Backpacking South India for 4-6 weeks - tips?

the Taj is overrated and being in Agra makes it utterly worth missing.
The red fort is fucking brilliant, due to being allowed free reign to clamber whereever the fuck you want.

1/Agra is grim but the Taj is well worth it IMHO. Not relevant here I know.
2/Imodium should be avoided if possible. If you have the shits drink plenty of fluids and let it pass.
3/Get a Rough Guide, not a Lonely Planet.
4/ Bus journeys can be reaaaaally slow.

I had an awesome time working in Bangalore, but it's not exactly what you'd call scenic. Mysore is much prettier. If you do end in in Bangalore, I heartily endorse Peco's - which is an cracking bar that plays 70s rock off bootleg cassettes and serves tasty food and cold beer.

2/Imodium should be avoided if possible. If you have the shits drink plenty of fluids and let it pass.

+9bn, also BRAT diet the fuck out of that.
(bananas, rice, applesauce(obv difficult to find) and toast)

3/Get a Rough Guide, not a Lonely Planet.

The most recent Rough Guide is factually wrong in many places, especially about price, and location of hostels/hotels/ restaurants.
It does however have a very good segment on suggestions for things to do, that aren't so obvious.

Try and find a husband.

@ Dov, why would I want one of those?

Anyways current developments leave me in a shitty situation (scuse the pun). When my boss got back from his holidays last week, I told him I'd booked flights. He went a bit mental and said everything discussed pre xmas was 'hypothetical'. Pre xmas he said stuff along the lines of "you're great, we want to keep you, but if you're not happy, thats not good, do what you need to, take as long as you need, don't worry about HR etc etc".

SO he has completely gone back on his word and is right pissed off at me. I feel like a naughty school kid.
Anyway he said I can change my outgoing flight to leave a week later and I can have 3 weeks annual leave/1 week leave w/o pay (instead of 5 weeks leave w/o pay). This is going to cost me at least £150 to change flights, and I'm going to resent him. I sit around at work and do NOTHING. What difference does 5 days make?
He's just on some retarded male power trip.
Can't quit job - not much in the market atm.

What to do/what to do?

What to do/what to do?

This is all Helens fault. Fucking bitch

@kattiep - 3 weeks in India is still 3 weeks more than Void will get this year.
I'll be lucky if I get a couple of long bike rides in Europe and a weekend break on the Med.

Mmm, not going North. At all. Don't want to be rushed. The Taj can wait til next time.

At the mo, the plan is to head from Mumbai to Naski (to drink wine) then Ellora to look at caves. From there to Pune, then Goa. East to Hampi, then sth to Bengaluru/Mysore/Kerala.
I'm alreay worried I'm trying to do too much. These distances are BIG... I imgaine there is going to be quite a few long over night buses which I guess just add to the experience. Anyhow, I've got complete flexibility. Just need to be in Kochi by the 19th to fly back. Simples.

You'' will inevitably have to take buses some of the time, but given the choice, if possible I would try to get a train. Quicker, more comfortable and I found more interesting as I got into more conversations with people on trains than buses for some reason.

Here a link to a journey planner:

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/between_Imp_Stations.html

Just picked up my visa. Efficient they are. 3 days.

Hot tip..... Indian visas now need a 2x2inch photo. I was in a hurry and went to happyfarkingsnaps. £14.99 they charge for two photos! My blood is still boiling. That is taking the piss. Noticed today picking up my visa, that in the Goswell Rd office there is a photo booth set up to just do 2x2 pics - for the pricely sum of £4. Oh how I love just chucking money about.

9 work days to go..................

I'm flying out to Mumbai on 11 March for 4 weeks with some mates, no idea where we are going yet but I am SO excited!! Two friends are already out there traveling round the north so I'm hoping to go south for the amazing veggie food.

Just picked up my visa. Efficient they are. 3 days.

Hot tip..... Indian visas now need a 2x2inch photo. I was in a hurry and went to happyfarkingsnaps. £14.99 they charge for two photos! My blood is still boiling. That is taking the piss. Noticed today picking up my visa, that in the Goswell Rd office there is a photo booth set up to just do 2x2 pics - for the pricely sum of £4. Oh how I love just chucking money about.

9 work days to go..................

Where you off to in India? I'll be landing in Mumbai on the 8th/9th of Feb.

My tip:

While you are in Kerela get the train up into the mountains to the east and visit kodai Kanal, a "Hill Station". 10000 feet up and pure heaven. I think you said you were going in March so it will be getting hot and you will love the cool jungle at altitude. It was once possible to purchase a really "special" mushroom omlette up there... at least that was the case in 1985. Sit on a two mile high cliff above the plain on "Coaker's Walk". Unforgetable. Have a blast! And to hell with your boss!!!

I'd heartily recommend booking your train ticket from Mumbai southwards ASAP - like before you get to India.
Otherwise you may well find yourself waiting for a space on a train for a few days watching all your holiday cash disappear in costly Mumbai.
Dr.Dandapani in Wembley (listed here http://www.indianrail.gov.in/international_Tourist.html) is where I booked mine, although you may be able to do it online now for all I know.
Once you're elsewhere in India though it's a piece of piss to get tickets.

I'd heartily recommend booking your train ticket from Mumbai southwards ASAP - like before you get to India.
Otherwise you may well find yourself waiting for a space on a train for a few days watching all your holiday cash disappear in costly Mumbai.
Dr.Dandapani in Wembley (listed here http://www.indianrail.gov.in/international_Tourist.html) is where I booked mine, although you may be able to do it online now for all I know.
Once you're elsewhere in India though it's a piece of piss to get tickets.

http://www.cleartrip.com is excellent for booking indian railways tickets.
+1 for booking trains to Goa well in advance - otherwise you may end up on the overnight bus which is an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone.

the guy in Wembly is an absolute legend! You should go to see him for sure. To the uninitiated, just turning up in Mumbai and trying to get a reserved place on a train is a real challenge. Go see him asap

Trudging to the tube today with water seeping up my trouser leg, I was mighty bloody happy to be getting on my jetplane this eve!
I've booked and internal flight from Mumbai to Goa - seemed a better option than a 11hour train journey. All for the bargain price of £30.
Can. Not. Wait.

mumbai goa train or road journey is pretty nice, it was one of the ambitious rail projects for indian railways bcoz of an extreme terrain.

Bump!

I'm looking at going to Goa for the first two week in November with a freind, Thinking we are just going to book flights, and maybe ther first night or two somewhere, then we will just bum around various backpackers as and when we please for the rest of the trip. We are fine with hostel/backpacker type accomodation, as we dont want to spend a huge anmount of money, and both enjoy the freindly atmosphere of backpackers, and all the 'interesting' people you meet.....

I cant find any direct flights from London to Goa, and the all the change in Mumbai options seem to involve waiting around In the airport in Mumbai for 6-8 hours, which i'd rather not do.... Does anyone have any other advice for better travel optons? most of the flights I have found are between £450-600.

Any other general advice on where to go/stay what to do, and where to do a bit of partying in Goa would be great, as I have never been to India before!

Muchos Thankios,
bobby hoops.

I went to Ashwem Beach (North Goa). It was very quiet, but there were loads of Russian clubbers.
I'd recommend it for a little bit of YOUR trip, but not the whole trip. Unless you really want to go and do some yoga mentalness. I didn't, her indoors did. She was paying. The beach sellers (there's loads) talked about [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka[/ame] as potentially interesting.

We stayed here: http://www.yabyumresorts.com/
it was VERY nice.

get a package deal flight plus hotel often i cheaper than going there flight only, plus you have a posh fall back option for when dehli bellie strikes a nice clean toilet paper ridden hotel room to huddle in

nice beaches all along the coast best i found were palolem beautiful cresent shaped beach as clean as you like loads of hotels running along the back of the beach proper hippy and cheap

calangute is also very nice if busier than palolem nice walking along a 2 - 3 mile long beach head north of calangoute beach for the clubby / hippy markety areas beaches geet quieter as you move north

i hired a honda cg125 motorbike for something like £2 per day the best way of getting around not doubt saves getting on crammed buses / minibuses

thougroughly recommened as a place to spend a couple of weeks loads of rainforest nature reserves just innland plus the ghats are pretty amazing mountains if you are into a bit of hiking

Thanks Damo.... I just notced i put first two weeks of August for some reason... I meant November. Have edited my post!

Oh yeah! Moped for deffo. And avoid the hippy market.

Thanks dicki!

I was actually thinking it looks cheaper to get a package deal with a cheap hotel included, so i think we could be onto a winner with that one!

Am I right about the annoying stop over with the flights though?... or am i stupidly missing other options?