Are you planning to travel with companions, or alone? It is unwise for lone females to travel alone around India.
metta
Chris
Greetings Chris,
To be honest, I don't know yet Chris. But my father will definitely forbid me to go alone. Still looking for companions.
By the way, is the pilgrimage route in the southern/northern India?
Hello Winny,
The Four Holy Places are Lumbini (Nepal) where Siddattha Gautama was born; Bodh Gaya where he became fully enlightened; Sarnath where he gave his first Teaching; and Kusinara where he attained final Nibbana. http://www.theravada.gr/pilgrimage.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
When I travel next Feb/Mar it will be with a small group of 28, (one busload) - which includes our two Bhikkhus (one from West Germany and one from Czechoslavakia). This tour is arranged by a local travel agent who is also a member of our lay community.
Previously I've travelled with members of dhammastudygroup out of Bangkok - in a much bigger group of around 120 people, usually taking four buses in India.
metta
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
---It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
I think that there is a middle way here as in all things. I would advise against a young woman travelling ANYWHERE alone. On the other hand if taken too far fear about personal safety can spoil what could be some of the best parts of any trip. My wife and I attended a retreat and teachings in Sarnath which is near the ancient city of Varanasi. We and a few other Brits took time to visit the city, to watch the dawn over the Ganges etc. It was glorious. The American contigent ( I am not reading anything into this, just stating facts ) stayed resolutely in the retreat centre. They clearly thought that we were being reckless. When we told them that we had eaten in a pizza place near the Ganges they clearly thought that we were sectionable.....I think they missed something very special. And we didnt get Delhi Belly. Neither of us ever have , possibly because we have allowed suffient exposure to local varients of bactria to enable an immune response.
yo dharmaṁ paśyati, sa buddhaṁ paśyati
One who sees the Dharma, sees the Buddha
na pudgalo na ca skandhā buddho jñānamanāsravam
sadāśāntiṁ vibhāvitvā gacchāmi śaraṇaṁ hyaham
Neither a person nor the aggregates, the Buddha, is knowledge free from [evil] outflows
Clearly perceiving [him] to be eternally serene, I go for refuge [in him]
Its the generic name Vinodh for the for the loose stools that westerners can sometimes experience when exposed to bacteria to which their bodies have no immunity. In Mexico its called Montezumas Revenge..
yo dharmaṁ paśyati, sa buddhaṁ paśyati
One who sees the Dharma, sees the Buddha
na pudgalo na ca skandhā buddho jñānamanāsravam
sadāśāntiṁ vibhāvitvā gacchāmi śaraṇaṁ hyaham
Neither a person nor the aggregates, the Buddha, is knowledge free from [evil] outflows
Clearly perceiving [him] to be eternally serene, I go for refuge [in him]
Its possible. You may have contact with varities of E Coli in particular which you have no immunity to. It is very common for northern europeans to react in the same way when they first visit Spain.
PeterB wrote:I think that there is a middle way here as in all things. I would advise against a young woman travelling ANYWHERE alone. On the other hand if taken too far fear about personal safety can spoil what could be some of the best parts of any trip. My wife and I attended a retreat and teachings in Sarnath which is near the ancient city of Varanasi. We and a few other Brits took time to visit the city, to watch the dawn over the Ganges etc. It was glorious. The American contigent ( I am not reading anything into this, just stating facts ) stayed resolutely in the retreat centre. They clearly thought that we were being reckless. When we told them that we had eaten in a pizza place near the Ganges they clearly thought that we were sectionable.....I think they missed something very special. And we didnt get Delhi Belly. Neither of us ever have , possibly because we have allowed suffient exposure to local varients of bactria to enable an immune response.
Yes, I'm totally agree with you Peter. My only difficulty in traveling is that I don't have companion. Sometimes my father just being too worry, and he required at least a male and a female friend to accompany every travel. Actually I'm not too worry about personal safety if I'm with a male companion, but considering the ethic in Eastern culture, especially in Indonesia, I need a female friend too. I believe that in my travel, bad things won't happen to me if it's not my karma. Anyway in this case, unfortunately most of my friends are Christians, of course I can't go pilgriming with them As you said, I'm still looking for the middle way.
I've been to India twice. Both times only in Northern India. First time I traveled solo. And second time with my wife.
Varanasi was very fascinating (but so hot in August). I'd like to see it again in December or January.
Bodhgaya was great. We liked going to the temple early in the morning and sit under one of the shady trees.
The Himalaya were awesome. We hired a jeep and driver for 2 weeks to drive through the mountains of Himachal Pradesh for about 40 US$ per day.
Great memories.
Yes, it was really dirty in many places. In Varanasi and other cities, cows walk around pooping everywhere. And there is a lot of littering. Somehow we made it a whole month without ever getting sick from any food. Touts and beggars could getting annoying and aggressive at times, so you gotta practice to keep your cool.
A good site with a forum all about travel in India is http://www.indiamike.com/ I highly recommend anyone planning a trip to India to check it out.
i grew up in india and have returned many times so my experience of india is not so much from the tourist or visitor's perspective.
You live in jakarta, so india will not hold that many surprises for you. northern and north western india is very different than say southern india. i would say for a first trip plan your visit carefully. tour group prices are of course way more expensive per day that those of us that have travel experience in india and can grab a train and navigate the stations, taxis and culture, but it can be very confusing to hoof it as a newbie. still with the right attitude, patience and confidence travelers still do it all the time.
india is not dangerous if you stay out of danger, that is do dumb things. getting scammed is the biggest problem, like let me get your rail tickets for you, first class sleeper...and you find you've paid 3X the ticket price, or take this taxi [you get the long way around town]. these things still happen to me and in the end i tend to laugh it off rather than getting angry.
the best of plans go awry, a 4 hour trian trip takes 16. be patient.
learn food rules, what to eat and what not to eat and stick to it religiously. i have gone without eating because i could not find food that was not risky. i always carry packaged snacks for instance and fruit that can be easily peeled. it is not true as someone suggested that vegetarian food is safer, nor food in the hotels. i've seen vegetarians get as sick as anyone, same for upper class hotel residents, it all depends on what you order. i have yet to get stomach/digestive ailments in all my trips...even still one of these days it is bound to happen. travel with cipro the wide spectrum antibiotic. i do eat heartily in india, it is important because travel there can be strenuous. travel light. if you are with a tour group though, they will lug your bag around, if not you will notice the difference between a 20 pound bag and a light backpack [one with the little wheels are a godsend].
tip well in hotels, the maid, the desk clerk etc. it goes a very long way to be generous if there are problems. i once sent my levi jeans out to the laundry from a 2 star hotel and got indian knock off jeans back. the desk clerk took up my case and the next day my levis were back even though i had left the hotel.
unaccompanied women traveling alone are safe, though they can be victims of grabbing, lewd remarks, suggestive behavior. women's sanitary facilities are not often much to the liking of western ladies. i have spent time with lone women travelers and their stories have not been much different than mine.
i love india so i encourage you to go. india always surprises me after all these year [since 1956] best of luck.
There are also many helpful links down the left hand side of the page.
metta
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
---It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
Greetings Naga and Pintor! Thanks for sharing with us.
One of my worries is about the foodborne illness. And does anybody know cheap & safe airline in India(domestic)?