I'm all over the place with my itinerary at the moment. Right now, I'm arriving Feb 1, and meeting my friend in Delhi on Feb 12---in between there is what I need to plan. Feb 12, we'll spend a day or 2 in Delhi, then go to Varanasi for 4-5 days (has always been at the top of my list), with a stop in Agra to see the Taj on the way from Delhi to Varanasi. Then up to Nepal to see Pokhara and Kathmandu. So I basically have to figure out Feb 1 - 12. Options I'm throwing around in my head, in order of preference as of right now: fly into Mumbai, spend a day or so there, then down to Goa to get weird for a few days, probably a 2-3 day trip to Hampi (about 6 hours from Goa). Maybe get to Delhi on Feb 8-9 and go up to Rishikesh before meeting my friend (really, really want to see Rishikesh) Fly into Bangalore, immediately get to Kodaikanal--Munnar--Alleppy/Kerala backwaters--Kochi, then fly up to Delhi fly into Delhi, and see Jodhpur--Jaipur, then back up to Rishikesh prior to meeting my friend in Delhi How was the religious element in Jaipur/all of Rajahstan? I definitely want to see everything it has to offer, but I also need some hedonism in my life while abroad, so I'm leaning toward Mumbai--Goa--Hampi at the moment, then up to Northern India to cleanse myself. Really excited, realize it's going to be pretty intense. Did you get sick from the food? I've read it's all but given if you spend any amount of time over there.
I've tried TripIt in the past and it blew, just not enough customization (at least on the free version). I usually just make a Google sheet that I share with my gf that we can both update. I'll give Google Trips a try though.
Never used an app, but thinking about doing it for the 6+ weeks I'll be gone to keep my thoughts in order. Google trips looks legit. Usually I just have a big word document that I dwindle down to a page or 2 before leaving, and I sit at a fucking computer all day so by the time the trip comes around I can usually tell you off the top of my head TripAdvisor recommends for each place.
I have trip it and it does the same thing. I don't try and customize anything though. I just use it for times and confirmations
At the minimum I'll use this as a confirmation timeline but the offline map downloads is sweet too. A lot of potential
Yea, just watched the google trips video and it seems bad ass. Pretty much does everything that website I used does but it's google, so I'm sure it makes everything so much easier.
That sounds awesome. Here are some thoughts: Mumbai: South Bombay would be a great area to stay. JW Marriott is also really awesome and not too spendy. We did a driving tour and it was awesome - I'm not a tour type of person but I can't imagine being able to "do" Mumbai without it. You'll understand when you see it. Eat at Peshawri at the ITC Hotel near the airport - it was recommended to me by an India-phile and I couldn't recommend it more. It was by far the best meal I had in India, and one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. The black lentil dal and the Peshawri Kabab were fucking bomb. We were there over new years and did the AER Lounge on the rooftop of the 4 seasons for NYE - it was sweet, but I'd recommend getting there before it's dark Kerala: it was so awesome. Munnar: tough to get to - 5 hour drive from the airport and it's a pretty harrowing experience. I had to give my GF a xanax on the way down bc she was freaking out. BUT, it was so worth it. We stayed at the Spice Tree Resort. They were great - you order your food a few hours in advance and they go to the store and make it fresh for you. amazing massages and spa treatments are around $15 for 75 minutes. We had a standard room but I told them that I wasn't pleased with the view so they put us in a private pool villa - in India in general, if they know that you are active on trip adviser, they will grant your every desire. Backwaters: exceptionally beautiful but we somehow got a shitty boat which really tarnished the experience. Every other boat we saw looked awesome, and those we spoke to said they had great boats, but ours kinda sucked. It was still unbelievably beautiful and i would do it again. One option, which I might opt for next time, is to stay at a hotel on the land and just do day trips through the backwaters. It's sorta just one loop so not like you need several days out there. If you're going to do Munnar + backwaters, I'd spend 3 nights in munnar and one night in the backwaters - the boat trip ends in the morning so you can still fly out that day. Jaipur: so great. The religious thing wasn't really a big deal or even that noticeable. We stayed at a heritage hotel called Sharpura house that was made to look like an old rajasthani palace. I highly recommend it. There's a single day ticket that you can buy that'll get you into every attraction. Amer fort and Narhargar fort are really cool. Go to Amer first thing in the morning: charm a cobra (don't pay the guy more than a few bucks for a tip - he'll ask for a lot), ride an elephant up the hill and into the fort (the elephants stop going around 11-12 bc it gets too hot, so get there early. also, fewer people and...it's not too hot). Spend a few hours wandering through the fort - unlike castles and such in Europe, the whole thing is wide open and you can explore every nook and cranny. You could also take a book, find a cool spot, and just chill out reading for a while. After that, head to city palace and the stuff in town and check it out. Hit up Nahargarh Fort late afternoon/sunset - get a beer and watch the city. It has a very Arabian nights feel. The next day we went to Elephantastic, where we spent half of the day feeding, painting, bathing, and riding an elephant. They take really good care of them and you feel that you really connect with the beast. Afterwards, the owner's mom has you to her home where she makes you a home cooked Rajasthani meal, which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. That night, we went to Chokhi Dhani which is a Rajasthani village thing. There were elephants and camels running around, plus tons of food and sword swallowers, fire breathers, and other entertainment. Highly recommend. I think with your existing itinerary, you might want to do Goa and then go to Jaipur. Jaipur is close to Delhi so you could go there right before you meet your buddy. General India tips: - use bottled water for everything, even brushing your teeth. The German couple we were with got super sick and the only difference in routine was that we brushed our teeth with bottled water and they didn't. - don't eat anything that would have been washed in water - lettuce, fruit without a peel, etc. - i didn't get sick but I only really ate at hotels and fine dining establishments, which have western standards - even the fine dining is cheap so just do that. you can get "street food" at a fancy place - it's the same thing, just cleaner. - Get gin gins (the ginger candy) - when your tummy starts to rumble, suck on one; the ginger really helps settle it. also, pop an immodium as soon as you start feeling weird. Neither of us got sick the whole time, but we were really careful - get a driver - it's like $20-40 for the full day and they'll take you wherever you want to go and wait for you. they're usually a good enough tour guide too. BUT...don't believe a word they say. Those fuckers will tell you that they're going to take you to the best place to get souvenirs that are "haggle free" because they get a kickback. buy whatever you want whereever you want and tell them to fuck off. ours took us to a textile mill that was supposed to have really nice stuff - we bought cashmere scarves and had them drycleaned when we got home like we do with other cashmere products. it pilled up and now looks like shit, so it clearly wasnt pure cashmere, even though it was super soft. - try to set things up before you go: consider getting a local travel agent. it makes things easier and it's a small fee. I think I paid a guy $60 to book all of our hotels and transportation. - I've heard nothing but horrible things about Delhi. I don't think you need much time there. Let me know if you have specific questions as it gets closer.
My man Will certainly follow up with you as I plan more. I've heard the same thing about Delhi, really just going to use it as a hub between Jaipur--Rishikesh--Agra/Varanasi.
Jax Teller can you input more of the mega-posts into the OP or at least a link to the direct post? thx. Would make navigation and retrieval much easier.
If people can link me to some high information posts, i'll try and combine the same countries/regions together and add them as spoilers to the OP.
I recommend it highly. I was never interested in it at all but my classmate from B-school invited me to his wedding over there and I couldn't turn down that opportunity. My GF and I went and both loved it. I will 100% go back.
Big Apple Duck what airport did you fly into to get to Munnar? Bangalore or Mumbai? Or somewhere else? If I choose this route, I'd immediately get to Kodaikanal (another hill station very close to Munnar, and has some of the best mushrooms in the world), then to Munnar, then on to the rest of Kerala. Is the route from Munnar to Alleppey/Kochi pretty easy?
Jax Teller Machu Picchu http://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/the-new-travel-thread.120242/page-122#post-10817416
Jax Teller Iceland http://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/the-new-travel-thread.120242/page-72#post-10045976
Heading to Salzburg and Munich for Oktoberfest next week. Any recommendations? Wish I was staying there long enough to visit Berlin and other parts of Germany but I'll save that for next time.
I flew from Mumbai to Kochi. It was a 5 hour drive from there. I think it was only 4 going back to alleppey and kumarakom. We started in a houseboat at one of them and the driver picked us up at the other. We then toured kochi (the Jew district was pretty cool - good shopping) and then he took us to the airport. I think I looked and determined that it wasn't really feasible to access munnar from the other side of the western ghats, but I don't remember for sure. I took this pic at sunset from the houseboat - it doesn't do the sky justice. The sunsets in southern India were other worldly
Did you guys go in winter? I'm looking to go with a group of friends in February to see the northern lights. Looks like other than that, the only activities are soaking in hot springs, ice fishing, ice caves, eating shit fish, drinking, and shagging.
No we went in the end of May. You miss the northern lights but you get sunlight for everything else. Just depends on how you rank things.
I went this past April which is right between Winter and Summer - too late to see Northern Lights and too early for a lot of the summer activities but at least you get the perfect amount of daylight. I really wish i could've done the inside the volcano attraction but at least i was able to snorkle the silfra fissure and do the into the glacier. Next time around, i'd definitely just rent a car and do things on your own like what you did.
100% go to Augustiner Brau in Salzburg - it doesn't open till 3 but it's awesome. It's been around for hundreds of years and was started by monks. You grab a mug and they fill it up from a barrel of beer. http://www.augustinerbier.at/index.php?id=1&L=1 Also take the cable car up to the castle and walk down the main street with all of the cool store signs (can't remember the name but google image Salzburg and you'll see it). As for Munich: a lot of the action is in town and not necessarily at the tents - start your day at Viktualienmarkt for breakfast. Get the Bavarian breakfast sausage and pretzel and a Weiss beer. Can't remember the name of the place, but show any local this pic and they'll send you there. There's also a fruit and vegetable stand that makes fresh juice - get some kale and carrot juice to keep your body functioning with all of the booze flowing through you. - Deutches Muesem is the coolest museum of science and tech I've ever seen. They have a full 747 cut in half. - bring a frisbee and spend time tossing it in the English Garden. English garden is a bigger and better version of Central Park - go to the Chinese Tower beer garden in the English garden. - hofbrau is great and will always hold a special place in my heart. I got tossed out of there on back to back nights when I was 20 for standing on the tables and belting out the star spangled banner. Try to make a dinner reservation for the upstairs part and see the Bavarian show they put on - Augustiner Keller is a great beer garden/hall. They have both inside and outside. - get lederhosen. It's more fun that way - make sure you have a sweater or jacket; I was cold on several occasions - I recommend Dachau. I've been to Munich a bunch and always avoided it because I didn't want to go there, but then I realized that millions of people didn't want to go there either but were forced to so I felt sorta bad avoiding it. I'm so glad I went. It was powerful, but amazing. I felt emotions I've never felt anywhere else. It was such a humanizing moment where I felt empathy and connection with millions of people I've never met. You could go do it in the morning and still be back in time to black out by 4
I'm a "0 inbox" kind of guy but I use Gmail 100% of the time. What would I be missing with Trips if didn't also use Inbox?
No, inbox just makes it easier to customize. I don't use it either but I pulled it up on my desktop to merge two trips, which saved time
I agree with what PJP3 said, you can probably skip Hakone this time around if you are enjoying hotsprings or hot baths elsewhere. Regarding baseball, to me it's all so different, you can try watching any of the teams that play in and around Tokyo. Besides the Giants, I think there are the Yakult Swallows, Yokohama Bay Stars, and Chiba Lotte Mariners. Also one thing I would recommend. In Tokyo, there are huge complexes built in and underneath the bigger subway stations. I quite like the old pubs and restaurants inside these areas, and usually the people there are friendly, which may not always be the case in neighborhood places. Hope you have a great trip! I am heading to Sapporo and a nearby hot springs next week as well, will try to post a few pics.
Jax Teller My 4 week backpacking EuroTrip (Rome, Florence, Interlaken, Munich, Prague, Berlin, Amserdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Porto) (Note: For anybody wanting a similar trip itinerary, either cut a couple of cities out for a 4 week trip or add a couple weeks.): http://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/the-new-travel-thread.120242/page-47#post-9383802 Arkadin's Thailand Trip: http://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/the-new-travel-thread.120242/page-38#post-9204317 941Gator's Machu Picchu trip: http://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/the-new-travel-thread.120242/page-122#post-10817416
Great recommendations on Munich did most of these but missed a couple. I try to explain how cool the Deutches Museum is to people but I just can't do it justice. If your into science, tech, engineering at all it's really fucking cool. They have a mine exhibit where you walk through all the different eras of mining, it's in the basement of the building and it's pretty crazy how extensive it is. Feels like it goes on forever and your in a legit mine.
Flew them once. Very nice. One of the top if not the top european airline. I belive their fares have recently gone down because of the problems in Turkey, so tourism numbers have taken a hit.
we didn't even see the whole thing because it's so massive. I thought the nuclear reactor with the fuel rods and everything was super cool. and the materials section where they had the graphite bike that was light as a feather and super strong.
There was a 15 hour flight from Hanoi back to Seattle that was only 40K delta points. I'm at 39,500 and was just waiting to spend another $500 and buy that flight. Incredibly convenient. Last night the tickets jumped from 40K skymiles to 117K skymiles. Snoozed and lost.
It's terrible. After I use all these points I'm likely switching cards. Delta Skymiles AmEx just isn't worth it, but it was the first card I ever had. I'm also pretty loyal to AmEx
Salzburg I would definitely recommend the Eagle's Nest tour w/ Panorama Tours Food/drink wise - above the rec for Augustiner Brau is 100%. It's one of my favorite beers in the world, one of the royal Bavarian beers. A place we ate was called Pasta & Vino - recommended by a tour guide, was awesome. Itty bitty, need a reservation, authentic italian. He makes 3 things a night, a meat dish, a seafood dish or a vegetarian. You pick which one you want when they describe what is for the day, they have a huge antipasta fridge right in the front, so ask for a tray of that, they cut fresh meats and cheeses right there. Keep the wine cheap and you can get a delicious/great meal for a good price.
Thanks for the recommendations. I'm definitely going to try to fit a lot of those things in. My gf and I are flying into Munich and then renting a car to take to Salzburg and Hallstat. While we have the car I want to drive to the Eagle's nest. Do you know if we can drive in or do you need to book a tour? As for Munich, I also want to try and hit the BMW museum. Besides Hofbrau, any recommendation for tents to visit? How many days do you recommend going? I was thinking around 2.
I almost suggested that, I used to drive a M3 and have always been into BMW's so it was really cool for me and worth the trip but it's a decent hike to get out there. If you do go though you can see Olympic Park and go to the top of the huge tower, Olympiaturm. I'm decently afraid of heights so that was a pretty cool experience for me, your way the hell up there.
I enjoyed it and I don't care about cars. It's a nice time. My hostel was right there so it worked out
I loved Berlin, but it was like 10 years ago and during summer so my recs are probably outdated. Group of people I went with to London for xmax and new years last year though went to Berlin for a week right after. I'll ask them if they have any recs.
On that same note, I know this thread has plenty of recs for Prague. Let's hear em. Winter actually looks pretty incredible