any anons been to india? please share your experiences in this

>have a bit of culture shock
>people are nice if they're educated and you know someone who knows them
>Hanging out no the streets is a bit like a zombie film
>nice bars
>good food tho have the poos
>nice trip

/pol/ go back

I want to go to India too lol india is the place of enlightenment and discovery...... Beautiful place......

>middle age lower middle class dudes a shit
>young and old dudes are cool
>lost weight because of sickness and constantly losing appetite because of designated streets
>also couldn't find a dish I liked enough to order again
>cool steampunk vibe in big cities
>impressive historical buildings
>vain enough to enjoy taking pictures with random people because I'm white
>cheap as hell and could buy my way out of most troubles

I mostly just like how chaotic the place is. It hardly functions as a society and yet the people don't descend into anarchy because they're mostly alright folks.

>>1256789
This is kind of why I'm interested in going, I want to go to a place that seems like another world. But I'm not sure if India would be too crazy.

>>1256821
It's not too crazy. It took a few days to adjust and figure out who was trying to rip me off and who wasn't (didn't help that I went immediately from the airport into a travel agency scammer's office.) After a couple of weeks I began to be able to tell who was actually cool, who was trying to use me but was fun enough to keep around, and who I needed to tell to fuck off. Granted I was in the north, I hear the south is a big more packed and crazy.

>>1256833
I guess there is a chance of that everywhere, and at least in India it's usually just scams and not violent, right? And even if they scam you it probably won't be for much.

What states/cities did you like and any advice on how best to avoid sickness?

File: 20160525_194209.jpg (2MB, 2322x4128px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 2322x4128px

>>1256853
There were only a few times in Delhi where I thought there was a chance I would be physically harmed but really they're just not a violent bunch. You'll have to read up on scams, there's a lot of them. Me and a friend got duped by a taxi who picked us up from the airport. He said Muslim protests had closed down most of the city and he took us to a travel agent who offered a very expensive package to help us out of the city and to the north. Met a British dude (they told him festivals closed the city down) who had his card on the table before we all said fuck it and just flagged down a tuk-tuk (then overpaid him by ~%300.) Also got my debit card info stolen from an ATM in Agra, they got $300 from me before I shut down the card but my friend lost $1600, draining the card. Then a bunch of little scams here and there.

I really liked Delhi, most backpackers said they hated it but I really dug its crazy dystopian vibe. Jaipur had cool history stuff. I spent time in various Himalayan towns but none really stood out, they were just cool because of the nature around them. As for avoiding sickness, my mistake was I trusted filtered water. Only trust bottled shit, it's too cheap to risk anything else. I have friends who stayed for longer than I did who said to bite the bullet and drink the water and eat the street food early on so you build resistance. Fuck that noise, though.

If I went again I'd probably stay in the south. I live in a mountain area so the north just wasn't as interesting to me.

>>1256332
going in one months and 12 days

can't fucking wait

I am going to varanasi-sarnath-agra-delhi

what I am up for?

File: 103071.jpg (36KB, 439x440px) Image search: [Google]

36KB, 439x440px

>>1256866
>As for avoiding sickness, my mistake was I trusted filtered water. Only trust bottled shit, it's too cheap to risk anything else.
I've heard that even bottled water can be hard to trust.

Apparently some shops will actually collect empty bottles of known brands, refill them with regular tap water, and re-seal the caps.

I plan on bringing my own filter, like pic related.

>>1256867
lol why are you going in july

>>1256332
how do indian girls like americans?
i used to live in seattle and may have developed a thing for poos
i'm not even white btw

>>1256987
A lot of them are pretty traditional and won't even consider a relationship with a foreigner.

>>1257015
Plus he just admitted he's not white. His chances would be even lower.

>>1256853
>And even if they scam you it probably won't be for much.
Only if it involves food, souvenirs, and road transportation.

Hotel scams (the ones that tell you the road to your booked hotel is blocked by protests and insists on taking you to a closer hotel) can hit pretty hard.

>>1257026
seems like a pretty obvious scam

>>1256964
You probably don't have to be that paranoid about it. There's kiosks everywhere that sale a bunch of packaged shit along with the water. In tourist spots you'll see dudes walking around selling water, they're the ones who will reseal it.
>>1257041
When I got the scam tried on me the taxi driver called ahead and had dudes put big police barriers on a street near my hotel. Was pretty clever really.

>Hotel scams

>Arrive at railway station in Agra
>Have a hotel in mind through research
>Tuk Tuk driver tells us that's on the other end of the city and he won't go there this time of night.
>Takes us to another hotel, saying it's as good and as cheap
>Looks shit. Tell front desk we don't want a room and that we'll try elsewhere.
>Head out. All the tuk tuk drivers in the city seem to have gathered there. They try to stop us from leaving.
>Actually getting physical, trying to push us back into the hotel
>Tell them I refuse to stay in the hotel and ask if anyone is prepared to drive me to the hotel I wanted. They all decline.
>Tell them I'll walk across the city if I have to, as a point of principle.
>Eventually a cool old Muslim dude (he had an Allah symbol in his tuk tuk) says he'll drive me. The others are calling him the Indian equivalent of a scab.
>As we're pulling away a young tuk tuk driver says he hopes we don't tell anyone back home about what happened and that they need tourists to feed their families.

The other hotel was only 5 minutes away.
Many similar stories. India is full of scams and scammers. You'll pay 10 times the prices an Indian will pay and it's all just infuriating. They treat you like an idiot trying to make money off you and I hated it.

At end of my trip I was just walking into people (the average Indian is very short) who jumped in my way with yet another scam or item to sell and curtly telling them to fuck off.

>>1257071
Did you travel by yourself? I did, for a month (originally planned 90 days, LOL). I cut it short because the constant harassment was just too much. I've always thought, though, that maybe it's easier to do with someone else since that deflects some of the attention; also, you have someone to bitch to about it.

>>1257078
yeah it's isolating as shit by yourself, I like India but I need to be able to chat with a good friend from time to time to counteract all the bullshit

>>1256867
Varanasi is flippin' outstanding. I "came of age" there, many years ago (oldfag). Met some very good people. Did acid for the first time.

Agra is a shithole in comparison. Scammers descend on you like locusts.

See this short video. It will tell you anything you need to know http://boingboing.net/2017/05/26/beautiful-short-film-explores.html

>>1256332
It's not my cup of coffee to say it like this. Too much dirt, poverty and annoying scammers everywhere even the hotel staff.
Planned to stay there for 3 weeks during my RTW trip, noped the fuck out of there after 3 day and flew out via madrid to Cuba to drink rum and smoke cigars for 14 days before going back to Mumbai to continue my trip.
It's actually the first time I ever noped out of a country. I even enjoyed my time in Ivory Coast and Ethiopia.

The problem with the scammers is you start to believe everyone has an ulterior motive, and your interactions with people start to reflect that. You're constantly on guard, and paranoid, wondering what someone who may just be friendly and saying hello wants from you.

I'm not one for using travel to just sit on a beach and just relax but constantly being on edge, wondering what the next attempt at a scam is going to be, looking out for lies etc is really draining. And seeing the way women are treated makes me want to say I'd never take a girlfriend/wife/daughter to India.

Where's Delhibro when you need him ?

Landing in Pune on the 8th. I'm wondering about the currency limit though.

This is what it says on the website.

"There is no limit to bring foreign exchange in India from the US. However, the aggregate value of foreign currency notes in excess of USD 5000 or equivalent and the aggregate value of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes or traveller's cheques in excess of USD 10,000 or its equivalent must be declared to the customs."

Does this mean I have to declare if I'm bringing more than 5k USD in cash or 10k USD in cash? It's a little confusing.

>>1257537
>>1257537

wew

>>1257588

Honestly, it's pretty straightforward.

If you're bringing in more than $5,000 - or the equivalent of $5000 - in cash, you need to declare it to customs.

If you're bringing in more than $10,000 in "foreign exchange" - bank notes, traveler's checks, or cash - then you have to declare that, too.

So you can bring $7,000 in traveler's checks and not to have to declare them, but any amount of cash over $5,000 needs to be declared.

>>1257590
Thank you! What does it mean to "declare" this money? That I have it and that I'm traveling with it? That's it?

>>1257593

Before landing in India, you'll be given a customs declaration form which will ask you a series of questions.

Among them will be simple, identifying information, like your full name, passport number, and flight itinerary.

You'll also have to answer a couple of questions about whether you're importing any electronics or if you have more than a certain amount of cash on hand.

If you answer "yes," you'll probably be asked additional questions at immigration or be asked to go to a customs declaration post inside the airport and prior to final security check.

Make sure you save ever boarding pass you for each connecting flight, by the way - the second time I was in India, a customs agent made me spend ten minutes rooting through my bag to find a ticket for some short ass connection I'd had a day and a half earlier.

>>1257598
Ok thanks for the info I'll keep it all on my persons! Do you know what/where the safest location is to exchange 5k+ USD into INR? Will the airport be able to do that?

>>1257660
>Do you know what/where the safest location is to exchange 5k+ USD into INR? Will the airport be able to do that?
The currency exchange services in the airport is probably the safest place to do that kind of thing.

You do not want to be showing off large sums of money in public areas, and you're more likely to get ripped off outside of the airport.

>>1257664
Alright cool. Hopefully they can exchange the amount I need. I'm guessing they charge a fee if I have to use my debit card so bringing cash would be best I suppose.

>>1257666
>I'm guessing they charge a fee if I have to use my debit card
And even then, that's still cheaper than the ripoff rates outside of the airport.

>>1257664
Some bad advice here. The airports always have ripoff exchange rates.
You can exchange in a bank. It's not like you need $5000 in a day, exchange in parts whenever you need.

>>1257469
You are not losing much by not talking to anyone. At most they will say Hello and ask where you are from, not very exciting.
I never encountered any scams in India, maybe because I am knowledgeable enough not to take taxi in Delhi airport because there is a metro station right there that will get you to city center in 20 minutes for only 60 Rs?

You dumb fucking faggots stfu and listen India is unique you'll find the best of the world here in terms of hotels, food and culture. And no it's not just for elite or royals anyone can access all these luxuries by paying normal rate.

Exchange your $$ at airport or banks, they both offer same rate. Stop spreading lies about the rate difference, there's hardly any.

If u want a better exchange rate go to the small shops but don't exchange a big amount.

White guys do have an edge here with educated urban chicks but not as much as you'd have in Thailand or other Asian countries. Try Tinder my only dates have been through tinder.

Im south indian and some of you idiots really need to visit the south. I doubt your gullible asses would be harassed or scammed as badly as you are in the north. But sadly no one does outside of kerala and goa.

Even I would never go to varanasi, I feel too many who visit india are some semi hippy type people. Sometimes it feels like the type of people who visit thailand/SEA for the sex tourism. Like come on man, be normal.

>>1257682
Don't listen to this guy.

This is the typical nice-guy act you see from Indians so they can trick you into their own scams.

>>1257682
>India
>for sex tourism
This does not happen, and for good reason.

>>1257674
I do need 5000 in a day. Is there a limit at the bank?

>>1256332
All the Indians that I know here in America are great, it's hard to believe that India is such a shit country.

Anyone know anything about buying vehicles in India? I want to buy a cheap car/van there and travel all the way to Nepal from the south

>>1257853

Seriously?

Most Indians living in the United States came in the 1990s and 21st Century after being selected for job placements or study opportunities.

While they might not be their country's economic or intellectual elite, they still possess talents and capabilities which place them near the top in regards to productivity. It's not as if we're loading up airplanes and stocking the workforce with Bihari tribals or Bangalore auto-rickshaw drivers.


>>1257707

You're an idiot.


>>1257660

Why are you bringing $5,000 into India? Whenever I travel there, I just use my debit card for withdrawals. I don't know who you bank with, but I use my university's credit union, which only charges $1 per non-Co-Op transaction no matter where you are in the world.

Bringing that much cash will make you a target at worst and cause you to stress at the least.

Also, the airport has bad exchange rates. I can't help you as much with the best place to go, because I never bring large sums of cash into India with me.

However, the few times I've changed $50-$100 at the airport, I was given rates which mirror what the exchange rate was 5 or 10 years ago. You have the potential to lose up to 15% of your total cash amount.

>>1257469

There's a certain level of truth behind that.

I was constantly on guard during my first visit to India, because I was there with my Delhiite ex-girlfriend. Everybody either seemed to be trying to pull a scam, harassing her, or asking lewd and inappropriate questions when one of our backs was turned.

I had far fewer problems on my subsequent visits to India, especially when I rented an apartment in a residential area (rather than staying in a seedy Paharganj hotel). I was left alone by ordinary people, aside from the occasional friendly comments. The paan-wala near my place would let me buy things on a trust credit, and I had shopkeepers chasing me down the road after I forgot to take my change.

>>1257469
>>1257861

Anyway, I think it's important for travelers to India to not be too trusting, especially when arriving for the first time.

Once you've gotten the feel for the place - which may take a couple weeks - it becomes much easier to parse out who's a scammer or tout from folks who have honest intentions. Ordinary Indians won't follow you down the road and ask where you bought your shoes before inviting you to have tea at their uncle's carpet shop.

I've seen a lot of Westerners get boned or sold overpriced clothes and tours because they forgot that, while they might be on vacation, they're in an ordinary, working city - as friendly and curious as many of the locals may be, most aren't going to bend over backwards to spend the entire day with you.

It's important to find a balance between being too naive and too defensive. There are a lot of genuinely curious and kind-hearted people in India, and they far outnumber the thieves.

But I do agree with you on the last part - I would feel very uncomfortable about my mother or sister or uninitiated female friends traveling to India by themselves.

>>1257861
Honestly I'm going to a cosmetic dentist while I'm there and they only accept INR as payment. And AFAIK if I use my debit they charge like 10% on top of the cost.

>>1257876

What are you doing that costs that much?

My two front teeth have moderate yellow staining caused by medication I took when I was younger. Since it's a cosmetic fix, my insurance won't cover it - I think the cost would be around $1,000 per tooth here in the States.

I checked the prices for India and it's much more affordable. Thinking about doing it there when I go back, but I dunno yet.

>>1257878
I need several root canals and I'm getting 28 zirconia crowns as well. So I need around 400k inr for treatment. That's why I'm looking for the best possible currency exchange.

>>1257884
Might want to consider Cambodia for dental tourism. (but def not for other medical procedures).

Roomchang.com (and others)

>>1257906
Thanks for the tip but I already have everything set. Ticket, airbnb, appointment. The clinic just sent me an e-mail and told me that they don't charge a fee for debit cards and it will automatically convert the payment to INR.. so I'm extremely happy.

>>1257857
Did the research myself. So looks like a decent used car will cost me anywhere from 2500 to 3000 USD. Most vehicles have 30 to 50 kilometers in them. Also not that bad.

Anyone got experience buying a car in India?

>>1256332
yes to all except the rape,
their rate is tied with canada at 1.8 per capita.
but since its a billion people and sex is very taboo youll hear this alot

>>1257707
>grody
https://www.singledudetravel.com/2013/12/indias-shocking-lack-of-attractive-women/

western born indians been saying this for yrs.

>>1258514
>that angry comment section

I just arrived in Pune today finally after a 20+ hour flight. I was wondering why my card doesn't work at the ATM here and why UBER won't accept my card as a form of payment?

>>1259953
I've already contacted my bank about all of this, so they already know I'm here.

Also I have my US phone with me and it works roaming.. but I'm trying to fucking order food and it wants an Indian area code to send the SMS to to verify my shit.. what the fuck... there isn't even an option to change it

>>1257312
>>1257313
>>1257862
>>1260261
GET THE FUCK OUT /POL/ AND /INT/ FAGS

>>1258514
what a horrific article and website. i don't even mind him saying that indian women aren't that attractive, it's fine if that's his opinion, but his dismissive and hateful tone is just really grating. and he's trying so desperately to show to everyone how masculine and successful he is that you just know he has a huge inferiority complex.

why do people like that even want to travel in the first place? if all you do is complain about people who are different from you then you might as well stay at home.

Anyone know which ATM works with American Visas? I've tried 10 ATMs and none of them work.

>>1261520

My friend is India and having the same problem.

I noticed a lot of ATMs which took my card began rejecting it after demonitization went into effect.

In the past, I've had luck with ICICI Bank, IndusLand Bank, State Bank of India, and sometimes Punjab National Bank.

Please let me know what works and doesn't, as I'll be back in India for the eighth time in October. I don't want to have to deal with cash scarcity bullshit again.

>>1261527
There was one that worked that started with an S and only had like 3 or 4 letters in it that were all capitalized, I wish I had took a picture of the place. I googled it and there are Citibank ATMs in India and those should work. I'm going to try one today or tomorrow.

>>1261527
Same guy, now that I think about it, it was probably State Bank of India as the initials were S B O I

>>1261561
That'll be SBI (indian here )

UK fag here went to india for 5 weeks last year

Me and the gf hit up delhi, agra, jhansi, varanasi, mumbai, goa, jaipur then flew back out from delhi

we both managed to get paratyphoid fever at the end of the holiday. i shit in a hotel room bed

>>1261520
>>1261527
>>1261541
>>1261561
If this happened recently, check your credit card statements ASAP.

ATM scams are still common in India, and your card might've been skimmed.

The next time you use an ATM, check for the following:
>loose PINpad
>protrusions in front of card slots & cash dispensing slots
>shiny lenses (cameras) near the PINpad or above the screen
>your card apparently not working (especially if you're 100% absolutely certain that there shouldn't be anything that could go wrong)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_2vmvdUFOU

>>1261779
Always checking them, but the machines work for the residents, just not my visa. I see it happen all the time.

>>1257679
How do you guys feel about African Americans?

>>1257884
Root canals = Disease
Read some of Dr Weston Prices work, or also check into any more current studies that show how harmful the bacteria can be

>>1261846
What are you talking about? I need root canals, because my teeth are infected.. I know this?

>>1260350
when /pol/ and /int/ are in agreeance, it is time to take heed

india is nutty, not necessarily dangerous, but nutty

>>1261861
>agreeance
The word you're looking for is "agreement."

Quit making shit up.

>>1257410
Shut the fuck up please

>>1261842
unfortunately Hollywood and Bollywood have created a bad reputation for African people(even though we have really black Indians too).

>>1256332
did any of you guys bother with a rabies vaccine? I'm doing hep a, hep b, typhoid anc yellow fever, already got tetanus, dip and polio, and should i bother with jap en?

>>1262447
...... why didn't your fucking parents give you shots for tetanus and all that shit as a child, what the fuck.

>>1262483
>already got tetanus, dip and polio
nigga lrn 2 read

India here, a tip: don't go to religious places. They are not touristy at all, I don't get why tourists even visit them. Also if you want to get a time of your life, ride a bike with your friends across India. I would do that in a heartbeat if I had any friends.

>>1262486
Sorry.

.... why didn't your fucking parents give you shots for hepatitis, typhoid and yellow fever as a child, what the fuck.

>>1262447
>should i bother with jap en?
From what I've read, mortality rates are low, but the symptoms are painful.

I would get immunized for it anyways because
1. I hate being in pain
2. I don't want to die of improbable causes. I don't want to be regarded as "that guy who died from something that's very improbable to catch, and is also improbable to die from, haha"

>>1262483
Tetanus shots only last about 10 years. Even if he had gotten it as a child, he would have to renew it as an adult.

Hell, I had my tetanus shot when I was oh I dunno, 14 years old? 15 years old? I had to get another tetanus shot when I turned 25.

File: 2077805625_7f0314b78d_o.jpg (244KB, 1024x768px) Image search: [Google]

244KB, 1024x768px

>>1256377
>>1256510
>>1256821


India CHANGED MY LIFE mannnn

People are so

so

so closer to nature and stuff, people are so happy....

it's like another world to the US, none of that corpatism trump mania dude

just like

like chill

t.real traveller

>>1262909
You know, people keep saying that /pol/ is the problem with this board, but I really think it's /v/.

I just found out my regular travelex card isn't accepted in India.

What do anons use to get money? Preferably AUD.

>>1262895

Not him, but I didn't opt for the Japanese Encephalitis vaccination.

It's very expensive and the chances of catching the disease are quite low. While I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry, I've read in some places the chances of developing a nasty reaction to the vaccine are higher than actually coming down with a case of encephalitis.

>>1262909
>>1263017

Honestly, I hate that shit.

There are so many white people who go to India and wax never-endingly about the enlightenment of South Asia's urban and rural poor.

Not to say I'm better than that, but almost all of the Indians I'm friends with in India have said shit along the lines, "I love the fact that you don't only focus on our flaws / you're realistic about India / you aren't a filthy fucking hippie."

I feel embarrassed by the white people who do that sort of shit.

A lot of Indians are starting to develop a stereotype that white people don't bathe regularly or wash their clothes because of these filthy Trustafarian fucks.

>>1263057

In major cities you can use your CC for almost as much as in London or Paris.

There are ATMs but check your cards for which networks will be available (and for what fee -- I have 2 that are no-fee in-network in India.)

This: https://transferwise.com/us/blog/atms-in-india matches my experiences.

>>1262909
>People are so
>so
>so closer to nature and stuff, people are so happy....


Uhhhh. Perhaps if you stay in the Rajneesh ashram and believe it represents India.

It doesn't.

>>1261629
>we both managed to get paratyphoid

Ouch.

Not everybody gets the shits, but every Western traveler to India should pack some loperamide (Imodium).

Last time I went for business, my colleague drank tap water at a no-name cafe (WHY? I TOLD HER NOT TO!) and a day later she was happy to take my advice and pop some Imodium -- back to almost human in another 12 hours...

>>1263066
thanks man

>>1258512
>yes to all except the rape,
>their rate is tied with canada at 1.8 per capita.

Everyone suspects that the rate of *reported* crime is artificially lower than reality (I mean, it is everywhere, but crime is substantially more unreported in a few places like India). For rape, this is even more true, due to cultural factors.

I am not aware of any efforts in India comparable to the victimization studies in the US.

>>1263066
Seriously? I haven't seen any place that accepts credit cards except Mcdonalds. Even big supermarkets like Big Bazaar don't. A lot of placess accepts the indian payment system PayTM though, but it is impractical for a foreigner because you can't top up with a foreigner card.

>>1263070
>>1263066

Honestly, this isn't really true in my experience.

Aside from a handful of international and particularly powerful brands, I've found that most small businesses in India do not accept credit or debit cards which were issued overseas.

While you can use a credit card to pay for a meal or McDonald's or a ride with Uber, you cannot book a ticket off RedBus or a rail pass from the IRTC website. Many bars and restaurants will not take an American Visa or a European Mastercard, either because they lack the facilities or don't want to deal with the hassle of international fees.

Domestic travel booking websites, like GoIbibo and Oyo Rooms, also have issues accepting foreign credit and debit cards.

For a country that's trying so desperately to improve its tourism numbers and make itself a cultural destination, India has an awful tourism infrastructure.

>>1263075
So how did you go with money?

I'm: >>1263075, seconding: >>1263074.

What's a bit funny is that very, very Indians are aware that services like PayTM don't work with foreign credit cards.

Whenever confronted with questions about how hard it is to use an international card in India, they'll almost always recommend using PayTM. I had dozens of Indians on another website tell me to download the PayTM app when I was in the country when demonitization began last November.

That was a total fucking nightmare, by the way - I was sick as fuck and couldn't get cash for nearly a week. if I didn't have so many friends in India, I don't know what I would have done.

>>1263079

I just withdrew cash from ATMs.

Most ATMs in India charge between 100 and 250 Rs per transaction, with CitiBank charging somewhere in the neighborhood of 300.

My bank levies few transaction fees ($1 for non Co-Op Network ATMs, no matter where they are in the world), so I always preferred using cash.

However, I've heard that getting cash from ATMs has become more difficult. One of my friends is in India at present and said a lot of people, from the United States as well as Europe, have struggled to find ATMs which will allow them to make withdrawals.

Also, does anyone know what the maximum daily withdrawal limit is, if there still is one?

>>1263075
>Honestly, this isn't really true in my experience.

Our experiences seem to have differed a lot, perhaps it has to do with location. A lot of my time (multiple trips) was spent in Maharashtra state, although of course I spent a little time in Delhi and Mumbai, Agra and out in the countryside like Ellora Caves.

On the other hand, I didn't go grocery shopping for more than bottled water & snacks. Only remember one or two restaurants that didn't take CC, but then we would usually check before deciding where to go...

>>1263079
In practice India is cash only, except railway tickets that you better buy online if you don't want to waste 2-3 hours buying them in person every time.
Use State Bank ATMs, they do not have 200 rs comission.

>>1263082
For that, wuld my bank matter or just the card (Visa, mastercard). I'm with a small bank in my country

>>1263083

Maybe that's it.