Travel Warnings for First-time Travelers in India and Thailand

If you plan to backpack in Asia, you will soon find out that there is a common Asia travel circuit.  Don’t be surprised to find that the girl you were talking to on a bus in India is now sitting beside you on a Thai water taxi.  For those that are flying from Delhi to Bangkok on your first time Asian backpacking trip… be ware. 

WARNING:  India really takes a lot out of a traveler who has never been there before.  If you aren’t from India, you will stick out like a sore thumb, and you will be wearing an invisible sign that says “I have money,” which will be read by every Indian that you come across. 

As a result, vendors will tell you that they have that pair of jeans, that scarf, that bracelet, that (fill in the blank) that was made specifically for you.  Children will walk right up to you, take your hand, and ask you to give them a buck or two.  When visiting tourist attractions, don’t be shocked to find Indians that want to take their picture with you.  They may even ask you to take a picture of them with your camera, which is often worthwhile. 

Aside from constant banter and commotion, you must always look a certain direction when walking around.  If you are in a big city, you must watch out for other people, motorcycles, cars, etc.  If you are in a small city, you must dodge the piles of cow poop as you walk. 

In certain places, you must be weary of where you eat.  Always choose a good restaurant where the food is hot.  And NEVER…repeat NEVER…pay attention to all of the other backpackers that are eating the tasty fresh fruit.  If you follow what everyone else is doing, you’ll soon pay for it, which will cause you to also have to worry about where bathrooms might be located as you traipse through the country.

Needless to say, India is a country that takes a lot of work to travel in.  You must always be thinking or reacting. 

Blake and I traveled in India for three weeks.  We flew into Mumbai and traveled overland to Delhi.  We visited Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaiselmere, Pushkar, Agra, and of course Mumbai and Delhi.  As noted above, I saw a bunch of other travelers eating the cool fresh fruit while staying in Pushkar, so I decided to partake in the glory.  I would say that starting the next day, for a whole month, I had the runs REALLY bad. 

By the time we left for Thailand, I was ready.  When we got to Thailand, everything was calm and clean which was exactly what I needed.  I was able to get my hands on some medication and I quickly started to feel better.  My horrible stomach cramps subsided and we were able to relax and travel leisurely around Bangkok.

After a few days in the city, Blake and I had to choose between going north to Chang Mai and Cambodia, or to head south to the beaches.  The original plan was to go north and see the jungles as well as Angkor Wat, but after the experience in India, we thought going south first might be a good option.  Sitting on a beach doing nothing sounded pretty damn good. 

WARNING:  If you are traveling in Thailand, always head north first.  If you head south, you will undoubtedly be sucked into a paradise with very little hope of getting out. 

Blake and I chose to go to the beaches and we never did make it up to Chang Mai or over into Cambodia.  We spent a month and a half in Thailand.  Only four or five days of that time was spent in Bangkok.  The rest of it was spent on a beach.

It was glorious, and I will never forget it…but we have to go back now to do the rest. 

WARNING:  Although your experience in India might have you looking forward to a destination a little less chaotic, you will find yourself yearning to go back to India a year or so later.  You will realize that there isn’t any other place on Earth like India, and you will want a taste of that same chaos you once experienced so long ago.  India pulls you back.

Tags: Beaches, Culture, Fruit, India, Thailand, Travel Warning, Warning

This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 1:00 am and is filed under Lindsey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.