractions there will be locals who will approach to ‘help’, this is just a way to get money from foreigners – just say no and walk on.
• Check printed prices on bottles of drink and food (and only pay that price) – and always check any change that you receive. Amazingly we had multiple instances where we had been given 100 Rupees (NZ$ 2) less, once pointed we always got the correct change – we never received too much lol.
• Rubbish is everywhere, with only minimal clearing.  There doesn’t appear to be any understanding of recycling or the impact of plastics that the world is facing. However, even with recycling bins being around we never observed any locals using them, as their behaviour is to throw everything and anything on the floor
• Be prepared for constant hassle from almost everyone you meet, and you will be asked the same question 4/5 times (in the end we called ourselves Tom and Jerry for a bit of fun).  This does get draining, and you need to be aware, and remind yourself, that every now and again there are a genuine person that just wants to say hello. 
• There are no driving rules, and I do mean NO RULES.  The cars, scooters, lorries, TukTuk will use either side of the road, depending which has less traffic.  Horns are used constantly to let other motorists and pedestrians know they are there – so bring noise cancelling headphones or paracetamol.
• Public toilets are generally filthy, and not worth paying for.  Men will generally urinate ‘any time/any where’ using any vertical surface they can find – we never did see/find out where the women went!!

FINAL THOUGHTS

We are definitely pleased we visited Northern India, and using a local travel agency took some of the stress out of organising travel, etc – but this came at a financial cost that we hadn’t budgeted for.

Please note it is definitely possible to self organise a trip to Northern India, but anyone attempting to do so should just be aware of the potential stress and hassle that will be faced at part of the planning, booking and travel itself. Would we say Northern India is cheap – definitely not!!  Daily costs to stay in semi reasonable accommodation as a couple NZ$35-50 per night, non veg (meat) evening meal (including 2 drinks each) for 2 would be NZ$40-50 and sight-seeing NZ$20-30 (plus any tipping,, shopping, transportation costs – TukTuk, Taxi, Train, Planes, etc, water, snacks, etc).  

I have no doubt you can reduce the about costs, but at least this gives you an idea.