Would you travel to Delhi

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This is one of the most racist posts I’ve read in a while. To be so dismissive and generalizing to an entire country.

My family is from the region and we’ve traveled across India and Bangladesh. It’s not an easy trip but it sure is a gratifying one. The food is diverse and spectacular and the history is incredible.

If we are going to generalize countries, I’d point out how the US treats Black people and tolerates gun violence. I’m Anerican though and know that these are areas of our less perfect union and I have hope for improvement.

I bet all, your Indian relatives want to come to the US though.

DP here. My Indian relatives are all in the US. In Potomac, Bethesda, McClean, Great Falls, Arlington... and they are very rich employers too. But, I doubt they will employ what Trump calls the "talentless Americans". 0:25 on the video below...

Telling no? Your relatives are here and not in Delhi? And you are upset that we are tearing down Delhi?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This is one of the most racist posts I’ve read in a while. To be so dismissive and generalizing to an entire country.

My family is from the region and we’ve traveled across India and Bangladesh. It’s not an easy trip but it sure is a gratifying one. The food is diverse and spectacular and the history is incredible.

If we are going to generalize countries, I’d point out how the US treats Black people and tolerates gun violence. I’m Anerican though and know that these are areas of our less perfect union and I have hope for improvement.

NP- as an American , I wouldn't argue with your generalization of America. Those things are totally true. America has great things about it too, but those are 2 ugly things about it for sure. Also the rabid consumerism, the overall tendency towards selfishness that we couch as "independence", etc. I would not say it is discriminatory towards Americans to point out these truths. Why is it discriminatory for the PP to point out these truths about India?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been to India and Nepal and I LOVED Nepal. I absolutely loved the Nepali people, the culture, the mountains, etc. It’s a wonderful place and I’m determined to return as soon as I retire. I consider my travel in India to have been an “experience”, one I’m not inclined to pursue again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to India and Nepal and I LOVED Nepal. I absolutely loved the Nepali people, the culture, the mountains, etc. It’s a wonderful place and I’m determined to return as soon as I retire. I consider my travel in India to have been an “experience”, one I’m not inclined to pursue again.

Can you please elaborate? Are the nepali people less inclined to try to rip you off or have a caste system? I really don't know. Fresh air and no pollution seems the obvious difference!

[Anonymous]

I've been to India numerous times because my husband has family there. I've been to Delhi once and it was madness. But there are pretty cool things there. Jantar Mantar is interesting, it's an astronomical observatory, built in the early 1700s. The Gandhi Memorial is nice too, and the Red Fort is worth a visit. And if you're going to be in Delhi, you cannot skip a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. You can take a train or hire a driver. I've also heard cool things about Jaipur, the next time we visit we want to go there.

India is very unique place, but definitely not for everyone. It can be overwhelming in many ways. But it is also beautiful (all of the colored saris on women - amazing) and the food can be delicious...I still dream of the homemade dishes our relatives cooked for us when there. But I will suggest hiring a guide/driver when touring attractions in Delhi (or other cities in India). We found it helpful to have someone to take over the transportation logistics, and usually guides that are found through the nice hotels are very knowledgable and are able to make the experience positive.

I've also been to Mumbai and would prefer that city to Delhi, the Elephanta Caves are cool. And the Taj is a classic hotel to experience, we were there a year before the bombing. I've spent the most time in Hyderabad, it's not a big tourist town but Golkonda Fort is really cool and there's also Film City. Being a westerner in India usually means two things: either you have someone bothering you (trying to sell you something, trying to take your picture) or the people who lead with kindness. I've always chosen to focus on the people leading with kindness and ignore the weirdos. And believe me as a white woman I've dealt with my share of weirdos in India.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to India and Nepal and I LOVED Nepal. I absolutely loved the Nepali people, the culture, the mountains, etc. It’s a wonderful place and I’m determined to return as soon as I retire. I consider my travel in India to have been an “experience”, one I’m not inclined to pursue again.

Can you please elaborate? Are the nepali people less inclined to try to rip you off or have a caste system? I really don't know. Fresh air and no pollution seems the obvious difference!

We didn’t experience pollution in Nepal. The people we encountered were very gentle and kind, not aggressive. The mountains are gorgeous. We arrived in Katmamdu after 2 weeks in India and I exhaled. It was a completely different experience. We lost our passport in a taxi im Katmandu and the taxi driver went out of his way to find us whereas when we got to Delhi taxi drivers (who we had not hired) grabbed our luggage and started walking away. It was like night & day. I’m sure Nepal has issues and there was a political uprising right after we left but out experience was 100% positive and friends who have traveled there since had similar experiences.

[Anonymous]

For all those going on about MAGA, I should mention that everyone I encountered in Delhi loved, and I mean absolutely adored, Donald Trump. They couldn’t wait to tell me what a good businessman they thought he was and how much they admired him. Oh, and that Don Jr. had just been in town which they thought was great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to India and Nepal and I LOVED Nepal. I absolutely loved the Nepali people, the culture, the mountains, etc. It’s a wonderful place and I’m determined to return as soon as I retire. I consider my travel in India to have been an “experience”, one I’m not inclined to pursue again.

Can you please elaborate? Are the nepali people less inclined to try to rip you off or have a caste system? I really don't know. Fresh air and no pollution seems the obvious difference!

As for scamming in Nepal, it isn't as bad as India, but it exists. You need to DEMAND that a taxi driver uses the meter, because the common strategy is to say it doesn't work and ask for a really high fixed price from the dumb foreigner. Similarly, I was really taken aback when people on the street would ask for money after giving me directions, etc. But it isn't as aggressive or constant as in India. And it's much safer.

Kathmandu has terrible air pollution: https://www.who.int/initiatives/urban-health-initiative/pilot-projects/kathmandu. Remember that Nepal's cities in the valleys/not in the mountains are in a dome of "trapped" air. The vehicular emissions, industrial smoke emissions, insistence on burning rubbish for disposal, etc all add up. Whether or not you "notice" it, according to how sensitive you are, doesn't change the fact that high pm2.5 levels damage your lungs. This is probably OK for a few days (like smoking cigarettes for a few days only), but "fresh air and no pollution" it is not.

However, you can go into the mountains for fresher air.

Download the IQAir app on your phone and you can see the pollution numbers in real time for cities of your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the rapist capital of the world.

That's gang rape capital.

We must be winning if Indian-bashing and name calling is all Americans can resort to. LOL.

Feliz Navidad!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all those going on about MAGA, I should mention that everyone I encountered in Delhi loved, and I mean absolutely adored, Donald Trump. They couldn’t wait to tell me what a good businessman they thought he was and how much they admired him. Oh, and that Don Jr. had just been in town which they thought was great.

Yes, we love what he has done to America! Just love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all those going on about MAGA, I should mention that everyone I encountered in Delhi loved, and I mean absolutely adored, Donald Trump. They couldn’t wait to tell me what a good businessman they thought he was and how much they admired him. Oh, and that Don Jr. had just been in town which they thought was great.

Yes, we love what he has done to America! Just love it.

Well you probably don’t, but I assume you live in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This is one of the most racist posts I’ve read in a while. To be so dismissive and generalizing to an entire country.

My family is from the region and we’ve traveled across India and Bangladesh. It’s not an easy trip but it sure is a gratifying one. The food is diverse and spectacular and the history is incredible.

If we are going to generalize countries, I’d point out how the US treats Black people and tolerates gun violence. I’m Anerican though and know that these are areas of our less perfect union and I have hope for improvement.

Please look up the definition of racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did once, but would not again. It’s a dump. All of India is actually. Atrocious, hideous country. Traffic was horrible. The way they treat women is horrible. The food is dirty. Why are you considering it OP?

^^I should add that the way they treat lower classes is disgusting too. They treat their servants like literal slaves. No respect or dignity. It’s awful.

+1 to all of this.

I lived in the region for a few years for work. I never want to return. I have lived in six countries outside of North America over the past 20 years, and South Asia is the one region I can truly say I would never, ever return even for a vacation/nostalgia of my years there.

Know that the air pollution in winter is even worse than in summer. It will shock you, like nothing you can imagine when you hear the words "air pollution." I hated how sick it made me feel, and I hated thinking about how bad it was for my longterm health (like smoking packs and packs of cigarettes). There is a constant stink of trash and filth that is always, always in the air, even in the "nice" areas. People will constantly lie to you and try to extort money from you: you very much learn what "high trust society" vs. "low trust" society means, and understand that the corruption is endemic and accepted, and appears at all levels. The water is contaminated with sewage due to problems with treatment and failure of oversight/misuse of funds and just general acceptance, so you can think about that while showering or eating. The only thing I enjoyed about working in this region was being paid well to do it, but then again, I don't think it was worth the damage to my lungs/health I am sure will show up eventually.

The only advantage I can see is that if you take your kids there, they will become truly grateful for what they have and where they are lucky enough to live.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did you visit anywhere in India outside Delhi that you enjoyed during your time there? I imagine Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal would be similar to what you describe.

The major cities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as the rest of India are similar, with some having even worse security situations; I visited many of them. I really did not enjoy this region of the world. There are some tourist friendly areas in India, but you still have to fly into a major city to get there, and the issues I mentioned just make the idea of doing that so distasteful to me. I think I just saw and know too much to ever really be able to enjoy anything there.

There's also the widespread abuse of the poor, women in general, and animals. This is even worse in Pakistan and Bangladesh than India, btw. Don't go there. Kathmandu/Nepal is safer, and I guess if I had to go back to the region for a forced vacation, I would fly in there, hurriedly get out of the city (dirty, polluted air), and book a tour agency to take you into the mountains somewhere. If I had to do it. Which I would not.

If you want an adventure and aren't adverse to some risk, how about Brazil? Rio was my favorite place I have lived, and there is so much do see in the rest of the country as well.

Or Oman? It's safe and also gorgeous. You could stay in Muscat, and also go see their breathtaking mountains.

NP. I also lived and travelled in the regions PP mentioned, and would agree with everything stated. Except for Rio. Hated Rio, and it's unsafe for women there--the gangrapes on busses you read about happening in India, also happen in Brazil. I dislike Brazil.

Oman, yes. Beautiful and safe. UAE is also very safe but less scenic (except the desert which is actually really beautiful in its own way).

The Nepalese are probably some of the nicest people I've ever met. If you're into trekking, it's hard to beat Nepal. Beautiful (once you're outside of Kathmandu, Pokhara, etc).

There are some great sights in India, even in Delhi, but I don't know that it's worth the aggravation. Since I lived there (2000) I've been back for work multiple times, working with the military. Only three countries we had armed security escorts the entire time every time? India, Pakistan, Brazil. Take that for FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This is one of the most racist posts I’ve read in a while. To be so dismissive and generalizing to an entire country.

My family is from the region and we’ve traveled across India and Bangladesh. It’s not an easy trip but it sure is a gratifying one. The food is diverse and spectacular and the history is incredible.

If we are going to generalize countries, I’d point out how the US treats Black people and tolerates gun violence. I’m Anerican though and know that these are areas of our less perfect union and I have hope for improvement.

I bet all, your Indian relatives want to come to the US though.

DP here. My Indian relatives are all in the US. In Potomac, Bethesda, McClean, Great Falls, Arlington... and they are very rich employers too. But, I doubt they will employ what Trump calls the "talentless Americans". 0:25 on the video below...

Telling no? Your relatives are here and not in Delhi? And you are upset that we are tearing down Delhi?

What is there to be upset about? Go on and tear down Delhi even more, if that makes you happy. Does not change the reality of my life.

India is 1/5th the world population. We need to spread out and take our share of the world resources. Glad that my people are thriving everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been to India numerous times because my husband has family there. I've been to Delhi once and it was madness. But there are pretty cool things there. Jantar Mantar is interesting, it's an astronomical observatory, built in the early 1700s. The Gandhi Memorial is nice too, and the Red Fort is worth a visit. And if you're going to be in Delhi, you cannot skip a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. You can take a train or hire a driver. I've also heard cool things about Jaipur, the next time we visit we want to go there.

India is very unique place, but definitely not for everyone. It can be overwhelming in many ways. But it is also beautiful (all of the colored saris on women - amazing) and the food can be delicious...I still dream of the homemade dishes our relatives cooked for us when there. But I will suggest hiring a guide/driver when touring attractions in Delhi (or other cities in India). We found it helpful to have someone to take over the transportation logistics, and usually guides that are found through the nice hotels are very knowledgable and are able to make the experience positive.

I've also been to Mumbai and would prefer that city to Delhi, the Elephanta Caves are cool. And the Taj is a classic hotel to experience, we were there a year before the bombing. I've spent the most time in Hyderabad, it's not a big tourist town but Golkonda Fort is really cool and there's also Film City. Being a westerner in India usually means two things: either you have someone bothering you (trying to sell you something, trying to take your picture) or the people who lead with kindness. I've always chosen to focus on the people leading with kindness and ignore the weirdos. And believe me as a white woman I've dealt with my share of weirdos in India.

Hope this helps.

Agree. As someone who is tall and blonde, and bears a passing resemblance to Heidi Klum (or insert your fave blonde celeb here), it's madness every time I go out. I've been swarmed by people in more remote areas--it's scary. Once the rumor breaks out in a crowd that you're <whoever>....yikes.