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Indian Sub-Cont. From Kathmandu to Colombo, and Islamabad to Dakha, one billion smiles, treck in the Himalayas, bathe in the Ganga, dance to Hindi pop ! Namaste !

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Old 07-02-2009, 03:20 AM   #1
 
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Default Kerala to Delhi; I wanna go to the Himalayas!

so i'm on a study abroad trip in kerala right now. i've booked my trip back home to the states about 3 weeks after this program is done. another student and i are planning on traveling up north to delhi via train. we're trying to figure out what exactly to do once there. we really really want to go into the himalayas and we'd love to just wing it, backpack out and set up camp, but the monsoon is covering most of the country right now and moving north. so, i really think we should have some kind of contingency plan. we really have no idea what to expect once we're up there as everyone really stresses how different it is up north than down here in kerala. any insight at all would be awesome! we're leaving july 18th...


thanks so much!
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Old 07-03-2009, 12:25 AM   #2
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I would head for Himachal Pradesh or Uttarkhand-- Manali, Shimla, Dharamsala, Rishikesh or Haridwar-- they're all not far from Delhi (well, closer than Kerala!). Alternatively you could try to get to Leh in Ladakh but you'd either have to fly there or take a 2-day jeep ride from Manali... I don't recommend the jeep ride this time of year and the flights are going to be pretty expensive unless you book at least a couple months out. It may be worth a try though.

When you get to Delhi avoid touts like the plague-- they're everywhere, and even more hungry for sweet westerner money since it's off-season right now.

What part of Kerala are you in? I love Kerala!!
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Old 07-03-2009, 08:38 AM   #3
 
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thanks for the tips. we're in thiruvanathapuram now, we've traveled to kanyakumari and are going up to the backwaters next week. himachal pradesh seems to be recurring when we ask where to go, so it seems we'll definitely end up there at some point as well as shimla, any suggestions on how to plan this trip out? neither of us has ever really done anything like this, and we're just kinda diving in! we're definitely doing this on a budget so we're probably gonna avoid planes. and what exactly do you mean by touts? also, do you know by any chance if you need a visa to go to nepal? we have a multiple entry visa to india so we can get back in, but we're kinda interested in pokin over the border too...

thanks again!

jessi
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Old 07-03-2009, 12:57 PM   #4
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Hi Jessi,

Visas are issued on arrival in Nepal. Although I've been told by MANY Nepali people that monsoon season is definitely not the optimum time to visit, so if you do go be prepared for long delays and lots of washed out roads.

I would head to the train station in Trivandrum and book a ticket as soon as you can. The primary train to Delhi is the "Kerala Express" and it runs every day. The fare should be about Rs 650 to 700 or so for sleeper class which should be more than sufficient; if you want AC, the 3-tier AC fare is about Rs 1700. This train begins in Trivandrum and terminates at New Delhi station.

There's another train called the "Rajdhani Express" but it terminates at Hazrat Nizamuddin station which I can tell you is farther out of the main part of town. Not like hideously terribly far, but not as convenient as New Delhi Jn.

You could head from Delhi to Haridwar and Rishikesh, and then perhaps on to Dehra Dun and Mussorie. There are plenty of trains that run from Delhi to Haridwar (ask at the train station in Kerala while you're there, they can book it for you!) and you can easily find jeeps to book onward travel when you get there.

Alternatively, you could take a train from Delhi to Chandigarh in Punjab (again, ask at the train station in Trivandrum) and from Chandigarh you can easily find a jeep taxi to Shimla.

Do you have a guidebook to do some research? If not I'd recommend trying to find one at a bookstore in Trivandrum-- I saw Lonely Planet being sold in several places around India. Also check out India Mike, the major India-based message boards. Not to take anything away from travelpunk of course, but that board is massive and completely dedicated to the subcontinent.

I hope this helps and that you're taking lots and lots of pictures!!!
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Old 09-02-2009, 01:14 AM   #5
 
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Thanks for useful Information...
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Old 09-02-2009, 07:53 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by space virgin View Post
Also check out India Mike, the major India-based message boards. Not to take anything away from travelpunk of course...

Not all Jeanie. I have been a BIG fan of Indiamike.com since I stumbled upon it 7 yrs ago or so and have seen it grow tremendously over the years. I've even debated on creating a similar layout on the main TPunk site over the years, but there are so many other options...it's daunting.

India Mike rocks!
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Old 09-02-2009, 04:32 PM   #7
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What a great site. Thanks for the heads up
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