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/bredbuttgem]

I really wish you all would come down to South India. The golden triangle region is so overhyped. 

You'll see the most beautiful temples (way more ancient than the Taj Mahal, and really well preserved) - in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. You'll see the most beautiful forests and backwaters in Kerala and Karnataka. You'll get mind-blowing food in Tamil Nadu. You get beautiful beaches along the western coast - Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. You'll get the best fish curries in Kerala and South Karnataka. 

The western ghats are amongst the most unique regions in terms of biodiversity and you have a lot of small and private nature hotels that will organise forest treks. You can go to wildlife sanctuaries as well. Plus there are multiple hilly areas you can visit. 

In Karnataka, you have Hampi and the surrounding region for ancient architecture. In Tamil Nadu, there are so many temples - Chidambaram, Madurai, kanchipuram, Tanjore, Kanyakumari, etc.

As these states are relatively more developed compared to the north, you have decent highways, good hotels, nicer people, and cleaner cities & towns. 

[u/kobeburner → u/bredbuttgem]

Thank you for sharing this. I like to read other perspectives even if they differ from mine.

I really wanted to visit Kerala but didn’t have enough time for this trip. So, that’ll be a distant future vacation. What are some great beach destinations down there? I live in Southern California so my standards are high in that regard.

[u/bredbuttgem → u/kobeburner]

Goa has a lot of beaches, but most of them are now overcrowded and full of shacks with a ton of tourists. There are quieter beaches on the southern side of Goa. Goa also has a lot more than just the beach culture - if you ever happen to be in India during the monsoons, and if you like rain, you should definitely explore the forests, the old Portugese churches and the islands in Goa. 

Kerala also has a few decent beaches but again, they're crowded.. places like varkala. Kerala has amazing backwaters though and beautiful sanctuaries, tea estates. 

As a South Indian, I feel extremely disappointed with how the idea of India is entirely north-centric - right from the food, the culture, and the popular travel areas. India is incredibly diverse, and the 5 southern states are so unique and offer a completely different experience to the north. 

Just to give you an idea - southern states do not usually eat wheat based products (though these are more commonly available now) - our food is rice centric. South also has a strong meat eating culture. Infact, Kerala has amazing beef curry and beef biryani, interior tamil nadu has rabbit, turkey, duck and other water fowl, quail, mutton, etc.