FOLLOWING BLACK CAPS TO INDIA? Advice
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<p>So work will mean no winter holiday this year.</p>
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<p>I have always wanted to visit India - more than anywhere else actually.</p>
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<p>Black Caps are touring in October</p>
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<p>I am seriously considering taking in a test there - one more to mark off bucket list.</p>
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<p>This would be a short visit - I can't afford the weeks to do the place justice but any advice?</p>
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<p>Never been there except as a stopover so never exited airport.</p>
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<p>Probably looking at Kolkata just because it's the easiest to get to for a stay of only a week or so.</p>
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<p>Take all your drink with no ice.</p>
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<p>Dont have the salad.</p>
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<p>Check the bottom of your drink bottles, that the seal blob has not been replaced by a wax blob after all the good water was removed.</p>
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<p>Clean your teeth with bottled water.</p>
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<p>If you were going more than a couple of weeks, you just give up and get sick, once you are over it your fine. But for a short trip... you can dodge the delhi belly... maybe.</p>
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<p>India is a shit hole, wouldnt go there again if I was paid to, I spent a few weeks there.. and hated every nearly every minute. But know lots of people, even some people who I was travelling with who loved it.</p>
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<p>I much preferred Pakistan.</p> -
<p>Kolkata is fucking great. Really excellent city to walk around & get the vide for India (ie chaos, street people). Its also THE place in India for street dogs. IE actual dogs. They are EVERYWHERE and are ridiculously chilled out. Last time I went I took a box of dog biscuts. Its also safe as fricking houses, I stroll round there all hours. The smog is REALLY bad, but better than Delhi.</p>
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<p>Its quite a small city so you can walk about easily. Sudder street is the backpacker zone, since ytou are only there a week you might want to go up a level - basic in India is REALLY basic. Last time there I stayed here - </p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.astoria.in/gallery.php'>http://www.astoria.in/gallery.php</a></p>
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<p>Several knotched about the rest down a really quiet little alley right in the heart of Sudder - about £20 for an air con double, good bathroom, WIFI etc. Its pretty close to Eden Gardens too. The backpacker places are awesome if you are 20 & weren't planning on sleeping & half wanted fleas, but I'm too old for that now.</p>
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<p>In terms of sights, theres nothing amazing, you can do the touristy stuff in a day, best bit is just the streets, walk up to Howrah bridge (its a 30 minute walk), thats where the flower market is, its famous & interesting, but the walk is good too, especially if you sort of loop up and along BB Ganguly Street. Basically just look for shitty places & walk there. There's a cracking street just up for Sudder where at 6.30 am they drop off 5000 live chickens & 100 blokes on bicylces turn up & tie them to sticks by their feet & ride off with 50 live chooks to deliver them. Thats the sort of shit you want to see in India. Oh, take a map & compass. The interesting bits of Kolkata are sort of in a box from M Gandhi rd in the north, AP Chandra in the east & the river in the west. So you can wander about happily lost, then walk straight east or west & you know where you are. </p>
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<p>If you can swing it and have an extra day, fly to Varanassi (you can get an overnight train but I would not recomend it really). Spend a day in Varanassi. Its the freakiest city in India. Fliught will be about £100. You will need to book early.</p>
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<p>Edit - be on your guard in Varanasi, its dodgey as fuck. The one place in India you might actualy get mugged. Daytime is fine, but I would not walk around alone at night, unlike Kolkata where I stroll about with a £2500 camera at midnight in the slums.</p>
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<p>I really cannot stress enough what a good intro to India Kolkata is, safe, small & full of stray dogs, homeless folks & blokes on bikes with chickens. Also Eden gardens is surpringly good. Excellent place to watch cricket. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Baron Silas Greenback" data-cid="595830" data-time="1468193844">
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<p>Take all your drink with no ice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dont have the salad.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Check the bottom of your drink bottles, that the seal blob has not been replaced by a wax blob after all the good water was removed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Clean your teeth with bottled water.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you were going more than a couple of weeks, you just give up and get sick, once you are over it your fine. But for a short trip... you can dodge the delhi belly... maybe.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>India is a shit hole, wouldnt go there again if I was paid to, I spent a few weeks there.. and hated every nearly every minute. But know lots of people, even some people who I was travelling with who loved it.</p>
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<p>I much preferred Pakistan.</p>
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<p>The overwhelming feeling of negativity in this post really did make me chortle.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Godder" data-cid="596059" data-time="1468325065">
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<p>NZ toured India in 1988, and Jeremy Coney ended up fielding for NZ as a substitute fielder (a lot of Delhi belly apparently), despite being retired as a player and actually being there as a commentator...</p>
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<p>I did the big 5 month backpacking thing there way back & never got the shits & I've been there a few times since & never shit myself, but I literally eat oranges, bananas, samosa, pakora (both deep fried), boiled eggs, naans shit like that. I'm not there for the culinary delights. Tho' the garlic cheese Naans are fricking superb.</p>
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<p>Met so many people who go to Maccas & then shit themselves, or who are on a 1 week trip & decide "You can't come here & not try the local food!!". Yep, you totally can. You might not spend a day shitting after eating that Vindaloo from the cool little restaurant you found in a back street in Paragange, but do you really want to test it when you have a 7 hour 3rd class train ride to Jaipur tomorrow?</p>
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<p>I ate a lot of chinese there too, shit ton of stir-fried chicken. Basically if you can boil it, fry fuck out of it or peel it, eat it.</p>
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<p>I'll happily eat deep fried pakora I buy off a street vendor, as he's got a big arsed pot of boiling (motor) oil there bubbling away, but there's zero chance I'm going into a Subway. India has supermarkets all over the place too, worst case you just rock up, day 1 buy a box of special K & a pound of bananas, get a room that has a fridge (ie pay more than £15 a night for a room) and stick a bottle of UHT milk in there. You will surive for a week, & not shit yourself running for a rickshaw. </p>