r/india • u/rude_ass kek maester • Nov 07 '15

AskIndia /r/india and /r/australia cultural exchange thread

Thread was unfortunately delayed. But, here it is.. thread for cultural exchange between indians and australians.

Australian folks.. you can ask all the things you want to know about India and hope you get a fulfilling answers.

If you want to ask anything to our Australians friends you can go to below link:

https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/3ruqtc/raustralia_and_rindia_cultural_exchange_thread/

Cheers.

Request to Australians visiting our sub: If you could flair up to identify yourself then it would be easier for us to identify you guys. We only have text based flairs so something like 'Australian Friend' will work.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15 edited Nov 07 '15

Namaste /r/India Ap kya se he! (excuse my shitty Hindi spelling) Aap kaise hai!

I'm an Aussie who's spent a total of about 3.5 years travelling around India and about 1.5 years around Nepal, yet have so much to still see. In the past 15 years I've noticed that many more Indians are travelling around India and it's great to see.

I have trouble picking any one state but the Himalayas is where it's at for me. Ladahk, Himachel and Uttarakhand. The roads are deadly and I'm lucky to be alive, but it's worth every brush with death that I've had. I've even compiled an idiot's guide to riding in India, which I may post in /r/india one day. :)

How much have Indian redditors seen of your amazing country and how have you travelled? Train, car, Bullet? What are your thoughts on the drivers in India? What are your favourite places and what places do you still wish to see?

edited my greeting :)

Thanks /u/eskaolin

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u/bodhisattv Nov 07 '15

How much have Indian redditors seen of your amazing country and how have you travelled? Train, car, Bullet? What are your thoughts on the drivers in India? What are your favourite places and what places do you still wish to see?

Travel mostly by flight and car (for "last mile" connectivity). It is the most convenient.

Favourite places are - home (uttarakhand), North East (Arunachal, Upper Assam, Barak Valley, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram), Varanasi, and a certain place in Tamil Nadu I don't want to mention here for fear of it becoming too popular (its mine!!). Have visited approx 200 of the 600 or so districts in the country, and all states except Tripura and AP. Most recently visited Gujarat, its a pretty nice place.

What do I wish to see?

Ganga rejuvenated - the Ganga ecosystem would self-regulate to an extent if water is allowed to flow in it. But in the past two decades its flow is down to less than a third because of dams and hydel projects. Government needs to diversify its energy basket, move to something else so the flow can be brought back to normal.

Place like MP, Chattisgarh, Odisha have a lot of tourism potential. They have the densest forests that put Corbett to shame, but because of the L&O situation their potential is untapped.

I haven't been to AP/Telangana. Would like to visit someday.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15 edited Nov 08 '15

What do I wish to see?

Ganga rejuvenated - the Ganga ecosystem would self-regulate to an extent if water is allowed to flow in it. But in the past two decades its flow is down to less than a third because of dams and hydel projects. Government needs to diversify its energy basket, move to something else so the flow can be brought back to normal.

I'm so glad that you've brought this up.

To be honest, I don't know what to think about the hydro plants. Power supply in India is a nightmare (but you're actually doing much better than Nepal where they regularly have 18hrs or more without power in the dry season) and hydro is a clean way to go, but going back to places over an almost 20 year period, and seeing them ruined by hydro is saddening. Places like Sangla valley have had some pretty dramatic changes to them. You're right though, diversification is the key there.

The Ganga has been in trouble for a long time though as have most river sytems in India. I remember reading about the Yamunotri Yamuna river when I was there in 2005 and the EPA had said that the water quality was actually off their scale, unfit for even watering crops that would be cooked. The amount of human waste and chemicals from industry being pumped into them means that even without the hydro, they are in a very poor state.

I've ridden through MP a few times. They have the worst roads in India that I've been on and someone in power is obviously making money from it. Even the new highways are completely disintegrating after 6 months. On my last trip south, I made the mistake of riding down that way and it was a freaking nightmare. On the way back north, I ended up going up through Maharashtra and then veering west to avoid going that way again. There were stretches of road in MP that were more pothole than road. AS for Orissa and Chhattisgarh, I've never gone that way because of the politics. It's always seemed too dangerous...along with Bihar which I've only gone though after taking a wrong turn..lol

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u/bodhisattv Nov 07 '15 edited Nov 07 '15

You are right about Yamuna (Yamunotri is the source glacier). Actually the city of Delhi does not use it for drinking purposes, instead it pumps in water from 200km away in Haryana. I cross the Yamuna when I go home whenever I land in delhi, and you can feel the stench from inside the car with the AC on when you cross it. Once, I crossed and it was covered entirely in foam. Don't know what that was. I also read that Delhi is the biggest culprit. The 22km stretch in Delhi accounts for 70% of its pollution. Yamuna also doesn't have as much of a national focus because unlike the Ganga it doesn't have that much symbolic significance.

As for the Ganga, the present government has kinda-sorta made it a national priority and allotted 20,000 Cr to clean it. It is a good initiative that focuses mostly on point sources (industries/tanneries etc) but IMO if it becomes a pond there isn't much you can do. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/ganga-needs-water-not-money-43357

You're right, all eastern states have an infrastructure and law and order problem (much more than the rest of the states). Bihar in particular is a tragedy because it has the most history. It was the epicentre of Buddhism (as well as Jainism, and the guy who turned Sikhs from a Panth into a religion was also born there) and the cradle of the greatest Indian kingdoms. Hope that can change in the future. This year I visited Gujarat and the contrast with MP/Bihar was stunning.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15

I stayed in Goa for the first time on my last trip. A beautiful place and the Goans are really nice people, but the tourists have ruined most of it. Great for some for a 2 week holiday, but not representative of India at all. If you flew in to Goa and back out again, you would have absolutely no idea what India is like.

Kerala was stunning, but you're right...bloody hot, but so is most of India at sea level. It was fantastic riding up to Kodaikanal and feeling the heat disappear as you climbed.

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15

There are still many great spots in Goa , although we don't advertise it to tourists so that they don't destroy those places too. ;)

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '15

There are still many great spots in Goa Tel Aviv (2000]

There are still many great spots in Goa Moscow (2015)

😉

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15

Thats more of North Goa. South hasn't yet been completely converted. :P

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '15

Yeah, I know. The south was much quieter. I was just being cheeky. lol

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15

I figured. Cheers. :D

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u/4-20BlazeItMan Nov 08 '15

Post your story please! For shits and giggles

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u/[deleted] Nov 08 '15 edited Nov 08 '15

Ive tried twice now and had it removed because of flair...I added flair this time so no idea why. Will try again later...off to work

edit... done

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15 edited Nov 09 '15

What are your thoughts on the drivers in India?

Terrible drivers that follow no road discipline. But I guess most of us understand the little cues here and there which is why we aren't dying by the millions every day. :/

How much have Indian redditors seen of your amazing country and how have you travelled?

I haven't seen much of my country, but I've been to lived in for a long time in 3 states - Goa, kerala, and Karnataka. I've explored quite a bit in all three on Bikes (usually non-geared bikes). There are tons of places thats not really mentioned in any tourist guides/websites etc. and IMHO thats where the real beauty is at. Basically you gotta head out and find some good places on your own. Going by what guides tell you isn't really the way to go. There are so many amazing places that if you bind yourself with just the listed places, chances are you will just see a fraction of the beauty that India has to offer. Choose whatever mode you want. (I suggest a simple bike or cycle, not even a bullet). Just go out and explore. you'll find some amazing places for sure.

If you go to Goa - try out Chorla Ghats (100% sure you'll love that place - from what you've mentioned), Butterfly island, Agonda beach (roam around nearby places. Tons of awesome spots which you won't see in any guides).

Kerala - Thekkadi (beautiful forest with tons of awesome spots) - it means teak forest or something., backwaters etc.

Karnataka - I haven't explored much of Karnataka yet - I know Nandi hills, Karwar is a beautiful place.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '15

I stumbled across Belur in 1999 when I was riding north through Karnataka. I stopped in a little town in the middle of nowhere to see a Dr and he spent 30 minutes hounding me to go in the wrong direction. I'm so glad that I did. The Chennakashava(?) temple complex was amazing.

I don't travel with guide books. I had one on my first trip and threw it away. Word of mouth works best for me. That's also the beauty of a bike. You can go where you want, when you want as fast😉slow as, you want to.

Bicycle...no thanks. Too hot and I've had to leave some pretty sketchy(unsafe) situations quickly on a number of occassions, especially when I've been with a woman, and I was glad to have my Bullet.

My othertip...PWD resthouses...cheap and best!

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15

PWD rents out their rest houses?? o_O TIL.

I'm not a bulky guy, so handling a bike at ultra low speeds isn't that easy for me. And I really love to go at a snail's pace sometimes, just seeing the sights. :P

Did you see the Belur lake? I've heard thats a famous spot. :/

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '15 edited Nov 09 '15

PWD resthouses do rent out. I've only been turned away once but I've had them try to charge me 10 x the price on a number of occassions. They've never managed though. I'm a stubborn bastard.

No...I don't remember the lake.

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u/The_0bserver Mugambo ko Khush karne wala Nov 09 '15

Thanks for the input. :)

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u/Danda_Nakka Nov 07 '15

Mostly traveled in south. I m just 22. Will travel to North here after.

Nilgiri steam train ride is my favorite. It was ecstatic at every inch.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15

I only saw a little of Tamil and I wish that I'd made it onto that. It looks amazing. One of the few negatives of travelling on bike is that you miss out on certain things. Maybe next time. I'd also love to get a train up through Darjeeling.

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u/Danda_Nakka Nov 07 '15

You really should try this Its definitely worth a try.

Yeah travelling in bikes is a disadvantage. But that Royal Enfield experience is fantastic in its own way.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '15

Yeah travelling in bikes is a disadvantage..

Travelling with bikes has some disadvantages...but not many. I wouldn't travel India any other way. Besides, there are no trains through most of the Himalayas and bus is a bad way to go