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A few hours ago I touched down in New Delhi, India on a flight from Istanbul, Turkey. I’ll be here for most of the month of November, joining Earl Baron on his inaugural Welcome To India tour. Earl has spent 2 years of his travels in India, this will be my fourth visit, and we’re both here to take all of your questions about the country, what to eat, where to see, and whether the Taj Mahal really as impressive as you’ve heard.
The chat is open today (Oct. 29th) from 11:30pm-1am US EST (3:30am-5:00am GMT; 9am-10:30am New Delhi). Scroll down or click here to pop into chat conversation below!
Earl also just announced his next tour, Wander Across Mexico in March, details about which he’ll be happy to share if you ask. Our 10 travel guests won’t begin arriving until later today and we’re both here for 90 minutes to talk with you about all things India plus travel. Curious about traveling in India, the cows, safety of the street food? Ask away in the comments below.
Hi everyone and welcome to this month’s live chat from New Delhi, India! Sorry I’m running a bit late (Earl was on time) but a computer crash earlier before my flight has me running behind.
Quickly before we get going, I want to mention one of the best comments from October as I usually do. Jeanne shares some of the latest research and treatments of Mal de Debarquement syndrome – that bouncy feeling you get after a boat or plane ride. For some people that never goes away, fascinating, thanks Jeanne!
Ok, hey Earl you here?
Hi, so what’s up so far? Have you met your group?
I am here in indeed, ready to talk about India! And thanks so much for having me as a guest for this month’s chat!
Hi, I hope this is working. I really want to hear all about your experiences. So have you met your group? What’s going on so far?
The rest of the group will be arriving tomorrow, just in time to start the tour on November 1st 🙂 I’ve just spent the past few days relaxing, getting some work done and eating nine meals per day from my favorite eateries in Delhi!
I’m getting hungry thinking about it, haven’t had a meal in India for 3 years now…
Hey Brenda – One person has arrived so far, another arrives tonight and the rest will be arriving throughout the day tomorrow. The tour officially starts on November 1st right here in Delhi. Have you been to India?
No, I have not. I am interested in your Mexico trip. I wrote you before about visiting those places very long ago, and I would love to know more about your plans ther. But I still want to hear all about the trip you’re on now. It must be exciting for you, this being your “first”.
It is exciting and I really can’t wait to get started. The group is a great mix of people and I’m really looking forward to experiencing this country with everyone, trying to show as diverse a slice of India as possible!
And the Mexico tour details will definitely be posted on the blog next week 🙂
What is the experience that you most want to share with the people in your group?
It’s all about meeting people…to me, no matter how amazing the temple, the palace, the mountains, the Taj Mahal or anything else, an Indian experience always revolves around the people you meet along the way. And with such a diversity of people in this country, there is much to be learned through the interactions with those we come across.
I’ve always said our lives are about the people we meet in the places that we have been. There is nothing else that can compare to that.
I couldn’t agree more!
Has anyone out there been to India before? Or are you interested in visiting? Or maybe you live here?
Hi Earl,
I came to know about you from Nomadic Matt’s Website.
Happy to know you are visiting India again with a bunch of friends.
Welcome to the land of cultures!
I am currently living in Hyderabad, India.
Hope you have a wonderful trip over the Northern India and best regards to your company also
Well I live here – in Mumbai to be precise.
And I’ve been travelling across India on my motorbike since Jan this year. Been on a breakOn a bit of break from that journey now. Would have loved to come and catch up with you guys somewhere but few things keep me busy until early December. May be then .. lets see…
Wish you all the best. And hope you have a fantastic time ahead.
Cheers
Venky
Thanks Venky! And your motorcycle trip around this country sounds amazing. I’m sure that is such a great way to experience places that few people ever visit during their travels here.
Too bad, would have been great to meet you. Motorcycles were a big part of my inspiration for long-term travel 🙂 What type of bike btw?
Yes, Earl. It definitely is a great way to travel around. The amount of flexibility it offers cannot be compared. You can just turn of the ignition anywhere and call that place your pitstop for the day.
Anil, Its a humble 150cc Honda Unicorn. She’s been serving me great since the last 4 years or so since it has been a partner in my travels.
Cheers
Venky
What more can you ask from a bike? 🙂 Really connects you with the journey, cheers!
Hey guys! Excited to chat with you both and learn from everyone’s input. Unfortunately I have not been to India, but it’s definitely on my list. I’ve actually been trying to build up my spicy tolerance for the past year in preparation – is that necessary or are there mild options in India as well? Any advice to avoid getting food sickness?
Hi Stephanie! There are definitely mild options and the cuisine varies quite a bit by region. But you’re doing well to expose yourself to spices now, because you’ll certainly come across it in India 🙂 And usually the definition of ‘hot’ here and elsewhere is very different.
There are definitely options for mild food as Anil mentioned…it might take a while to figure out which dishes are the most mild, but once you do, you’ll be all set 🙂
Remember too, bread and rice to keep away spice, water does little if you happen to eat something a bit too hot!
Hi Earl,
I came to know about you from Nomadic Matt’s Website.
Happy to know you are visiting India again with a bunch of friends.
Welcome to the land of cultures!
I am currently living in Hyderabad, India.
Hope you have a wonderful trip over the Northern India and best regards to your company also 🙂
Thanks so much Nigel! I’ve actually never been to Hyderabad so perhaps I’ll get there on this trip after the tour is over as I’ll stick around India for another 6 weeks or so.
Good! You can call me after reaching Hyderabad.
C ya man…
+91-7842187649
Thanks Nigel…I shall let you know if I do make it there!
hello 🙂
Hi!
Hi Anil and Earl 🙂 I have been to India but, only for a a week. That was very short but, I am planning to go back and see more. Eager to hear stories.
You should definitely come back to this huge country and explore some more! And when you do, I highly recommend visiting towns and cities and destinations that are not mentioned in guidebooks or anywhere else. Sometimes the best experiences here involve wandering around a random destination, meeting new people and just letting the adventure unfold. Where did you visit for that week?
Where are you now?
The Philippines. Just preparing to leave again in a few months.
One of my very favorite countries, I love the Philippines 🙂
Hello Earl,
Not to get off topic but, have you thought about what trips you will offer in 2013?
Hey Billy – Welcome to the chat! And yes, it looks like I will be offering a Mexico trip in March, a Romania/Turkey trip over the summer and then another India trip at the end of the year. I should be posting the final details about the Mexico trip on the blog next week!
Do any of those interest you?
I’ll be right back, going to grab a beer as my internal clock is still a few hours behind 🙂
Beer break was a bit of a failure. I’ll have to make up with it later with extra food for the afternoon 🙂
I know India is a very large country, but can you guys give a summary of the geographical areas, such as what is good to see/do in particular areas (ex. holy sites, jungle/landscape, metropolitan area, etc)? I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the huge subcontinent, and since I have limited vacation time to visit (~1 week), I’d love a run-down so I can plan to visit places that interest me (and know what to plan for the next trip!). Thank you!
Well, hmmm, tough one! I’m partial to the south but honestly, I would not miss the Taj Mahal and Delhi. The former is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my travels. In the south I enjoyed Mysore but you can’t do both regions in a week. Hmm…still thinking, so hard to narrow it down!
Hey Stephanie – To be honest, in one week it’s best to visit one or two places and not try to run around and see too much. Travel here can be exhausting and you will end spending most of your time on trains/buses if you try to see more than a couple of destinations. So something like Delhi/Agra or Delhi/Amritsar/McLeod Ganj would be a good route for a one week vacation.
If you fly to Mumbai, I would do something like Mumbai and Udaipur.
I spent that week in Bundi. It was 46degC then it rained on my last day. It is a beautif’ul city, full life and color and the people are very friendly. Sad that I can’t stay longer because I wanted to hop off at every train station from Delhi to and see what those cities have to offer.
Hey ryo – Bundii is one of my favorite places in all of India and I’ll be taking my group there in just a couple of weeks from now. It is super friendly and easy going! And yes, I know the feeling of wanting to stop everywhere and see everything…that’s what happens in this huge, diverse country!
So much to see right? I think India is the most culturally dense place in the world. (Dense in the sense as there is more wonderful stuff per square meter than anywhere I’ve been.)
True! Just about everything is interesting. And the people! At least the ones I met, even on the streets of Bundi are so friendly not to mention, colorful.
Hey Earl,
I’m really excited about hearing the comments and am having some trouble with this site. or is it me? I’m waiting to hear all about your travel plans in India. Peace Brenda
Sounds good! I think there is just a lot of people viewing the chat now so that’s slowing the site a little 🙂
But if you ever have any more questions that aren’t answered here, please feel free to send me an email as always!
Could be the site, the chats get really busy and it takes a minute or two from my pages to keep up 🙂 Sorry for any trouble and thanks for sticking with us!
Are you excited about your first group and a bit apprehensive about keeping them healthy?
Hey T – I’m definitely excited and not too worried about keeping everyone healthy. We’ll definitely take it easy at first and ease into it, of course with the food, but apart from some basic stomach issues, which is often unavoidable, I’m confident the group will be fine.
The key is to ease your way into it and follow some basic India rules:
*no tap water
*eat where everyone else is
Romania/Turkey. I’m in. I just might head up to Poland after that. I hear good things.
Haven’t been to Poland yet but can say good things about the other two countries 🙂
I haven’t been to Poland either. But Romania/Turkey is definitely a region that I can also highly recommend…I think Romania surprises many visitors (in a very good way) and Istanbul is just, well, an incredible city!
Okay, I think I’ve got it now. My computer was just too slow for a sec. Reading your blog has really given me such inspiration. Do you realize that you are really making a difference in people’s lives? You are one courageous young man. I have a feeling you’ve never met a stranger. How many miles will you actually cover on this trip?
I’m so very happy to hear that you’ve gained some inspiration from the site…that’s exactly my goal as I really want those with travel goals to get out there and achieve them during their time on this planet. For this trip we will cover quite a decent distance, probably around 1500 miles in total but with the train/bus systems here, the journeys are a wonderful part of the experience!
That is a lot of miles to cover, but I have faith that you will make it a great and remarkable experience.
Thanks Brenda…I really do think the group will enjoy their time here 🙂
Earl, how many months in advance did you begin planning this tour?
I started the general preparations about four months prior to the trip and then as the time got closer, about six weeks before the tour, I started finalizing the various aspects such as transportation and accommodation. And then in November I shall start planning the Mexico tour which will be held in March.
Also a question for everyone – what was/is your biggest apprehension prior to visiting India?
Oh, and how many people are in your group?
There’s 10 people in the group which is the maximum I would want to take. Anything more would make it too difficult to move around together I think and this seems like a perfect amount.
Thank you for the replies and I wish for you all the best. I hope it’s the start of something really wonderful for you and the people that join you. I’ll be following your journey.
Thank you for following along as always Brenda!
Hey earl, would you ever consider bringing people along on your travels for a long period of time?
Hey Dakoda – I have had several requests for that idea but I’ve yet to put it into action. It would be difficult given my constant moving around and a lot of last minute changes to my plans 🙂 But I suppose that offering a 1 month trip is an option and once a couple of these shorter tours have been completed, I can think about doing that. Would you join a long trip?
I absolutely would if you hosted one, but what about more of a full time travel partner who wants to join you?
As long as the person doesn’t mind my crazy schedule then that’s always a possibility. When are you looking to travel?
Ive been making plans for summer, but I have nothing holding me back but family telling me not too and thats not effecting me. So honestly as soon as I can.
Good to hear you’re determined to make it happen! Any parts of the world that you particularly want to visit?
Anywhere, and everywhere. Nomad lifestyle, that’s what its all about. I just want to experience as much as i can and gain knowledge that matters.
Travel will certainly let you do that…feel free to send me an email and we can discuss the idea some more 🙂 Where are you living now?
Yeah, ill send you more emails than i already do 🙂 haha, but i moved to sault ste marie ontario recently for school from florida
Haha…your emails are always welcome 🙂
Over or underrated? Not the photo, what’s in the photo 😉
Always worth a visit in my opinion!
A question for us from Twitter @Vagaroam: Would love to hear your recommendations for New Delhi – headed there early next year!
I would suggest Akshardham certainly (bad photo of the very top as photos not allowed inside). That walls are covered in small animal/god carvings. It’s quite impressive
Chandni Chowk Market as well: http://foxnomad.com/2008/09/05/from-the-red-fort-to-the-chandni-chowk-market/
and you can skip India Gate:
I would also recommend Raj Ghat (the location where Gandhi is buried) as well as the Lotus Temple and Lodi Gardens (very nice gardens with ancient mausoleums scattered around).
Here’s a shot of a typical street scene in the town of Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan. It doesn’t matter how many times I see an elephant walking down the street in India, it still blows me away every time!
So Earl, as we’re wrapping up (10 minutes to go) I wanted to ask you what your plans were for India in December and January as you’re staying after the tour ends?
As of right now, it appears that I will head over to Varanasi and Calcutta, stopping at plenty of places along the way, and then I will fly to Chennai to speak at a TEDx event on December 22nd. After that, I’ll head over to the state of Kerala and spend some time along the coast, hopefully visiting a couple of beach towns. That’s just a general outline though!
How can people find out about your Mexico tour, which I hear is already getting a lot of inquiries?
The Mexico tour will take place from March 14th – 27th and I will be posting a detailed itinerary, along with the tour cost, on my blog next week. Once I have that information on the site I will start taking official bookings. And yes, there has been a lot of interest already so if anyone might want to join the tour, just send me an email and I’ll add your name to the ‘early list’!
Thanks Earl, anything else you’d like to add before we sign off?
Thanks so much for having me as a guest and for anyone out there interested in making travel a part of their life, please feel free to send me any questions you may have as I’m always more than happy to communicate with fellow travelers and those who are interested in wandering this world of ours!
Thank you again Earl and everyone who joined the chat today. Earl and I will be posting photos and stories from our trip with the 10 travelers joining us later today.
Don’t forget to check out Wandering Earl where Earl will be formally announcing his Wander Across Mexico tour!
Cheers everyone and happy travels! I’ll have a new live chat again in early December and you can keep up with upcoming and past chats here.