Meeting in India

[Mustafa and Jenni 1]

M. and I will be meeting in person for the first time in India this summer. Neither of us has been to India nor have any heritage there. It is simply the best "in the middle place". M. does speak Urdu (he is Afghani and also grew up in Pakistan). I am from the US. I have never travelled outside of the U.S. I will be doing a LOT of independent study in order to prepare for this trip, but any advice is welcome.

I know that India is quite hot in the summer, but we really do not want to delay meeting. We were shooting for August, but then realized that would be Ramzan, so hopefully we can swing this trip for the end of July. We are planning to head around the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur)(a week? ten days? not sure yet). Since M. speaks Urdu and since he wants to be independently mobile (not tied to a tour, etc.), we are going to be getting our hotels as we go along instead of pre-booking. I'm up for whatever, but, again, any tips or advice about Indian hotels in those three cities or in general would be well appreciated; or advice on the major places to see. Obviously we are trying not to break the bank either on our expenses so to speak.

In any case, I am going to be using this thread to log our journey to this first goal of meeting for the first time in India (thereafter we will start the K1 Fiance Visa process). This trip to India is one of the first major steps of our intention to marry and bring our lives together. So stay tuned!

What is happening now: M. is in the process of getting a passport from Afghanistan. I recently filled out the application for a 5 year Indian visa, but I haven't sent it in yet as I have a few details to finish like getting photos for the application. We are also both saving up our money (my plane ticket will be by far the biggest expense). I am also trying to navigate my life schedule as it seems everything is happening this year, such as a daughter graduating from high school and heading to college. Being from Afghanistan, for M. it sometimes feels like an accomplishment just to be alive at the end of the day.

Will keep you posted.

[catknit 144]

Some general visiting India advise [i'm sure others will be along with additional info.]:

Wow - the golden triangle area in July/August will be HOT. Like 100 in the shade HOT - humid too because of the monsoons. Most likely cooler during the terrential downpours . Look at a hill station if you aren't into heat - Shimla, Munnar, maybe Manali. Coastal areas can be nice too - Goa, Kerala could be options but I don't know how they fair in the monsoons.

A great [and can be budget] option for a tour is a driving tour. There are many agencies that do this. You would get a car and driver plus pre-booked hotels for a certain length trip. The budget would be set by the class of hotel chosen.

Urdu is helpful but english speakers are pretty easy to find.

If you're planning on sharing a hotel room please keep in mind that some hotels maybe very reticent about it. Supposedly, it is against the law in some areas to share quarters [non-married couples]. Some hotel staff may use this to get extra $$$ out of you - some will not allow you to share a room.

When my husband and I were first together [and unmarried] I had to assure an innkeeper that I understood my then-fiance would be sharing a room with me. I was asked whether or not I understood the reservation was for only one room. Many eyebrows were raised around the front desk when I said I did understand that we were sharing a room.

I wouldn't spend less than 9-10 days [space it over 2 weekends if you can] - the travel time added to the time change make for a rough trip back. You'll have no problems getting the tourist visa assuming you are not of any indo-centric descent [pakistani, bangladeshi, sri lankan, etc], are not a journalist or photojournalist, and are not a religious professional [pastor, nun, etc]. Those seem to be hot button issues with the embassies. I'm not sure how afghanis fair with the indian missions though...

Absolute best IMO website for indian travel - indiamike.com. It has it all - itineraries, general "how does this work in India" advice, visa questions, etc. Case is point - some people love the backpacker feel of Pahar Ganj in Delhi. This neighborhood is close to the train station and has super cheap hotels. Sounds like a win-win for someone looking for a good budget area and a quick walk to the station. But, it is noisy and dusty - travelers are coming and going at all hours, it's wall to wall people most of the day, there are tons of touts trying to convince you to buy stuff - it's just not very peaceful. The flip side would be south delhi where you can stay in a more spendy hotel or bed and breakfast [yes, there are a few]. It's pretty residential and not near too many tourist attractions but you'll have access to chain coffee houses, a few malls, etc. Totally different spectrum. My point - indiamike has all this information about just about everywhere in India. If you throw out a question, chances are someone will know the answer. A lot like vj only about India.

If you do the golden triangle - some famous tourists attractions:

Taj Mahal*** [see it either at day break or sunset for best pics], Fatehpu Sikri*** [agra and surrounding area]

Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Humayun's tomb, Qitab Munar***, Bahai Temple*** and Lodi*** Gardens [delhi]

Jaipur, Amber Fort*** [you used to be able to ride an elephant up to the fort from the parking here], Jantar Mantar [stone observatory that I likened more to a sculpture garden as we were there during the day].

*** - ones that I liked the best - of course your tastes may be different

You'll probably want/need some shots before going too [hep a, hep b, typhoid are all typical] - and depending on where you are you should ask your doc about malaria meds.

Ok - this is a lot of info but if you are out to do some homework you'll see this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

[Mustafa and Jenni 1]

Thank you .