India - Chasing the Wow

Mumbai’s stark contrasts

Indian cities are big, dirty, slow to travel around, typically shocking in their inequalities and increasingly expensive. Typically, I would say try to avoid them as the real highlights of this truly wonderful country are to be found outside the cities (in particular Jodphur – Jodphur’s Blue City and the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort, the Taj Mahal – The Taj Mahal and Udaiphur – The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur) … but, if you are to visit one, my recommendation would be Mumbai.

It has some central traditional sites (UNESCO World Heritage listed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj station, Taj Mahal Palace and Gateway to India monument) that are well worth checking out, but it’s real attraction is the furious energy and vibe that sets it apart. I really enjoyed seeing the contrasts between the Dharavi Slum and the rising super wealthly sky scrapers all around it, and just generally wandering around the Fort / Kala Ghoda / Marine Drive area where you’ll see locals hanging out by the tropical water, playing cricket in the vast Oval Maidan grounds, and seeing that contrast between the historical / colonial world and the booming future India . . . that Mumbai is very much at the heart of.

Definitely worth the stop over.

Top tips:

#1 Stay around the Fort area. Contrary to most Indian cities, its a really pleasant walking area and you can walk straight from your hotel to the Marine Drive Promenade, the gateway of India / Taj Mahal Palace hotel, the restaurants and bars of Kala Ghoda, and just generally pleasant spots like the giant Oval Maidan green area with (without exaggeration) 20+ games of cricket going on

#2 Do take a tour of the Dharavi Slum – before going I sort of had visions of a giant rubbish tip, but it’s far more organised than you would imagine. The industries founded there (such as clay pots, glass, plastic recycling) are super impressive. An astounding 1 million people live there (the 3rd largest slum in the world), where they work 7 days a week, yet I had a feeling of being very safe – never once worried for safety etc. Something that stuck with me – bear in mind that 55% of Mumbai’s population lives in slums, and the word slum simply means a house built on government land. I found it fascinating

#3 Be sure to tag on a visit to the clothes washing at Dhobi Ghat. Surpassingly cool to see the scale and ingenuity they apply to wash something like 100,000 washes a day, and all under the backdrop of the rising, sparkling skyscrapers. Really recommend it

#4 For a view spot over Marine Drive and looking out into Back Bay and the Indian Ocean in the distance, I would recommend a sundowner at the Dome, which is part of the InterContinental

#5 Try to visit in the winter. February was just perfect, but I’d imagine adding 15 degrees and 90% humidity would turn this into a slog

The Palaces of Mysore

The Palaces of Mysore are grand and surrounded by very pleasant gardens. Not bad if nearby in one of the cities like Bangalore, but . . . the main Mysore Palace is the second most visited sight in all of India only behind the Taj Mahal . . . so it is rammed and not quite worth the hassle

Very brief review this time as it was years ago that I visited

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is:

One of the 7 Wonders of the World
Said by its imperial creator to “make the sun and moon shed tears”
Put so eloquently by poet Rabindranath Tagore “a tear drop on the edge of eternity”

That is massive hype . . . and the Taj Mahal lives up to it. Despite it being such a simple experience, you find yourself staring at it, for hours, happily soaking up it’s perfect geometrical beauty. Cheesy indeed, but I surprised myself by just how much I enjoyed staring at it. One of the top 2 highlights of India and a must on any itinerary.

Top tip – this is a light travel entry because you don’t really need tips for visiting the Taj. It’s very straightforward. But, one thing I would recommend is to try and have a tea, beer, breakfast, meal, whatever, within sight of the Taj. Doing so just offers a different perspective, and slightly different experience as you enjoy your food and drinks overlooking this world famous site, rather than being surrounded by the crowds all try to get a look at it. The Oberoi will tick that box, but plenty of other cheaper options.

The former Mughal capital at Fatehphur Sikri

Just outside of Agra (the Taj Mahal) is the very underrated and magnificent fortified ancient city of Fatehphur Sikri. It was the former capital of the Mughal Empire, which dominated nearly all of South Asia for almost 200 years before the arrival of the British, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stuffed with palaces, mosques and wow architecture it is also without the intense crowds found elsewhere in the main Indian tourist.

You’re obviously not going to visit India just for this, but I highlighly recommend tagging it onto a Golden Triangle + Rajasthan itinerary. For the itinerary and tips on how to get the best out of the trip, see the far more details travel entry for India’s Golden Triangle – getting the most out of it.

And see below how I see the best spots nearby.

The Golden Temple, Amritsar – Joining the Sikh Pilgrimage

The Golden Temple itself is impressive – gleaming marble walkways, exotic architecture and the gold-covered temple sitting in the middle of a sacred lake – but the real highlight is the experience of being welcomed so openly into one of the world’s great religious pilgrimages.

It’s very simple to join in. Simply rock up any time, no entrance fee, just take off your shoes and socks, wash your feet and borrow a head scarf that they provide. Then follow the crowds – they even feed you!

There isn’t a huge amount else to see in Amritsar, and the Golden Temple is very much the main reason to come here, but the nearby Wagah border ceremony with Pakistan is one of the strangest and most entertaining border ceremonies in the world and well worth seeing.

Getting lost in the kaleidoscope of colours in Varanasi

Varanasi feels like a microcosm of India – nowhere else will you see such a vibrant variety of cultures, religions and colours. Yet this is also combined with the thronging masses, rubbish and pollution. You. tend to be reminded of the whole “India. 10/10 potential. 1/10 execution” 😂.

I loved my time in Varanasi as I just headed off to get lost in amongst the lanes, wandered into incense-heavy temples and looked over the riverside ghats as people washed themselves for ritual, or just washed themselves. I can also understand though why some might find it a bit oppressive. Either way, it feels like one of the must do experiences of this wonderful country

Some simple tips:

#1 Get lost in the small alley ways – its all part of the experience and you’ll no doubt find some cool temples and views of the Ganges that aren’t in the standard tourist route.

#2 Try to avoid taking a standard tourist tour of the Ghats. Instead, find one of the guys with his own boat near the water and get him to take you out. It just avoids being crammed into a boat with 40 other fellow tourists.

#3 Its India, so be ready for people near-constantly nagging you to sell you something, but it is probably a bit worse in Varanasi and it is a tourist hotspot where people tend to have spent a lot to visit.

A day in Calcutta

Whilst Calcutta does have some interesting spots of architecture from the times when it was the capital of the British Raj, there isn’t much else worth really seeing in Calcutta. I would give it a miss.

If you want a big Indian city, I would suggest Mumbai and see Mumbai’s stark contrasts for tips.

Or the real highlights of India which are to be found in the Golden Triangle and Rajasthan. See the India’s Golden Triangle – getting the most out of it entry for what to prioritise.