4 weeks in India, my conclusion

4 weeks in India, that sounds long. But it wasn´t at all and the farewell was very difficult for me, most of all from my friends of course.
I´m still missing the colours, the smell and sounds, the crowded streets and the food! Oh how I miss the food!!

The stay was full packed with various impressions. Fascinating, exciting, breath taking, beautiful, overwhelming.
I actually had no bad experiences, apart from the Hyderabad trip, which was a bit disappointing.

I never felt unsafe or have been in any dangerous situation. I guess being always accompanied by indians was quite helpful and maybe also my height was, I´m 6  feet tall. ;)
People have always been nice and kind to me, most of all curious but never really importunate.

My biggest concern was the heat. I´m not a summer person at all and 25° C are absolutely enough for me. So how should I survive the tropical heat in south India then?????
Well, somehow I did. I guess after a while I got simply used to be fully drenched already at 11 am. And I wasn´t alone with that problem. ;)

I already told you about my primary experiences in my reports. Now I will just give you some more facts and practical advices.

In total I travelled around 4100 km (2548 miles)

• Thereof 2280 km by bus and 1800 km by train. 
• My travel expenses in India added up to 600,- Euro. It´s absolutely possible to travel significantly more favourable but for me at least the accomodation should have some good standards and comfort. So I ended up between 800 & 1200 Rupees (10 - 15 Euro) per night.
• The most expensive food (Mutton fry & fried rice with various meat) was 560 Rupees (7,30 Eur)  for 2 people, 2 bottles of water included. That was in Bangalore.
• The most favorable food must have been the various Pakoras at Chennai beach for around 60 rupees (80 Cent)  
• The best beverage: 2 liter bottle of water for 20 Rupees (25 Cent) 
• Cheapest ticket:  Local train in Chennai 5 Rupien (6 Cent) for around 15 km
• Most expensive ticket: The express train to Thiruvananthapuram, 1052 Rupees (13,60 Eur) for 895 km.  
• Small presents and shopping: 2 souneviers, 5 bags, 10 sarfs, 4 Salwar Karmeez, 1 pair of earrings  & 2 pairs of toe rings, 1 kg of milk sweets, 500 gr cashew nuts (1,30 Eur) 

Culinary treats:

• Favorite snacks: Fruits. No matter if guava, bananas, grapes, pineapples, watermelons or papaya. Everything is super yum!!  
• Favorite beverage: Mango juice. I prefer Slice but Maaza is also good.
• Chocolates maybe?-  I was crazy for Munch and different bicuits. ;)  
• You need to try mirch pakoras along with tea. A super combination. 
• And Pani Puris are a must! As well as to try Idlis and Vadai for breakfast!
• Sugarcane juice is a super energy boost!

Unforgettable moments: To get blessed by a temple elefant in Pondicherry, the breathtaking sight of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the trip to Kerala at all incl. the train journey.

Small tips and advices: 

• Don´t carry along too much. I took by far too many clothes with me. At the end I wore what was most comfortable and airy. And you can easily buy material there to get something stitched. 
• Women shouldn´t wear clothes which are too revealing. 1st. western women are already a big  attraction, so why to draw the attention even more of the predominantly male population? And secondly it´s really advisable to protect the body well against the burning sun. Besides, you are visiting a different culture, so you should adjust a bit. 
• It´s essential to have a good sunscreen and also an insect repellent. ("Care Plus Deet Anti Insect" worked super for me)  
• Try to always have enough small notes. Anything below 100 Rupees is good, 10 and 20 notes are perfect. And also have a few coins with you. 
• Never carry too much cash around. I never had fear that I would be robbed, because we were really careful. But it´s reassuring to know that you don´t run around with a chunk of notes.
• Take along proper footwear. Trekking sandals are not necessary but they should endure quite a bit and still be comfortable. I had several pairs of shoes but then I ran around only with my black sandals and even got them sewed once. ;) Not pretty but effective. Bonding would have taken too long.  
• There is no toilet paper in India. At least not in the low price hotels and public toilets. You should be prepared for it. ;)  (wet wipes for example and always a bottle of water ;) )
• And very important , do drink enough. 4 litres are minimum, at peak I had 5 litres a day. I really needed that. 
• Also care for the energy input. Means, do eat regulary. Otherwise you will be wiped out soon.  
• You have to take an auto (Tuk Tuk) there!!! It´s really fun and always a bit exciting. 
• Don´t be too anxious to have food from the stalls on the streets. I really ate almost everywhere and everything and not even once I had any problems. Just make sure that it is really cooked and avoid tap water. That were my only rules. 

So, if anyone is thinking about visiting India, then I can just say: Do it. 

Certainly I also had some doubts but those can be thrown to the wind. If you´re open for different cultures, meet them with due respect, you don´t get intimidated from the crowds, the chaotic traffic, the smell, the manners and customs and owning some common sense, then you will enter a wonderful, fascinating and exciting world

This was my first trip to India but for sure not the last. This country has so much to offer and there are too many places I want to visit.

I just can hope that everything will be as perfect as it was this time....

Hopefully you liked my blogs about India and it would be nice if you keep visiting our site.

Namaskar
SunShine