Have you ever been to India?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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dragonwarrior
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by dragonwarrior »

vinodh wrote:
Dirty :thinking: . I will come to that part later.

Hot ? May be for those who come from the cooler regions of the globe. 30-35 Degree Celsius is considered average here. (I set my AC to 25 and my Mom screams its too cold)

Criminals ..hmm.. As it goes anywhere, Tourists need to safe guard their belongings and avoid the street-guides and stuff. People tend to overprice things for Tourists (including the Local Tourists), so be careful on that part.

Now for the "Dirty" Part . It depends upon where you go. Yes, In general is little messy. Bear with it ! No other go :shrug: ( I know, its very embarrassing :( )

V
Oh, since I live in Jakarta, so I can understand the heat and the mess. >>> more embarrassing :?
Glad to hear the temperature, at least it's almost the same here.
vinodh wrote:
they said I will regret if I travel to India
Definitely not. :toast:

:thumbsup:

:namaste:
I hope so! :twothumbsup:
PeterB wrote:My wife and myself have visited several Indian towns away from the usual tourist trail destinations and have never had a bad experience..
On one occasion we left our hotel and went into the local village by tuk tuk with a couple of chaps we passed on the tracks, they showed us around the village, including pulling the local priest out of bed to do a puja, and showed us where a cobra lived during the day in a kind of mud shrine painted yellow.
When we returned to the hotel the staff were amazed when we told them where we had been. No hotel guest had ever been into the village before.
:thumbsup: you're so lucky ^^
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cooran
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by cooran »

Hello Winny,

Are you planning to travel with companions, or alone? It is unwise for lone females to travel alone around 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---
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vinodh
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by vinodh »

Chris wrote:t is unwise for lone females to travel alone around India.

metta
Chris
?

V
http://www.virtualvinodh.com

Buddhists Texts in Brahmi Script : http://www.virtualvinodh.com/brahmi-lipitva

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]
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Ben
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by Ben »

Hi Chris,
Chris wrote:Hello Winny,

Are you planning to travel with companions, or alone? It is unwise for lone females to travel alone around India.

metta
Chris
I've actually known several female co-practitioners who travelled alone in India with little hassle.
metta

Ben
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in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
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cooran
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by cooran »

Hello Ben, vinodh, all,

I've been to India, Nepal, Bhutan, Kashmir etc. three or four times, and am going again in Feb/March 2010 to India and Nepal.

My son spent about six months travelling down the east coast, up the west coast and across the north from west to east. He lived in backpackers accommodation and travelled on public transport from place to place with others he met on the way. Invariably, the young women had experiences which impelled them to try to find groups which included males to travel onwards with.

Others experiences may vary.

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 ---
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dragonwarrior
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by dragonwarrior »

Chris wrote:Hello Winny,

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. :group:

By the way, is the pilgrimage route in the southern/northern India?
PeterB
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by PeterB »

Its mostly in the north Winny.
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cooran
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by cooran »

Winny wrote:
Chris wrote:Hello Winny,

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. :group:

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 ---
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by PeterB »

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.
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vinodh
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by vinodh »

Delhi Belly ??

Whats that ? :thinking:

V
http://www.virtualvinodh.com

Buddhists Texts in Brahmi Script : http://www.virtualvinodh.com/brahmi-lipitva

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]
PeterB
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by PeterB »

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..
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vinodh
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by vinodh »

So,

If I come to the US, will I experience the "New York Tummy" :tongue:

:rofl:
http://www.virtualvinodh.com

Buddhists Texts in Brahmi Script : http://www.virtualvinodh.com/brahmi-lipitva

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]
PeterB
Posts: 3909
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:35 pm

Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by PeterB »

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.
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dragonwarrior
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by dragonwarrior »

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 :cry: As you said, I'm still looking for the middle way.
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Dhammabodhi
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Re: Have you ever been to India?

Post by Dhammabodhi »

Chris wrote:
It is unwise for lone females to travel alone around India.
I agree.
"Take rest, take rest."-S.N.Goenka
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