first time in india

- dress modestly. Buy light local clothes with long sleeves and which completely cover the legs. Goa and some other beach areas and maybe Mumbai etc can be exceptions but in general India was very conservative in my experience.

- I preferred the south, though the main tourist sites are in the north

- India is not the country to go to. However, there are exceptions such as Goa (which is often completely different than ther rest of India) and parts Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. If you want to party, Goa is the place to go but I don't think that time of year would be good.


- I much preferred smaller places such as Pushkar and Hampi  and the countryside rather than the big cities, most of which were awful in my opinion.

- the people are very friendly and welcoming. On an individual level or in small groups, lovely. However, the crowds can be completely overwhelming. You can expect to be stared at continuously. This is not necessarily threatening but it certainly can be disconcerting when you are not used to it.

- electricity failures could be common when I was there Feb-June 2008. They never lasted long in general. Many places have backup generators for air con.

- accommodation could be very cheap and very good. I was very happy with nearly everywhere I stayed in in India. You can see reviews of many of them on my profile. You need to go down a few pages of my reviews.

- food is superb and cheap. Often very cheap. I preferred southern cuisine. No beef, no pork anywhere. Many places were vegetarian and some eg Hampi vegan. I rarely ate any meat during my stay in India.