India
India is a beautiful place with culture and colour galore unfortunately the bureaucracy makes it difficult to travel. There are various scams to avoid. The honest traveller will meet dozens of persisent and dishonest people who will use any method to attempt to make a quick dollar. The crowds are extremely difficult to navigate and just buying a train ticket will test anyone’s sanity.
- Location: Southern Asia
- Capital: New Delhi
- Climate: Varies greatly from arid desert to monsoons.
- Currency: Indian Rupee (Rs)
- Language: Hindi (English widely spoken)
- Related Link: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/india/
March 2, 2007 @ 12:42 pm
rohan said,
well.. in one way i do agree with you regarding the people are kind of money hungry. but that depends on the place you visit. with all due respect, basically india is 90% muslim and hindu. and these people are really old world,crooked and illiterate- i.e. rural india. Well if youd like to have a good vacation free from crowded places and other nuisance. visit the christian india..the 2 states of GOA and KERALA. famous beaches,massages,95% literacy and food. besides the value of the indian rupee is very very low.so with any foreign currency ..you could probably live like a kind or buy a whole town. white people are respected and treated with utmost respect. Its all in the culture..christian india is much more westernised in culture and tastes. please email me at rohanrp_143@hotmail.com if youd like to know more
July 24, 2007 @ 12:49 am
Ludose said,
You say “white people are respected and treated with utmost respect”, what about other races. I think India must be still be suffering from serious ‘Inferiority complex’. In this day and age, everyone should be respected and treated equally, not just the whites.
September 24, 2007 @ 5:32 am
Vasant said,
I do not agree with Rohan. Rohan seems to be a fundamentalist christian. How can say Hindu and Muslims of India are old crooket and illiterate and how can this kind of letters are published here?? Ask this fellow to get his facts right. Today there are more engineers, technologists and scientists in India than in any other country in the world. If majority hindus and muslims are illiterates, then how is it possible to have so many of these people. Please do not believe kinds of people like Rohan. India is still developing and soon will have good infrastructure and governance which will eliminate the problems faced by tourists.
October 16, 2007 @ 5:26 am
Pae Yu Thorne said,
Well, taking into account my personal experiences with indians. I wouldn’t even be surprised if India sanks in the reviews when it comes to tourism.
Even outside their country, it will be very hard to find an indian who has a welcoming personality or a potential good host. It is very natural for them to make business at everything, regardless of the legality issues…
India is a nice place… But with not so friendly people… I’m sure it will not be a good experience to have a holiday over there…. Sorry… Reality bites…
January 5, 2008 @ 6:23 am
sameer said,
Whoever comments whatever on india doesn’t make any differrence. Watch out for 2020 & india would be the number 1 nation in the world & people all over the world would be standing in queues outside indian embassy in their respective country to get tourist/business visas of India.
March 24, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
Mike Gupta said,
India is not the worst place to have a holiday - it THE BEST! No place on earth offers the diversity in terms of culture, cuisine, architecture, and landscapes as India. People are only trying to get money from you because they are poor and trying to survive. Ignore them and avoid the places where they reside and you’ll be fine. One can ski in the Himalayas and sunbathe on the beaches of Goa in the same trip, and it is one tenth the price of the same experience in the U.S. I have been to India four times now, each time I love it more, and I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface. No place has the energy and dynamism of this place. If your idea of a vacation is no culture, no history, eating burgers in some closed of beach resort - then you can have it.
April 27, 2008 @ 2:42 am
jd said,
i agree with ludose. most of the indians have inferiority complex. NRI’s (indians living in foreign countries) are seen and treated as semi-Gods. we (yup, im an indian too) follow the western culture in gaudy way, speaking with fake accents, ridiculing indian music even though u secretly enjoy it… etc.
well.. this is not the topic. but if u wanna see india.. visit atleast these: taj mahal (not overrated), also worth paying visit: fatehpur sikri near agra, goa (just for fun), kerala (for relaxation), udaipur in rajasthan (much better than crowded jaipur and more beautiful) and there are lots of peaceful hillstations in himachal (avoid crowded ones like simla, manali etc.) my personal favourite: chamba and chehal. try trekking to some unspoiled greenery filled spot.
Have safe and awesome travels! bye
April 27, 2008 @ 2:42 am
ERA said,
the guy with the first comment deserves a punch in the face. such racism.
April 27, 2008 @ 2:44 am
jd said,
oh! i forgot the Golden temple in Amritsar, Punjab. Go when there is very less rush. At night it looks great.. all gold surrounded by shimmering water. Very calming.
April 27, 2008 @ 6:23 am
Jack Sand said,
rohan praises GOA–a dangerous terrible place despite its beauty–there have been so many attacks on women there in the last 20 years.The police and Government do nothing to protect the tourists against scams and women against rape–not to be all doom and gloom—but any parent who reads this—don`t let your sons and daughters take their vacation there.
April 27, 2008 @ 6:23 am
sanju said,
with all due respect Pae Yu Thorne i doubt if u’ve seen India. even if you have i bet u tried to con some indian who was up to ur trick and got the better of u..ha ha ha
April 27, 2008 @ 10:58 am
Ken said,
Pae Yu said that even outside their country it would be very hard to find an Indian who has a welcoming personality or a potential good host. Well, try South Africa. There are lots of Indians there and I would describe them as indeed having those qualities. Are you judging an entire race by a few examples?
April 27, 2008 @ 11:42 am
Rakhee said,
oh yes ! Rohan ( the first guy who wrote the comment )indeed deserves a good punch on his face ! I sure agree that india has its negative sides , but which country dont ? and ofcourse it depends on where you are going and what you ask for ! if you are dumb , people will take advantage of you anywhere n this world , wont they ? Yes , Indians ( mostly shop keepers ) they can be a lot pushy and tricky ! but which shop keepers aren’t ? but i think Pae Yu Thorne should learn to accept the diversities in India , only then if at all someday to get there, you will be able to have fun in India .after all thats what most foreigners come looking for — the cultural diversity in india ! i am born in India , and raised abroad , me and my family has seen a lot of India - frm the mighty Himalayas to the serene backwaters of kerala -to the enchanting uttaranchal - to beautiful pushkar !!! my tip would be —plan well ! get yr air/train tickets n advance , stay away from the huge line of shops selling arts , instead go to govt / handicraft shops.
April 27, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
Kim Sikes said,
OK, so this location has just totally become a political platform. Get off it, and just enjoy life. One day I hope to visit here, as well…
April 27, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Joanna said,
Come on people!! What are you looking for when you visit India? My experience is limited to New Delhi and environs (including Agra) but I found the people kind and gracious and with a wild sense of humor. The shopping is great whether you are pinching pennies or money is no object. There is no end of wonderfully exotic places to visit and lots of stuff to do. Train travel is a hoot if you go 2nd or 3rd class. Great fun and a quick intro to the NOT professional or wealthy India. I will grant you that India can be intimidating for westerners but trust in God and the great good humor of the people of India and you will have a safe, wonderful, and fascinating experience. Travel in India is no harder for you than it is for the people of that lovely country. I never lacked for help, good advice, and sweet invitations to visit in private homes.
Joanna
April 27, 2008 @ 1:32 pm
Priya Dahl said,
Actually, India is a very good place to visit, yes it may be a little crowded but that’s because of India’s population, and almost every indian is friendly, yes some people may be illterate, but they are learning how to read and write, the only problem is traveling. But some cities in India are really great, like Bangalore, New Delhi, Madras, Mumbai. Okay, they actullay do try to welcome tourists, but yes some indians are a bit stuck up. But come awn 1# worst place?
lame!!!! the reason some indians have a grudge against americans and others is cuz india has been ruled by the British for a long time and indians don’t know what culture is like in the U.S. and im actually from India and have been there so DO NOT TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG!!!!!!!! and the idiot with the first comment is wrong, only 76% percent are Muslim 85% are Hindu. Trust me the only thing you’ll hate about going to India is the traveling.
April 27, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
Joanna said,
I couldn’t resist coming back - sorry. I believe some tourists/travelers might have problems with Indians because of their own behavior. I saw westerners (very often Americans, Australians, and South Africans) display shocking behavior. They were rude, overbearing, and contemptuous toward the people. Snotty comments about poverty, corruption, dirt, and “everyone is a thief” evoked aggressive responses. If you think it’s that bad, the same plane that brought you into the country will take you out of it. India is not an easy country for its people or for the visitor so if you are delicate, sensitive, easily intimidated, or just plain rude and obnoxious - try a different place because India is not for you. I also cannot understand why the devil Indians are sort of apologizing for their country and people. I found the people to be clever, intelligent, hard-working, and tough - completely admirable. I also found them more understanding, gracious, and kind than I ever would have imagined. Did anyone ever try to over-charge me? Yes. Had that ever happened to me anywhere else? Yes. India is spectacular, gorgeous, exotic and way different than the states of Europe. Where else can you step into a time machine by simply wandering down into Old Delhi or out to a tiny rural village? I fell hopelessly in love with the country and its people and plan/hope to go back for another three months.
**Again, if you are delicate, nervous, or obnoxious, save your money and your nerves and give Mother India a pass. She’s too tough for you.**
Joanna
April 27, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
ken said,
Joanna, the sad thing is that Americans tend to be nice, polite people while in their own country, but it seems that many of the travelling ones are the obnoxious ones. I think they think that their country is superior to every other, and they have to find fault to support that view. The same behavior that you observed by Americans in India, can be observed in Britain, France, and other first world countries where they travel too.
April 27, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
J5365B said,
Visited Eastern part of India (West Bengal & Assam) in March 08. I spent 2 weeks out there mostly touring the rural India where I was pretty much left alone from the rest of the world. Great food, great culture and I met people that were dirt poor but probably the happiest human beings in the entire world. Going back in Dec this year to explore Delhi and Agra for 1 week.
April 27, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
mike said,
first of all….”punch in the face”…..do u see the sad irony of those responses? Anyways… India is cool…like anyplace, had some good experiences and not so good experiences….i’d go back…..
April 27, 2008 @ 8:19 pm
Sheila said,
I strongly agree that India is a good place. The only reason that make it bad (regional actually) is the political situation in Kashmir. I badly want to go to Kashmir, the most beautiful place in the world.
June 24, 2008 @ 10:17 am
pb said,
Every place on this planet is nice in its own way. All human beings regardless of rich, poor, young or old are nice in their own respective ways. Most people in India or anywhere else are sane and they know how to treat others. Some crazy fellows can be found in every society. India is special in its own way. People might not say ‘Thank You’ every time but that does not mean that they do not mean it. Look closely and you can see the receiver nodding his head in one of the several ways to indicate ‘Thank You’. Try and ask for directions to one and several will be ready to help you out ‘Free of Charge’ (no Thank you expected). Try traveling in a train and you might be offered home made delicacies from someone you do not know and will probably never meet again. Women are respected in India in every way possible. Animals are respected in India. Families stay very close to each other. They do not have to say ‘I love you’ every day to each other. Its all understood. Overall, just like any other place in the world, India has its own good and bad. It is definitely a good place to go and relax.
July 6, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
Sachin said,
Just cannot understand this “Indian” mentality.We proud ourself when Ambani & Mittal who are Indians,comes in the top 10 list of richest people in the world but our heads never go down when people die of hunger & starvation in uttar pradesh & bihar.We never shed a single drop of tear for poor farmers of Maharashtra & Andhra pradesh commit suicide because they are unable to payback a loan of just $250.About 100000 ppl die in accidents each year in India we dont care a damn about it.
That time we are more indulged in what bollywood actors or Indian cricketers are doing.
We proud ourself with ancient culture & heritage but whats the use of it when we see people & dogs togther in garbage dump trying to find food for themself,20% of indian population sleeping hungry.
Instead of getting in this argument of claiming that India is a good place to travel we should look at realities on the ground.
The Indian posters in this forums who are claiming that India is a next force in the world & all that crap just if they get a chance to have a green card of US or a PR of any European country will never ever look back to India.
July 7, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
ron said,
“Where else can you step into a time machine by simply wandering down into Old Delhi or out to a tiny rural village? I fell hopelessly in love with the country and its people and plan/hope to go back for another three months.”
China, Japan, Italy, Greece, and any other Continetnal European country.
I visited Jaipur, and it is a shame that the Indian govt does not preserve landmarks. It lets monkeys into the landmarks.
Pathetic
July 13, 2008 @ 4:53 am
Kashif Raza said,
i just love india the people and the seaside and many more and esha deol and kareena kapoor and ajay devgan i m there fan.
July 22, 2008 @ 11:00 am
kumar said,
India is the most corrupt place on earth
August 2, 2008 @ 9:40 am
hanzo said,
yeah, corrupted, lawless, and filled with cheaters. Honest citizens are a rare sight. Local dish are great but as for local hygiene, down the drain. Crooks are everywhere because thats the only way they can survive. Overpopulated and of course not a place to be born a women.. Ask any middle - low class female, they would without a doubt tell you that.. It is said that if a daughter would fall sick, nothing would be done but when a son falls sick, they would sell their houses to cure him.. all facts.. no countries are without faults, please read up on your own country before bragging bout leading the world and stuff~cheers
August 29, 2008 @ 4:35 pm
Shannon said,
i have never been to india
August 31, 2008 @ 11:38 am
harunday bakshi said,
I would say a combination of everyone’s comments best describes India, Other countries do have faults but not to the highest level like India. I will give you an example go try to offer a bribe to a hundred police and government officials in other countries ..see how they respond. Now do the same in India. India can be best described as the asshole of the world. If one wants to experience to smell the worst stench from various piles of s hi t or indias lovely open raw sewages. Visit india
October 7, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
rohan said,
if you go to india you wanna go with someone you know. who knows the way around. you will love it. if you go by yourself - you are going to be lost and i do not believe you are going to really enjoy yourself, and find yourself swamped in a quagmire of cunnandrum. swamped in a bowl of dust and noise.
come with me next time, and u will love it.
November 3, 2008 @ 7:24 pm
melissa said,
i’ve never been to india but the prospect sits in front of me and i’m debating.
i’ve read a few things and i’m conscious of a few more. my best friend (whom i would be travelling with) is indian, from the state of punjab. he was born in the western world and has lived there all his life. only once in the past has he returned to india and he was 13 (who travels well at 13?)
reading all the above posts i do have somethings to respond to:
my friends family, and many friends i have known through out my life who were indian were very gracious and wonderful people. they usually were quite sweet. that being said i have experienced “reverse racism” (i’m caucasian) with some of his less immediate family but definitely with the family who visits from delhi.
most of my friends family is very well-to-do and yes there is a keeping up with the jones mentality. but liken it to a poor kid who wins the lottery… wouldn’t you want everything you couldn’t afford previously?
i’m painfully aware of the issues women face in india (and other developing worlds) and that is a main issue i have with travelling there. i have travelled to europe 2 times and i was alone both times, but never felt fear. i worry i won’t be able to travel out of my hotel by myself. at least in some areas.
and i agree with the previous poster that stated that india isn’t the only country with big city and provincial charm all rolled into once. i spent 3 weeks in greece and 3 weeks in italy and the old traditions are still very much kept alive in the smaller towns. most tourists only go to the big cities and miss out on the beauty that is the small town “rustics”
i’m still quite undecided as to whether to join in the indian adventure or not… any suggestions?
November 10, 2008 @ 3:17 am
Raaj said,
Dakka
December 25, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
coolguy said,
Lolz……. India has been promoting tourism by showing so many wonderful ads with nice music and that “exotic” touch. Most westerners believe indian girls to resemble the ones they see in indian movies and india to be exotic and beautiful. The reality is so much further from the truth. First of all, from the pictures I have seen and my friends who have been there, its a dirty and very filthy with rats, bugs, cockroaches everywhere. Corruption is rampant and there is almost no place like the ones they show in their movies. Also, only 0.001% of indian girls are as “exotic” and beautiful as they show in their movies. For proof you can see indian girls living abroad. While india does have some culturally fantastic things, I think they should tone down their tourism promotion a little as it only takes a couple of picture searches on the web or reading a few tourism forums to know what exactly is the country like.
April 30, 2009 @ 11:13 am
Crazy said,
For coolguy-but 1oo% indians have a huge dick.Wanna prøöf sent you mother their u sick
May 15, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
shallowindians said,
I own retail shops and I have first hand experience with India Indians.
99% of them can’t talk in a gentle manner. They love to shout their lungs out.
They ar demanding, loves to argue, want everything their own ways. Some of them who are cheats and have the intention to cheat are the worse.
They will target shops when its busy and when there’s one sales person attending the shop. They will pick and choose their items, then probably change
their mind about the items and ask for other things, making the queue jam, and yet they will make things so difficult and when they have purchase their good and left and after you have finish serving the rest in the queue. Then you realise that you have undercharge the the Indians and its already too late.
This has been happening in my shop for two to three times and I really have enough of them. During busy hours I have 3 staffs in the shop and also CCTV
installed. At least, if there is cheats or cons , we can assist the police by summiting their photos captured on the CCTV.
My another experience is when I’m on cruise . I don’t understand why they are so unhygenic. They pick cookies and muffins with bare hands look at it then
chuck it back on the plate if they don’t want it.
Rented my condo unit to an Indian Professional, a doctor. He and his wife lives
in my condo. 3 months later I took the unit back and return their deposit.
My unit stench of urine in the living room and bed room!! Lucky my floor was not carpeted! The place was so filthy with mouldy bread, unwash clothes strewn
all over the floor even feaces found in the room too!!! OMG!! croackroaches,fruit flies and EEwwww…its so disgusting that I have to hire profesisonal cleaners to clean the whole unit and disinfect the entire unit throughly. Even the walls from
beige colour turns dirty grey with lots of goos on the wall!! Ya. re-paint it too.
I really have enough and I don’t want to have anything to do with these people anymore.
These india Indians that I mention are not of middle class but of upper class
India Indians. Educated, rich but eewwww…tsk tsk…sigh…disgusting..
Even friends who are Stewards and Stewardess has got many horrible stories to
tell after working on flights to India and back.
India is a beautiful country. I wanted to go there for holidays. Especially, Himalayas but after having so much bad experience I’ve changed my mind
about it. South Africa is beautiful . I love Jo’burg Suncity and Capetown too. I’m
looking forward for another trip to Africa.
June 25, 2009 @ 12:04 am
Indian said,
Christains are dangerous fellows.. CHristianity is the cruel religion that practised inquisition
July 18, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
How do we know said,
Wow! This place is full of India haters. Some of them very specific, and some of them very untrue.
India, like all places, has its good and bad. Like most places, tourist guides will try and overcharge you. Unlike most places, if you just step aside and ask someone on the street for help, they will go out of their way for you. There are good people and not so good people. The trick is to tell the difference. However, the first thing you need to brace for is that there are A LOT OF people. Everywhere. Its the second most populous country in the world!
What India offers is amazing diversity. no matter what your interst, or what the season of arrival, there will be something to do in India.
Lets do this the pros and cons way.
The Pros:
1. Warm people in general.
2. Amazing diversity of things to do, see, landscapes et al in every season.
3. Really old civilisation - therefore, no dearth of cuisine, culture, monuments et al. Lots to do and lots to see.
4. Most tourist places are well connected by air. Luxury trains available. Accessibility not an issue.
5. Standard access charges to most tourist interest places. Pre Paid cabs available at most airports and train stations.
6. English is very widely understood.
7. Package tours available by international vendors, so you dont have to depend on an Indian tourism service provider.
8. Really, really cheap shopping.
The Cons:
1. Too many people, wherever you go.
2. The general level of hygiene around, if you are traveling from Europe, US/Canada, SE Asia or the Middle East. Other places are likely to not find it so difficult here.
3. Differential access charges at monuments for foreign and Indian tourists. That can feel very mean.
4. The general attitude of local service providers to “cheat” (balanced out by the general Indian’s intention to not let any tourist- Indian or otherwise, be cheated) If you talk to the locals, you will find some really good deals, and they will tie them up for you. just get talking to the local Indian tourists. it helps.
Some tips for traveling to India:
1. Come well prepared for all seasons. India sees summer and winter at different places at the same time. So when its scorching 40 degrees in Delhi or Mumbai (where most tourists land), it will be a happily freezing Kashmir that you enter.
2. Leave space in your bags for shopping.
3. Talk to the locals. preferably people of your own gender. NOT your travel agents, the other locals. If your hotel is booked, talk to the front desk, then talk to other guests at the hotel.
4. Come prepaid as much as possible. Book a package trip and ensure that your stay and local commute is covered in the package.
5. Drink only mineral water. Do not eat at a place you are not sure of. Carry Granola bars or biscuits.
6. Some Organisations arrange trips that are escorted by a local. Try and grab those.
7. If you have friends in India, stay with them, or ask them for advise. Even otherwise, ask people for advice through online fora and they will help.
July 21, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
harmony said,
I just returned from a 10 day trip to India; My personal view is that India isn’t a place for leasure or holiday. It is lawless, hot, humid, and very very dirty country. There are many dishonest people in the big cities. The trafic is lawless and horrible. Ordinary citizen is rude and raw in behavior. Weather is extremely hot. Not public service.
It was a nightmare.
July 29, 2009 @ 5:26 am
Muller said,
I have just visited India and China I found them to be a very imposing and appealing countries.The problem lies in the fact their civilizations started in thousands of BCs while ours is quite new and nascent.These nations have stood to the test and wither of time while we are just new born babies.
As far as India is concerned ,it has 1.2 billion people of which 250 million are poor and majority of those poor people appear to live in cities.Indian cities are like two sides of a coin:majority is like Tokyo or Seoul while a part is congested and dirty but the coincidence is that most of the interesting places lie in these dirty parts and a tourist spend its 90% time there and presumes that this is all about India.
You should suck in the most of India because it is the only place of its type on earth ,who know that on my next visit,that Old Delhi gets lost in the winds of Western Golden Standards of living which is so boring and monotonous .
July 29, 2009 @ 10:11 am
Sudeep said,
what is good in New India ==> nothing
what is worst in India ==> all
what was good in Old India ==> all
what is worst Old India ==> nothing
August 2, 2009 @ 4:30 am
Amanda said,
Lolz Crazy!!was reading the posts..and it cracked me up!hahaha..oh well, India has a massive potential as a country like any other country. Wot’s really bothering is the personal hygiene of this people, i dunno but maybe because of wot they eat? and yes they have this irritating attitude that they feel so highly of themselves even in England and in Dubai. Which is too funny! And the accent!Good lord! Its really difficult to understand when they talk, and they get angry when you ask them like..”pardon?”..like their tongues are all curled up.
And i got a friend who went in India, he said it’s a total nightmare especially when it rains..not good to stay outside..coz the smell of the city is stinking horrible..smell of poops. And he explained basically coz there’s not too many toilets..so people get to do their waste in the streets. Jeez!
August 6, 2009 @ 11:23 am
Aarun said,
It was good reading the posts, This not only says about India, but the mind of people from various continents.
Some Good and Some bad. I echo the words of Donna.
My suggestion is
If you want a hygienic, sophisticated, royal environment everywhere as you see in your own country, please do not go to India, plan a vacation to some local spots in your country or some other well developed countries.
But if you need to see a mixture of the cultural, religious stuffs, India is the best option. You can explore and experiment the mixed culture, a variety of cuisine…
Please do not stick to a religion and travel.
If you can get down and speak to the local public, you’ll be welcomed by everyone. Before shopping get the help of the local tourists and the local public people (Not the vendors or the tourist guides).
Ask them the local value of the goods and if you feel the person is trust-able, request them to buy the product for you.
If you are stuck up with something, please speak to the local public people, instead of the service providers.
For transportation, make use of online bookings as much as possible. I personally advice the online reservations (particularly for trains) if your are visiting a place for the first time.
If you are not good in communicating, you can plan your trip in South India as you can get some people who understands the foreign accent of English.
If you want a place without much crowd and to spend your private life, you need to explore more before planning your trip. My suggestion would be Havelock island in Andhaman.
I accept that money plays a vital role. But a simple smile and some sweet words can buy many things in this world that even money can’t.
India is not an exception.
August 26, 2009 @ 6:42 am
Andrew said,
How a guy can say those words about INDIA…the guy commented on the top is truly a racist…I am an American and visited India several time…I had never find such thing anywhere in India…
I am truly amazed with the culture…diversity and the people they are really helping…I never had a feeling that I am visiting some new place during my visit…the hospitality i got in India…truly admirable…
September 6, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
Hillary said,
Westerners visiting India immediately notice a vast cultural difference. In the West you’d never see 5 persons on a motor cycle, or people stooping at the roadside to defaecate. For christ sake, civilized people train their children at a young age to use the toilet at home, why don’t indians potty train their kids??
People eat with their hands, shopping is done in little hole-in-the-wall stores and roadside markets. Cheapness is more important in India than quality.
Women are treated poorly, a liability settled by dowry, and female infanticide is rampant.
India is only now starting to catch up to the West. Indians need to embrace modern values and put aside their cultural baggage of the past.
September 21, 2009 @ 12:36 am
Norman Bates said,
India is the toilet of the world. The people are the worst in the world. They are dirty, dishonest, self-centred, corrupt, diseased and have the worst manners in the world. I would not holiday there again if I was offered gold bars. I would rather saw my own leg off with a rusty hack-saw than return to India. In fact I saw a lot of people with no limbs in India, this is because they are so poor they actually eat themselves. The sooner that all tourism to India is forbidden by governments worldwide the better.
September 26, 2009 @ 7:46 am
mangal said,
these people like hillary and norman are poor people,have not seen the upper class people and society,and have not mingle with good people,due to non availablity of money they might have been screwed by the indian.norman ask your country to keep 10 percent of our population ,your country will become place of shit
September 27, 2009 @ 5:59 am
Norman Bates said,
Thanks ‘mangal’ for your feedback. I agree, 90% of Indians are so poor that they cannot afford education, health or personal hygiene. This is a sad situation, created by corruption and inequality. The super-rich sip champagne and eat well while over 1 billion people starve and sleep on the streets. I am from the U.K. and unfortunately 10% of Indians and Pakistanis have moved in, creating ghetto’s and ‘little India’s and little Pakistans’; as a result the U.K. is fast going down the plughole. I left the U.K. for Switzerland five years ago and never looked back. India is the first toilet of the world, the U.K. and Pakistan are joint second. I hope this helps. regards, Norman.
September 27, 2009 @ 10:22 am
Jeannie Gravins said,
I stayed in India travelling for 6 months 2005/06. India is not a comfortable travel experience .It is a total shock to the western system in more ways than one.There were times i felt like i was in heaven then other times in hell.
However, despite all its faults (of which there are many)…India was culturally so different to anything i had ever experienced …i loved it! I got used to the poverty and all that goes with it .i believ that the people are no different from anywhere on the globe …there’s just a lot of them.
The only time i ever felt threatened was in Kashmir…i never want to go back there again…lots and lots of cheating and houseboat scams.
October 1, 2009 @ 9:46 am
eraser said,
lol few comments made me laugh serously people you need some education and must stop wasting webspace. for example there is this guy named rohan or something (well sounds hindu to me) is so ignorant that he needs to be educated ASAP. my personal experience says india is terrible but it’s terrible all over, everywhere.. yeah you fuckin’ kerela shit and goa too. i’ve been places and studied bible and i can tell you christianity is not at all civilized (read bible if you don’t belive me) and kerela is so substandard from substandard education to infrastructure, people are dirty and ignorant that you can’t exactly call it western you know. now lets take goa well apart from portuguese infrastructure there nothing that these filthy indians made so shut the fuck up you curry eater.
October 12, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
mimi said,
Indis is disgusting, filthy and backward…
November 12, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
david said,
i think india is the world’s toilte—-plz dont mind indians but its a fact
December 12, 2009 @ 1:50 am
Aussie said,
India is filthy! The level of hygiene is just unbearable. I have been there, and believe it or not, me and my friends got food poisoning from drinking and eating there. You can see rats, roaches all around. Lets not even talk about the people. Most of them are very ill mannered and dishonest. I would never return to that place ever again.
To the guy who wrote:
“Watch out for 2020 & india would be the number 1 nation in the world & people all over the world would be standing in queues outside indian embassy in their respective country to get tourist/business visas of India.”
Congratulations, That’s the best joke of the century! Go fuck yourself!
December 22, 2009 @ 1:31 am
Norman Bates said,
Update on India:
A friend of mine has just returned from what was to be a holiday of a lifetime. However during travel on an overnight train from Delhi to Calcutta he was drugged by drinking a bottle of ’spiked’ diet Pepsi cola.
When he awoke he was in his 1st class train compartment, and in terrible pain. He noticed that he was lying on a bloody sheet and that he was connected to a make-shift saline drip, but the room was empty.
Staggering to his feet in agony he felt his lower back flank and felt what was crude medical stitches. Positioning himself sideways and glancing at his reflection on the wardrobe mirror he feared the worst. This was a case of human organ theft to order. His left kidney, he suspected, had been stolen.
After checking-in to the best Calcutta hospital he could find, and following a scan, his suspicions were confirmed:He had lost a kidney. The Indian Doctor, gave him tranquillisers to help numb the mental anguish and did him the favour of disinfecting and re-stitching the wound.
My friend returned to Holland where he was again treated for wound infection and trauma to the renal area and began a series of powerful antibiotics because it was feared that the medical procedure had been performed with unsterlised scalpels and medical instruments.
Dutch Doctors suggested that the jerky and zig-zag shape of the wound was due to the spasmodic motion of Indian train travel, and that operating-theatres are normally motionless and sterile.
This is a warning to all who travel to India, particularly those who travel alone. Take good care of your organs and avoid accepting soft drinks from Indian strangers on the Delhi-Calcutta express.
January 9, 2010 @ 6:52 pm
JC said,
Norman Bates, Eraser and many like them … are so frustrated that we Indians are making huge strides economically… and getting all the best Global jobs, while unemployment in their countries rise and their economies collapse!!
Guys, stop posting comments and go do some serious studies, dudes! Or you and your children will be starving … or cleaning Indian shit… while we take up all your best jobs. Lol lol lol…
February 4, 2010 @ 10:29 am
Feldstein82 said,
hi this is ron from seattle…………visited india about a year ago.great place,great great great food(cant forget biriyani,chole curry,lasi drink) ,warm and helpful people and all the colors.Aussie and Norman Bates,i dont know if india caused u any personal trauma or if indians really like your wives,but u hav to be a sick moron to hate india
March 10, 2010 @ 6:44 am
Nishant said,
I don’t understand what inferiority complex they are talking about. In fact Indians are giving complex to all other nations be it our software professionals those are grabbing their jobs or our super saver Gujju, Marwadi or Panjabies those are better rich then the local citizen (Ausies could not digest this race to be richer then them)
.
As far as behavior is concerned con men are everywhere on this earth including India. All over the world in every tourist place you find some of them as these are the best place for them to operate.
You can not compare India with any one country in this world because its huge & versatile.
In Europe there are countries like Ukrain & Romania as well so if you are planning for India plan it considering in mind that it’s not just a country or culture but a very large landscape with diverse culture & consists the second largest population of this world, naturally you will find all class & kind of people
& they will not harm you for your skin color or race……………………….
March 12, 2010 @ 10:56 am
vikas said,
I agree people in India are making a quick buck around every tourist spot, may be unlike people in Spain (Food Costing Euro 50 unlike most countryside of Euro10) or in UK (Coke at £3 outside Madam Tusaudds, unlike 30pence in a Tesco). Stop fooling yourself, Tourist spots are about convenience and not about penny pinching. Further, people who make bad comments, mostly live out of their posh complexes in Europe or United Kingdom, almost forgetting their country’s infrastructure was built on Loot and slaves coming from there. (2 Million Indians in South Africa (Diamond and gold mining), 1 Million in Nigeria Uganda kenya (Oil and precious metals), 3 Million in UK (uptil 1970s building roads, factories etc) The hard core skills have been all learnt there and executed here by the same people. Bribe, corruption, dirt, poverty, guys atleast stop making money out of these documentaries first, before cursing the rising sun. The world is shifting east and start respecting it early, only otherwise at your own peril 25 years hence.
March 31, 2010 @ 9:46 am
Ahmed Khalifa El Nasr said,
I have been to Kerala for 2 weeks. So beautiful and very friendly people.
I have never seen people giving their seats in the bus for a foreigner like me.
April 15, 2010 @ 6:17 am
Rahul said,
What a boring discussion. endless and tiresome. People want to come, people dont want to come. Perceptions overblown!
Incidentally some statistics put the number of tourist visiting India at Rs. 5.86 million in 2008. I do not know how many countries hold that kind of domestic population. Wow, is India a generous host! I cant see many countries having infrastructure enough to accomadate that lot.
Lets bite some more. Almost 30% of those visiting India were from UK or USA.
Almost 60% of those visiting India considered their experience good or very good. Some tourists do like “Dirty” Indians!! Almost 20% of these tourists were on a second visit.
Now some people also consider racism as an integral part of Indian tourism. Some statistics for them too.. People who visited India travelled irrespective of the religious inclinations.
And for those who can really take any more just go through the Ministry of tourism annual reports and find out how many developing country governments earn that kind of money through tourism.
Most statistics available on Minitry of Tourism Website.
But who cares!
I am just back from some camping, rafting, rappeling and amazing water sports from Rishikesh and my bones ache from typing for a group of “no travellers”.
I should rather be planning my next trip .
Guys, wish me…. Bon Voyage!!! Meet you in Sunderban soon!!!
April 23, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
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April 24, 2010 @ 9:27 am
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May 30, 2010 @ 7:59 am
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July 21, 2010 @ 7:33 am
Ashush Lele said,
To Norman Bates ,
You fucking Brit, you are the most corrupted, unethical bustards. For this reason every time I visit, I fuck white women, so far 47 of them. Because I hate whites in UK. Brit came to India to do business and unethically rules India and stole everything from India. You are no longer a super power. Your economy is not even 10% of Indians. My cook is a white lady. You fucking UK whites are already cleaning Indian toilet. You Steel company Corus is now owned by Indian. You Rover and Jaguar is now owned by Indian. It is a matter of time when your country will be just as poor as India now and India will be the shinning country. UK’s basic policy is to divide and rule. They are the racist of the century. They fuck their sisters and Moms. How would you understand what is to be poor and how can you respect a human life. The world has so many problems and instead of telling so sense you just open your mouth full of sheet to spread hatred. UK should be disremembered from this earth.
Fuck you UK and Norman Bates. Since you can’t satisfy your wife. send her I can help her and also your daughter and Mom. I have to cover my face with a towel while fucking them though, since they stink and never clean their dirty ass. They use paper towels to clean their ass.
July 26, 2010 @ 9:46 am
Ravi said,
little knowledge is dangerous…….its what is happening with most Firangs writing about India,agreed that India is plagued with widespraed corruption,powerty and ignorance,but how many of the brits writing here knows the number of homeless in UK,(supposedly one the top 5 developed nations of the world)?,At least 47,000 adult women are raped every year in the UK.with a conviction rate of less than 6%,hozzthat for a learned nation?is the so called white community proud of introducing apartheid?how about Australia treating the Aboriginal people?,or the racist attacks on indians?or the number of white old men travelling from all developed nations to india and south east asia for sex tourism?special mention of mr.Norman Bates here……….i dont hate you ,i just pity you,you are a misearble soul and definitely need some help.are you in your senses to write that “you saw people eating themselves?”but worst of all are all fellow indian here who are writing disgusting things about India,
July 26, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
Praveen said,
Indian born or a tourist, I guess a certain kind of spiritual maturity, ability to appreciate different cultures and ability to look beyond what seems on the surface is required to enjoy India completely. The diversity is well known, so wont harp on that. I’m from India and have travelled around a lot and in general, have noticed that people who are well travelled, intellectual and having broader based outlooks in their life tend to truly appreciate what India offers. The superficial folks are the ones who just skim the surface and make random passes…
July 29, 2010 @ 2:20 am
hamsky said,
i have been in india for two years now, not withstanding india could be a good place to visit bcos of dere diverse culture n more but probably not a good place to stay not talk of study or work, cos of the lies racism dishonesty hatred n so much more. its just very unfurnate to find out that india is not truely wat is as seen from the outside world. think critically as an indian and truely ask yourself whether or not you can trust a fellow indian from a diff caste or culture i guess the answer would be a silent no but why n den u say deres no inferiority complex. all the threads written by indians here explains the degree of egocentrism posessed by indians, u can’tpunch my face for saying the right thing but u can only sit down n reevaluate wat i have just written dats even if u can do away with ur indian ego for a few minutes. the true indians are d ones abroad cos i find them to b quite frendly and nice….