Crossing the road
There is no rhyme or reason to Indian traffic, apparently there are rules but what they are eludes me. I have found that the best way to cross a road (especially if you are alone) is to find and follow a local person who is crossing. They are much braver and seem to know when and how to dodge the multitudes of oncoming vehicles.
Eating Out
Food in India is pretty cheap, however all prices exclude tax. Eating in a restaurant there can be up to 30% charges added to the bill, so it is something to be aware of if paying in cash. Make sure if they give you water it is filtered or bottles and the same with ice cubes. Where possible get takeaway and eat out, then you save on some of the tax.
Rickshaws
Rickshaw drivers seem to make up their own prices. What normally costs 50 rupees can suddenly become 100 rupees. Ask someone what the cost should be before you go out and then stick to that as your guide. Sometimes the drivers refuse and other times they agree after some debate. You can ask for metered fares but you have to be careful they don't take you the long way. If you have any trouble get out and ring the police.
Shopping
Markets are amazing places, full of clothing (by the way the colour runs like crazy from Indian clothes). Most of the prices vary on the vendor, so again you need to haggle to get the price down. Just going to walk away also helps in the frantic price reduction. Something that they asked 400 rupees for suddenly drops to 350 then to 300. Have an idea of what you are prepared to pay and only get into debate if you actually want something. If you want high end products then there are shopping malls that have all the high street brands.
Make sure you get your change
A lot of people don't like to give you change, even if they have the ability to do so. Twice I didn't get any change and once I didn't get all my change. Learn from this - make sure you know how much change you should get and make sure you get it all.
Trains
Trains are a pretty cheap way to travel (compared to in the UK), but train tickets either need to be purchased well in advance, online or from the foreign ticket office at New Delhi railway station. In the air conditioned chair class you get food. Think of this food as lower quality plane food and take snacks in case you don't want to eat it. I did get a free 1L water bottle each way though which was brilliant. There are still printed lists on the edge of each coach, so you can check you are in the right place. Sometimes they stop randomly and whereas you started out on time, you may still arrive rather late to your destination.
India is an amazing place and the people are so friendly and helpful. You certainly won't get bored, especially in the cities. Overall I have had an amazing experience in India and would recommend it as a place to visit to anyone.
There is no rhyme or reason to Indian traffic, apparently there are rules but what they are eludes me. I have found that the best way to cross a road (especially if you are alone) is to find and follow a local person who is crossing. They are much braver and seem to know when and how to dodge the multitudes of oncoming vehicles.
Eating Out
Food in India is pretty cheap, however all prices exclude tax. Eating in a restaurant there can be up to 30% charges added to the bill, so it is something to be aware of if paying in cash. Make sure if they give you water it is filtered or bottles and the same with ice cubes. Where possible get takeaway and eat out, then you save on some of the tax.
Rickshaws
Rickshaw drivers seem to make up their own prices. What normally costs 50 rupees can suddenly become 100 rupees. Ask someone what the cost should be before you go out and then stick to that as your guide. Sometimes the drivers refuse and other times they agree after some debate. You can ask for metered fares but you have to be careful they don't take you the long way. If you have any trouble get out and ring the police.
Shopping
Markets are amazing places, full of clothing (by the way the colour runs like crazy from Indian clothes). Most of the prices vary on the vendor, so again you need to haggle to get the price down. Just going to walk away also helps in the frantic price reduction. Something that they asked 400 rupees for suddenly drops to 350 then to 300. Have an idea of what you are prepared to pay and only get into debate if you actually want something. If you want high end products then there are shopping malls that have all the high street brands.
Make sure you get your change
A lot of people don't like to give you change, even if they have the ability to do so. Twice I didn't get any change and once I didn't get all my change. Learn from this - make sure you know how much change you should get and make sure you get it all.
Trains
Trains are a pretty cheap way to travel (compared to in the UK), but train tickets either need to be purchased well in advance, online or from the foreign ticket office at New Delhi railway station. In the air conditioned chair class you get food. Think of this food as lower quality plane food and take snacks in case you don't want to eat it. I did get a free 1L water bottle each way though which was brilliant. There are still printed lists on the edge of each coach, so you can check you are in the right place. Sometimes they stop randomly and whereas you started out on time, you may still arrive rather late to your destination.
India is an amazing place and the people are so friendly and helpful. You certainly won't get bored, especially in the cities. Overall I have had an amazing experience in India and would recommend it as a place to visit to anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment