PussEKatt Posted September 5, 2023 Share Posted September 5, 2023 Seriously thinking of a trip to India,mainly Deli,Dargeeling,Calcutta and the tiger park/reserve.Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted September 6, 2023 Share Posted September 6, 2023 If you've never been to India and are thinking of Delhi, you might as well do the golden triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Taj Mahal (Agra). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Triangle_(India) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 7, 2023 Share Posted September 7, 2023 (edited) On 05/09/2023 at 12:54, PussEKatt said: Seriously thinking of a trip to India,mainly Deli,Dargeeling,Calcutta and the tiger park/reserve.Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated. Was a few years back but Calcutta was great worth some time , Victoria memorial , nice parks .. there is some money there , so a an introduction to India it was a pleasant surprise New Delhi - Meh ... went to a cricket match India v England there .... the diplomatic area is quite nice , the lotus flower thingy is cool but it's crowded and it will irritate you after a while .. that said it kinda acts as a base camp for the golden triangle I went to Darjeeling by train .. took an overnight train from Calcutta to New Jalpaiguri and then you can take the "Toy train" as they call it up the mountains to Darjeeling ,its very very very slow , but very scenic .. you can buy a meal through the window at a station then watch in wide eyed sadness as the locals then throw all their rubbish out the window as the train goes along Get up bloody early and you can see sunrise over the Himalayas at Tiger Hill , you can also visit the grave of Tenzing Norgay , the second man to climb Mt Everest , i seem to recall they claim he was the first , but they are wrong , but maybe don't tell them Splurge a bit but book into the Windamere hotel , you can have afternoon tea on the veranda and watch the world go by .. cracked me up as it was about 30 degrees but they came in the room and lit the fire for us in the evening .. we saw them picking the tea , went to the visitors shop and paid £20 for tea that I subsequently found out you can buy in Tesco for about £2 , but hey ho , at least I supported the local economy and got the owner one step closer to his retirement from Darjeeling , we took a car down the mountain to Bagdogra , about 2 hrs v the 9 hours by train , and from there you can catch a flight to Delhi , probably other places I would recommend Amritsar .. I did it by train from Delhi , but its a long journey , forget the TV shows where they pretend to slum with the locals , just book yourself a first class ticket , air con , unlimited tea and a toilet that isn't a hole in the floor ... the golden temple is amazing , the massacre site sobering and if you stay there you can see the border closing ceremony with Pakistan .. google Wagah Border ceremony Agra - Golden circle .. yep def do that , if you can see the Taj Mahal at sunrise and again at sunset , the light gives it very different perspectives .. Agra fort is near by , so you can also visit that From Agra you can drive to Ranthambore and spend a few days seeing tigers , if you are lucky ... my tip here would be pay the extra money and go for a solo tour , first day we went with a group , they arrived an hour late because people weren't ready , needed a wee , forgot their lucky hat ..and when we made it they stopped for 40 minutes to look at parakeets ..i get them in my bloody garden in Surrey ... then there was an argument because someone took the front seat that another person was sitting in previously ... by then the tigers have had their trip to the water for a splash and a drink on gone back to sleep .. go on your own and you should see your tiger ... Jaipur was interesting lots of interesting astrological stuff to see Udaipur ..if you've ever seen James Bond in Octopussy , you'll know Udaipur was very quiet and a nice place for a rest day or two Gwailor fort was interesting as well , but everyone in India had their own palace or fort before the British arrived so after a while you'll get a bit fatigued with them all Mumbai - spend some time here , its chaotic on the roads , but you can explore by foot .. plenty of bars and stuff as its where the rich Indians seem to like to party ..and go horse racing if that's your thing ..take a boat out to Elephant Island from gateway of India to get away from it all for a few hours I'm sure there is more , but that will give you a decent start .. not sure if it will work , but a few picks from the places I mentioned are here .. I started in Nepal , so first few picks are in Kathmandu , was my mates 40th , so we did a flight around Everest to star the trip off Edited September 7, 2023 by tonyh29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 Thanks guys.As I said I am going to do the golden triangle and was thinking about adding Calcutta to the tour,thanks again.Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted September 11, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted September 11, 2023 On 08/09/2023 at 13:09, PussEKatt said: Thanks guys.As I said I am going to do the golden triangle and was thinking about adding Calcutta to the tour,thanks again.Much appreciated. I loved Kolkata. Plenty to see and do there. I'd not be bothered about visiting Goa again though but maybe my memory is tainted by the group I was with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted September 11, 2023 Author Share Posted September 11, 2023 From what you guys have written about Calcutta,I have decided to do the ;Golden triangle" and add 3/5 days in Calcutta.I was born in Calcutta in 1942 ( my parents were fighting the Japaneese ) I looked it up and see that a few places that I remember are still around.Radha bazaar,H awkers corner,the Regal picture theatre and the school that I went to.FYI my parents were English,,I am English ( although I have never lived in England ) We left Calcutta in 1950 and I have never been back since,that is going to change early next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKP90 Posted November 7, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted November 7, 2023 (edited) On 05/09/2023 at 12:54, PussEKatt said: Seriously thinking of a trip to India,mainly Deli,Dargeeling,Calcutta and the tiger park/reserve.Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated. We did most of South India (Mumbai downward) over 3 months. India can be hard, hard travelling but well worth it. There will be times you think: 'why the f*** am I here', but it is a hell of an experience. Plus the states vary hugely in feel and character. I'd recommend Kerela for newbies. It's a bit more modern and easier to travel, but wherever you go, safety is rarely an issue. You may get scammed, but generally there is little violence, at least in our experience. You mentioned tigers, if you do Kerela then Kumily is good for tiger parks, plus you have the backwaters and Kochi, which is awesome. Bit of everything. Hampi in Karnataka is a once in a lifetime experience. Goa is v touristy and would avoid unless you go to the southern parts, which are less so. Tail Nadu is a challenge, off the tourist track, and very.....rustic, but some of the temples and culture are incredible. Good luck. You will have an unforgettable time. Edit- Mumbai is f***ing crazy, man. Edited November 7, 2023 by HKP90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 On 11/09/2023 at 17:35, PussEKatt said: From what you guys have written about Calcutta,I have decided to do the ;Golden triangle" and add 3/5 days in Calcutta.I was born in Calcutta in 1942 ( my parents were fighting the Japaneese ) I looked it up and see that a few places that I remember are still around.Radha bazaar,H awkers corner,the Regal picture theatre and the school that I went to.FYI my parents were English,,I am English ( although I have never lived in England ) We left Calcutta in 1950 and I have never been back since,that is going to change early next year. Did you go? I'm in India right now, Kerala, unable to sleep and delving into the forums I never usually visit. This has been a good read, I'm ready for the next India trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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