India

My dad was born in Bombay. Always an experience as others have said. Some of his stories of the 50s etc there are great. Blokes casually going door to door trying to flog you an elephant.

Don’t make the same mistake I did as thinking you can handle hot food in the UK so will have the same tolerance over there with spices….
 
I was in Mumbai airport a couple of years ago before transferring to a flight down to Goa. Fairly modern these days I have to say but I was heading down a corridor on the way to the bus that takes you to the domestic terminal and a rat the size of a small dog was coming the opposite way and in my direction. I was amazed how quickly I got out of the way. I am doing the same journey next Saturday and am hoping for a Ratus ratus free experience.
 
Hyderabad:- For our American friends…..FMS Dental (Jubilee Hills) state of the art facilities, plus micro breweries and restaurants around the corner.
Probably less doable as you would need about 5 hours but India is a good place for the full medical MOT’s I would recommend to anyone especially over 40 to have one, they are so comprehensive. All medical stuff available in all the cities.
Mumbai :- Restaurant….Minchy & Mime….the staff are predominantly deaf and the food is exquisite. One of the dishes I ordered was a local prawn biryani, but was more like a risotto…superb. You go and colleagues are…”try this….oh, you must try this” etc. Some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. Check the spelling ( not of “mime”😀)
Also plenty of places to visit in Mumbai especially along the sefront.
Bengaluru:- You have the racecourse, I think there’s races on most days, we stay next to it and it’s nice to sit by the window and watch them exercising the horses on a morning.
 
Ice cold beer and a great curry, on the beach in Goa. I find the rest of India is hard work I think I dislike Mumbai, apart from the rats and poverty because of a kidnapping incident. Long story and a somewhat stupid decision I made but it certainly coloured my view of that metropolis.
 
On our last day here now before heading to Bengaluru airport this evening for a long, long trip back to Chicago so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Firstly for those cracking jokes (and not wanting to tempt fate), no tummy issues to report. We have eaten local food but as seasoned travelers have just been sensible with ice, salads, skinned fruit, tap water etc. Same as many places I've visited tbh.

Out of the three places we've visited, Hyderabad was my least favourite by a country mile (shame as if I took the job I am being courted for, it would be the most logical place to live) and Bengaluru was definitely my favourite (shame about the traffic!).

Hyderabad: We had three days here but I spent most of it either working or touring rental properties with a realtor so admittedly didn't see huge amounts. The bits we did see seemed to either be chaotic, local urban sprawl or chaotic, modern business sprawl with nothing else (save for the spectacular Birla Mandir hindu temple).

Mumbai was much more fun (probably helped by the fact we were there over the weekend) and we had an amazing time exploring (highlight for me was the crazy number of people playing cricket on the Oval Maidan on the Sunday morning). Unfortunately living in Mumbai looked very expensive, and as none of my schools or offices would be there, it seems a silly place to base myself.

Bengaluru (Bangalore) was my favourite. Slightly cooler temperature (further south and at a higher altitude) and a cool craft beer scene, lots of lovely little cafes, bars and restaurants, and a far more visible "Christmas feel" than either of the other two cities. More walkable too (in that there were actually pavements that you could step on), important when you see the traffic and realise how long even a short distance can take to drive.

Over my time here I delevoped new hobby. After the first few people stopped us and asked for a photo with us, I started asking them if I could take a photo with them in return 😁

We now head back to Chicago with a very difficult decision to make! Regardless of what we decide, it's been an amazing opportunity to visit parts of Southern India. Thanks once again to everyone who shared advice in here.

Photos: Birla Mandir temple (Hyderabad), Oval Maidan (Mumbai), Dhobi Ghat laundry (Mumbai), Gateway To India (Mumbai) and Toit Brewery (Bangalore)

20241204_174455.jpg

20241208_102437.jpg

20241207_133215.jpg

20241207_124539.jpg

20241209_172410.jpg

20241209_161100-1.jpg

20241209_160415.jpg
 
goalscrounger said:
On our last day here now before heading to Bengaluru airport this evening for a long, long trip back to Chicago so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

Firstly for those cracking jokes (and not wanting to tempt fate), no tummy issues to report. We have eaten local food but as seasoned travelers have just been sensible with ice, salads, skinned fruit, tap water etc. Same as many places I've visited tbh.

Out of the three places we've visited, Hyderabad was my least favourite by a country mile (shame as if I took the job I am being courted for, it would be the most logical place to live) and Bengaluru was definitely my favourite (shame about the traffic!).

Hyderabad: We had three days here but I spent most of it either working or touring rental properties with a realtor so admittedly didn't see huge amounts. The bits we did see seemed to either be chaotic, local urban sprawl or chaotic, modern business sprawl with nothing else (save for the spectacular Birla Mandir hindu temple).

Mumbai was much more fun (probably helped by the fact we were there over the weekend) and we had an amazing time exploring (highlight for me was the crazy number of people playing cricket on the Oval Maidan on the Sunday morning). Unfortunately living in Mumbai looked very expensive, and as none of my schools or offices would be there, it seems a silly place to base myself.

Bengaluru (Bangalore) was my favourite. Slightly cooler temperature (further south and at a higher altitude) and a cool craft beer scene, lots of lovely little cafes, bars and restaurants, and a far more visible "Christmas feel" than either of the other two cities. More walkable too (in that there were actually pavements that you could step on), important when you see the traffic and realise how long even a short distance can take to drive.

Over my time here I delevoped new hobby. After the first few people stopped us and asked for a photo with us, I started asking them if I could take a photo with them in return 😁

We now head back to Chicago with a very difficult decision to make! Regardless of what we decide, it's been an amazing opportunity to visit parts of Southern India. Thanks once again to everyone who shared advice in here.

Photos: Birla Mandir temple (Hyderabad), Oval Maidan (Mumbai), Dhobi Ghat laundry (Mumbai), Gateway To India (Mumbai) and Toit Brewery (Bangalore)

View attachment 84332

View attachment 84333

View attachment 84334

View attachment 84335

View attachment 84336

View attachment 84337

View attachment 84338
Click to expand...
Great photos. India is a photographer’s dream, with such vibrant colours unless you’re submerged under Delhi fog.
 
India is one of the best countries on earth.

Would recommend a visit to the Parsi temple. The Kings gate, food markets, Taj Hotel (terrorist attack) are all within close proximity and worth a visit. The 'slums' are eye opening if a little crude as a tourist attraction.
 
Last edited:
To help put your mind at ease, i travelled India for 6 weeks and never got the runs once. As a precaution, i only drank bottled water, brushed teeth with bottled water, didn't swallow shower water, had no ice in drinks and used anti-bac gel at every opportunity.
 
Humpty said:
India is one of the best countries on earth.

Would recommend a visit to the Parsi temple. The Kings gate, food markets, Taj Hotel (terrorist attack) are all within close proximity and worth a visit. The 'slums' are eye opening if a little crowd as a tourist attraction.
Click to expand...
I'll have to do the temple the next time I come to Mumbai.

I've always refused to do slum/favela/shanty town tours as "poverty tourism" seems very disrespectful to the locals (and the vast majority don't profit from it either)
 
Humpty said:
To help put your mind at ease, i travelled India for 6 weeks and never got the runs once. As a precaution, i only drank bottled water, brushed teeth with bottled water, didn't swallow shower water, had no ice in drinks and used anti-bac gel at every opportunity.
Click to expand...
We are off to the airport in two hours, so unless the fish and chips we've just had are our undoing (don't judge, we live in America so can't get decent fish and chips normally lol) then we've done ten days unscathed!
 
Thanks for putting up the photos, they are really good, I love to see those pics, as mostly people live these different lives in exotic and strange places rarely put up what they see.. You're a very well travelled man GS, probably very well read and a bit of an adventurer.
I've been reading your post for something like 15 years or longer.
Good luck with whatever decision you make, I've had a side bet that you take it.

I've enjoyed reading about Boro Buddahs background and visit too.
 
Last edited:
Been to India 5 times now, totalling about a year. Its one of my favourite countries in the world, but also one of the most frustrating. Top 5 best places I went were Amritsar, Varanasi, Pondicherry, Jodhpur, Udaipur. Least favourite places Bikaner, Agra, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaisalmer. I've been sick really bad about 2 times. My ex girlfriend who I was with some years back got dengue fever in Delhi, she got so sick her organs were shutting down and they couldn't get a vein to get fluids in, in the end they had to put it in her foot, she was in hospital for about 2 weeks and we didn't have insurance, so I had to pay about £2,000 in bills, and she had to have a blood transfusion, which we were told by the hospital was from illegal black market means. Took her months to get back on track and we continued our journey. Things I love about India, the people, the animals, the food, smells. The things I find most frustrating about India, the people(mainly scams), the animals (conditions street animals are in), the food (alot of restaurants won't give you spicy food because they don't want bad reviews), the smells (urine, poop, things rotting.) I've seen 2 dead bodies in India also, which left a mark on me, never forget whilst being on a train at around 5am pulling into Delhi, was a dead man sitting up against a garbage pile just starring at me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top