India - Índia

India (in Hindi: भारत , bharatha) is a country of South Asia.

Understand

India is a vast country, with more than 3 million square kilometers and contrasting regions such as deserts and rainforests, savannas and eternal snow peaks, with an extremely heterogeneous population of more than 1,000 million people, with hundreds of religions and spiritualist currents, with hundreds of languages ​​and dialects, with different cultures and some of them ancestral ones, with a monumental classical literature, covering philosophy, art, physioculture, spiritualism, medicine, martial arts, mathematics, economics , astronomy, law and all branches of human knowledge, which influenced the Persians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs and which was the ancestral basis of modern European culture as we know it, must be very difficult to be understood.

Regions

India is divided into 28 states and 7 territories (6 from the union and one from the capital), grouped by regions:

Himalayas mountainous region to the north

Central Where is the capital, New Delhi

West With goa and Mumbai being the most famous destinations

South Highlighting Kerala and Tamil Nadu

East With Calcutta and Puri

North East the farthest region

Cities

• New Delhi
• Calcutta
• goa
• Mumbai (old Bombay)
• Puri

Other destinations

• Fatehpur Sikri

To arrive

Both Brazilians and Portuguese need to obtain a visa in advance to travel to India. the consulate of India [1] in São Paulo (tel. 11 3171-0340/1) serves the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the southern region. The embassy in Brasilia, the rest of the country. It costs R$ 145.00 and takes 3 working days and 2 3x4 photos are required, in addition to the yellow fever vaccine.

By airplane

There are no direct flights from Brazil or Portugal. The most used connections for departures from Brazil are via Johannesburg (South Africa), whose cost benefit is the most attractive. Other options exist, but they are more expensive and take much longer to travel. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Dubai are some of them.

Of boat

By car

By bus/bus

By train/train

Circular

By airplane

There are good local airlines serving all major cities in India. Airplanes are generally new and well maintained, punctual and cheap tickets. Flights can be purchased directly at airline counters, over the internet or at local travel agencies.

Of boat

By car

Never imagine driving a car in India, traffic is simply chaotic, both in cities and on the roads. The steering wheel is English, on the left, but no one seems to take this very seriously, the streets are always full of animal-drawn vehicles, with the most diverse engines (camels, buffaloes, oxen, horses, etc.), a multitude of pedestrians, rikshas, ​​moto-rickshas, ​​cows, elephants, monkeys and several other living entities democratically disputing their space with cars, trucks, tractors, motorcycles, buses and everything else that has wheels.

The means of transportation will depend on the hurry, the destination and the weather conditions. For long journeys, the train is the ideal transport, for those in a hurry, planes. Buses are bad, noisy and rare.

In cities you can travel short distances (up to 5 or 6 km) on rickshas, ​​which are bicycles with a passenger seat; the longer distances of motoricksha, which instead of bicycle are motorized tricycles that travel a little faster. They are cheap and abundant means of transport, for streets where the traffic speed is always less than 5 km/h. Agree the price of the trip before boarding and always ask for a discount of around 90%, the value will be around 70% of what the driver asked for.

By bus/bus

This is the worst mode of transport in India. Most roads are single lane, narrow, busy and with bumpy asphalt. Buses are noisy and steaming toilets, with their various fragments joined together with glue, rags, rubber bands, rubber, gum and anything else that sticks together, and that will come apart with the rattle of the road. If you prefer to ride a bus there, have a lot of conviction about reincarnation and very little attachment to your current body!

By train/train

For long journeys, trains are unbeatable. There is a huge network of passenger trains to any destination within India and car accommodations are varied depending on the price you can afford for the ticket. It ranges from a comfortable, air-conditioned sleeping car (Air Sleep Class) to cars with only wooden seats (third class). The trips are safe and you will integrate with the other passengers, who are always very friendly and curious, want to know everything about everything about your family, your country, your impression of India, etc. Be careful with burglars who can steal your luggage and it is always good to take water, fruit, bread and biscuits to eat along the way, as there is no restaurant service on the trains and journeys can take a few days! In fact, the in-flight service will depend on the class and airline chosen, so it's a good idea to make sure beforehand.

There is a very good train, which makes a week-long tour of Rajasthan, visiting Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located), Jaipur, Udaipur and other cities in Rajasthan, which are true dreams of a thousand and one nights, with palaces extraordinary, fortresses, temples, bazaars, grandiose and magnificent architectural works, from the most varied periods of Indian history. The package for this train, the Raj Express, costs around 400 dollars and can be purchased in advance from travel agencies. This route is recommended for first-time tourists who are not familiar with India.

Speak

English is the so-called lingua franca in India, where there are 80 official languages, some 400 dialects and more than 10 different alphabets. Most Indians, at least in North and Bengal, have a vocabulary of about 80 words in English and you can easily get around to know the price of things, ask where somewhere is, which platform to take the train, to eat, etc. But don't expect to have a conversation in English, what most Indians know about English is the English that street people in Brazil are able to understand.

Indians are very easy to communicate in any language, go out of their way to be understood, and can have a surprising vocabulary with words from English, Russian, Italian, French and many local languages. I think the Tower of Babel is in India!

If you know some of the most used words and verbs in Hindi, this language associated with English will make you a true Indian citizen!

Look

• The cluster of temples at Bodh Gaya, the place where Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, including the temple of Mahabodhi.
• The spectacular monasteries, temples and sanctuary for Buddhists, Jains and Hindus Ellora and The dinner
• The impressive ruins of the Vijayanagara empire in Hampi
• the temples in Khajuraho, famous for their erotic sculptures
• Temple of the Sun in Konark, an original example of Kalingan architecture
• Taj Mahal. The incomparable marble tomb in Agra, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World

To do

Purchase

If there's a shopper's paradise, it's India. There you can find everything, exotic clothes, western style clothes, designer brands, Indian silver handicrafts, jewelry, ivory, gold, spices, hair dyes, cosmetics, books, incense, Hindu sacred art, objects for religious ritual, perfumes, crockery, cutlery and everything anyone can imagine for every budget.

It must be remembered that India has always been the country of spices, tapestries, brocades, fine silk and everything that the nobles and wealthy people have always wanted to possess.

An Indian bazaar, like Delhi's Main Bazaar, is the consumer dream that could never be imagined to exist!

With the

If you go out to eat, the typical dish is tali, which in Hindi means dish made. It will be a generous portion of basmati rice (Indian aromatic rice, the best in the world), dhal (a kind of lentil or pea), subji (a delicious vegetable stew), chapati (the Indian bread that is very similar to the Syrian bread). ) and chutney (pickles), which can be made from green mango, cucumber, or any other vegetable.

Hindus do not eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs and other animal products, except milk and dairy products. The diet is lacto - vegetarian for most people. In areas where there are Muslims there are butchers selling goat, sheep and chicken meat, but no one will dare to sell beef anywhere in India.

Prefer strict vegetarian restaurants, which are the most numerous, clean and traditional. Remember that in India a refrigerator is an article that you only see on TV and that a meat-based food can be a serious complication for your health.

Avoid eating on the street and always take a bottle of mineral water. Make sure the bottle is well sealed, as pirate water is the most sold in India! Never drink water from ignored sources, even if bottled!

In big cities like Delhi there are good restaurants, but restaurants are rare inside. In roads and rural areas (India is 70% rural) the word Hotel indicates a hut where there is an open-air kitchen, where tali are prepared and sold, and a sapoy-type bed, or Indian bed of jute and wood , for you to take a nap after lunch.

It is said that the main dish in India is pepper and its variations, such as pepper with rice, with dhal, with subji, breaded, fried, roasted, boiled, pepper in pepper sauce, etc. For the sensitive, beware!

Generally speaking, the food is excellent and very cheap, a street tali only costs about 25 rupees!

If you are traveling, beware! Bring bread, biscuits, fruit and water, lots of water. You may not find anything to buy and eat, even though you have all the money in the world in your possession!

drink and go out

Alcoholic beverages are taboo for both Hindus and Muslims, but what you see most are the liquor stores, where Indian whiskey of the worst quality is sold. People drink secretly, but they drink a lot. There are bars that are a joke to us - the guy walks in, orders a drink at the bar and goes to sit at a table. The waiter brings the drink disguised in a container and the guy drinks quickly and covertly, pays the bill and leaves very quickly!

Of course this will all depend on the city you are in. In Mumbai there is nightlife and good bars (including Leopold Cafe since 1857). Usually it will be relatively expensive to drink in bars/discos (no less than 100 rupees per 600ml of beer). In Goa you can also find several options.

The best programs are the temples, full of life and mysticism. Visiting Hindu temples is a good program in India, there is always a market in the vicinity selling wonderful flower garlands, fruits, sweets, cereals, incense, candles, everything to be offered to the temple deities. Many temples serve the deities' prasada, free meals that are the dishes offered to the gods, true culinary gems and unmissable.

sleep

Big cities like Delhi, Mumbai (Bombain) and Calcutta have good hotels, for all tastes and budgets. For the well-heeled there are hotels from international chains such as Sheraton, Hilton, etc. and also middle class hotels, in the range of 50 dollars, ideal for foreign tourists who are going to India with a willingness to get to know the country and mingle with the locals. In Delhi, near the New Delhi station (Pahad Ganga), there are hotels in the range of 10 dollars, very comfortable and safe, useful for those who want to travel by train in a few days and who want to know the attractions of Delhi beforehand.

In historic and sacred cities there are dharmashalas, or religious inns, which offer places to all visitors with excellent accommodation and prices in the range of about 5 dollars. There are thousands of dharmashalas in Varanasi, Haridhar, Rishkesh, Vrndavana, Mathura, Jagannatha Puri, Citrakut, in the pilgrimage centers of the Himalayas and in many other holy places for the Hindus.

Learn

Hindu yoga and philosophy in Haridwar, Rishikesha and Varanasi (Benares). In these places, there are several ashrams and all accept Westerners who are interested in learning yoga, Sanskrit, philosophy, religions, Ayurvedic medicine and other classical Indian disciplines. It is always good to find out in advance about the ashram's suitability, as there is no shortage of crooks giving courses without reason to gullible Westerners!

Work

Hardly a Westerner would work in India. Wages are not very attractive. A common police officer earns around 4000 rupees, an intern at India's largest software company earns around 20,000 rupees and there is all sorts of underemployment, miserable life and unimaginable difficulties for even the poorest Brazilian. For some time now, the living conditions for the people have improved a little, but in India there is the problem of castes, the untouchables, the valorization of detachment and poverty as virtues to be followed, and other cultural aspects that make the economy and India's social conditions are very difficult for Westerners to assess.

Safety

There are not, normally, as many violent crimes as those committed by drug gangs as in Brazil, nor as many robberies and robberies.

An average tourist should be careful to appear Indian in the way of dress, which is not difficult as Indians currently wear Western-style clothing. But check that most wear brown pants and beige shirts; other colors can confuse them with patterns of caste, untouchables, and bad and forbidden things. Avoid wearing blue jeans, an outfit and color that would characterize your origin. Women, even if foreigners, when wearing sari or punjab are considered Indian and can move around India more peacefully.

Men can roam free and carefree in India, but Western women are considered easy sexual targets and will suffer at the sassy hands of Indian heartthrobs. But in general nothing too serious and not even too often.

Beware of luggage, especially on trains; Always use a lock on suitcases and fasten them to bed rails at bedtime. Watch your wallet. Pickpockets are common and very fast.

Everyone knows that in India the cows are sacred and treated with the utmost respect, but few people know that mice enjoy the same status. They roam everywhere, including 4-star hotel rooms, and the average Indian treats their sightings as a good omen, a sign of impending good fortune, meaning that a normal Indian will never mistreat a mouse, or let one be mistreated. by a "ferenghi". Reflect well on the practical implications of this on your trip.

gangs of monkeys they are dangerous, steal and demand rescue of glasses, bags, handkerchiefs and anything that can be easily snatched from one's hands. Indian cities are crawling with primates!

You can be easily fooled in conversation, in the value of the merchandise, in the quality of the product, in the best school of the old Brazilian trickery. Indians are the kings of soft talk.

Health

Be careful with the water, it is through it that you catch most intestinal diseases in India - salmonellosis, poisoning and even cholera. Do not eat from street vendors and in suspicious places, prefer food that is freshly prepared and made in front of you, such as the talis of restaurants on the street.

Malaria is always present, especially in the monsoon months (June to October), use chloroquine daily as a preventive.

respect

Take off your shoes to enter the Hindu temples. If eating with your hands always use your right hand. Don't touch women (or men if you're a woman). Avoid staring at people or looking them in the eye.

Stay in touch

Even in remote locations there are kiosks that have a landline telephone with a cash register working as a public telephone, from which local calls, DDD and IDD, to landline and mobile telephones can be made. In these places you can also send faxes, make photocopies and some already have Internet cafes.

Airlines usually ask you to confirm your return flight reservation by phone or online up to 48 hours in advance. Remember that flights to or from India are crowded and it is risky to miss the flight in case of non-confirmation.

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