First and Maybe Last Visit to India?

[u/kobeburner]

I’ve only visited 18 countries and even though the historical buildings, architecture, and cuisine were incredible, I have little desire to return to India.

As a fairly tall Black American male I stood out among everyone. I was grabbed often, all by men, stared at for an ungodly length of time, and just generally felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable there. The staring is next level. It’s not a glance. It’s a purposeful observation that continues indefinitely. At one point a man was looking at me from a few feet away. I moved to block his view then he moved to get closer to me to continue the gawking.

The poverty is disturbing and the absurd amount of garbage is nightmare fuel for environmentalists. Locals don’t seem to care much about the cleanliness in the urban areas. Watched several people willingly throw trash into the street from apartments and train cars. Why do they do this?

On the other hand, the Taj Mahal is incredible. Easily the most fascinating part of our trip. We’ve been to 6 new world wonders, 7 if we include the Pyramids of Giza, and the TM is in my top 2 with Petra being the best.

Walking through the gate and seeing the mausoleum in the background bathing in the morning light was like stepping into a fairy tale land. We loved it so much, we returned for a second day. There are rooftop bars and restaurants too with incredible views and inexpensive food and booze.

My suggestion visiting India would be to ensure everything is private. Transportation, guides, etc. The logistics can be a pain so the peace of mind of having everything taken care of for you is worth the cost imo.

[u/lucapal1]

Nice pictures, thanks for posting!

India is a tough one for many people, kind of a love it or hate it... personally I really like it, I've been back there quite a few times.

It has its lows for sure,but its highs are very high.

[u/kobeburner → u/lucapal1]

Thanks.

Yeah, as an introvert it was overwhelming for me. The men are just too aggressive and the petty scams I didn’t like but expected it.

The culinary scene is incredible however and the blend of architecture is unique. I do actually wanna return but to Kerala where I hear it’s more relaxed and chill. Delhi and Jaipur were too intense for my taste.

[u/AW23456___99 → u/kobeburner]

I enjoyed Kerela but I'd say it lacked the stunning architecture that you can find in other parts of India. It was a very nice first trip to India for me, but there were definitely fewer sites to see. Food was absolutely divine though.

[u/ionagpkt → u/AW23456___99]

I'm from Kerala and you're right our palaces and temples are not at the scale of the ones up North. That said if you do Mysore, Wayanad, Alleppey you could get some amount of palaces, mountains and lagoons in your trip. And believe me people from Kerala also find it hard to navigate parts of UP, Bihar. Some would rather not go there at all.

[u/rockyboy49 → u/kobeburner]

You will love the south. It's definitely way better than the north. The north and South both are rich in history and culture but North is intense even for us Indians who have lived in the South

[u/saxuri → u/kobeburner]

I wouldn’t go by myself as a petite East Asian female, but I had a good time in Goa and Mumbai. My husband is of Indian descent and can speak some basic Hindi, which helped, but he never lived there. I got looks for sure but much fewer stares than I was expecting. In general the south seems easier for foreigners than the north.

[u/soil_nerd → u/kobeburner]

Kerala still has many of the attributes you’ve described above. It’s very nice, but it’s definitely still India. Loads of trash and the men are aggressive in trying to sell you stuff or get you in their taxi. Staring is still a thing, but maybe less so? Not sure, I had people gawking most places I went and had people grab me, etc. that being said, almost everyone is super nice if you talk to them, it’s just cultural really different.

[u/bbpaupau01 → u/kobeburner]

If you do make it to India again I suggest going to Hampi, Kochi and Kerala. It was beautiful and a lot less chaotic than Jaipur and Agra. I solo traveled for 10 weeks back in 2018 starting from Chennai, made my way south then ended my trip up north and it was honestly one of the best trips I’ve ever taken in my life. India is a lot to take in especially if you’re not used to seeing extreme poverty but it’s really like a world of its own.

[u/OneAnd_ → u/kobeburner]

Yes, go to Kerala. It is incredible. Such kind people, I was not ripped off or pestered a single time in my 10 days there. Incredible food and scenery, less trash as well

[u/sancheta → u/kobeburner]

Like yourself, did not care for Delhi and was hoping that Kerala would be better. Nope. Far fewer scams, but no redeeming qualities compared to other spots in the world. It is primarily Christian (do not know the exact numbers), so you do not even get the Hindu temple tourism.

[u/Kwinten → u/sancheta]

The fuck are you on about? Less than 20% of people in Kerala are Christian and over half are Hindu. There are tons of Hindu temples. Did you inadvertently visit the wrong country and thought it was Kerala?

[u/sancheta → u/Kwinten]

I did say I did not know the exact numbers and I was off. I was mixing Kochi with the entire state of Kerala. Kochi is far more Christian than the rest of the state and almost matches Hinduism. But the fact remains, one does not go to Kerala for temples. Yes, they exist, but nothing that is touristic. So many roadside "churches" in Kochi.

[u/ionagpkt → u/sancheta]

No you're wrong. I'm a Christian from Kerala and even in Kochi we're nowhere near the majority. Unless you sampled Fort Kochi area which is predominantly Christian, yes. Otherwise it's just that some pockets have more Christian population, but nowhere it's majority. And by nature Christians go to religious places more than Hindus which lead to needing more churches per sqkm than temples. And generally Christians in Kerala have economically better off than other religions and lead to more church funding.

[u/sancheta → u/ionagpkt]

You might have parsed my sentence in a different way. "Kochi is far more Christian than the rest of the state" as in percentage-wise, there are more Christians in Kochi than Kerala, NOT overall. How am I wrong? All the online stats support this view.

Once again, the actual numbers do not change the tourism allure of the area. The beach is not good and those wanting to come to India to view a different culture, will not get that sensation. Even Bali has a more evident Hindu culture than Kerala. As much as Bali is a overtouristed mess, the atmosphere is still amazing. Kerala does not have that.

[u/ionagpkt → u/sancheta]

percentage-wise, there are more Christians in Kochi than Kerala

See below map of religious spread. https://www.reddit.com/r/Kerala/s/lw8eiFQeiY

While your statement is true Kochi is no more special than most of Kerala- with majority Hinduism and secondly Christianity. In fact there are parts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Idukki are where Christians are majority with Hindus second. And in Northern Kerala entire top 2 religion trend bucks with Muslim majority.

That said you're not wrong in what you felt, Kerala is more multicultural than most of India. We have deep rooted communist political history unlike rest of India and religious secularism is a core tenet for us. So we don't do a big job of projecting a facade of Hindu culture for tourism.

If you want to experience Hinduism there are avenues here.

• Sabarimala temple opens for couple of months in a year. You can do an arduous trek through deep jungle and visit the deity. It's something people from all over South India come to Kerala for
• Resorts in Kovalam and Alleppey who don't mind charging you a pretty penny so that you can enjoy Ayurveda and Yoga
• Visit theyyam and associated folks dances in North Kerala. They're intense unlike Kathakali and has more ritualistic parts
• Guruvayoor temple- famous for Krishna worship and is beloved by every Malayali. You'll find such temples everywhere.
• Travel during Onam, the largest festival here. Visit boat races, eat Sadya- feasts of veg food, watch Pulikali and Thiruvathira dances. The festival is rooted in Hindu mythology of Vishnu avataras and Rakshasas but also celebrated in a secular manner by all.

Again your observations are probably valid, I just wanted to point out why a touristy place like Bali might project more feelings of cultural propensity.