A few things to know about India...before you go!

I guess the most obvious thing about India for the first-timer is it’s OLD. Really OLD. You totally get a sense that this civilization has been here, living pretty much the same way, for 5000 years, give or take. But it’s also a place where you can (now) get a cappuccino, cable TV and broadband internet.

It kinda looked to me like a bit of a time-warp, with the broom that seems pre-historic to the wheelbarrow to the motorscooter, outside an 'electrostate' shop (whatever that is, photocopying, I think).

There’s so much to tell you about India , it’s hard to know where to start! So let’s just start anyway. Here are some of the things about India that we’ll be covering in this website:

Bollywood - that’s Bombay-Hollywood to you

Festivals - like Holi - whether you want to attend them or avoid them!

Cheap Flights to India – with recommended options which will accept your foreign credit card etc

Ideal First-Timer Places to Visit ...you can afford to stay in a palace (I promise!), or maybe an Ayurvedic retreat is more your thing?

Hindi Language – You may not be as obsessed by language learning as I am, but it’s great fun and really adds to your experience (especially when bargaining for treasure or getting around). The good news is that Hindi is related to other European languages like English, German, French, Spanish etc., so it’s pretty easy to learn. Hindi writing (called Devanagari script) looks hard, but it’s really not. Once you’ve learned the 52 letters of the alphabet, you can pronounce anything because, unlike English, everything is pronounced exactly as written, so if you can read it you can say it. Very cool.

And of course, last but certainly not least, there are:

Travel Tips to make sure your trip is as smooth as possible.

Culture - do you know your Salaam from your Namaste?

Visa for India – do you need one and what kinds are there?

An introduction to Food and Flavors of India

Shopping – this is one of the top 3 reasons to go to India as far as I’m concerned. It’s not all cushion covers and incense sticks... You have to see what the artisans of India can do!

Find out what kind of traveller you are. Profile yourself!

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