These were the notes I took.

Places to go: (South East India only)

  • Oko - near goa - sunset and cocktail 
  • kodaikanal  
  • Ooty - hiking 
  • Kodaikanal
  • Vagator - night outs 
  • Hampi - temples, heritage city, Pay 500 rupees and get the rickshaw guy to give me a tour round 
  • Bangalore
  • Panaji 
  • Curven park - Bangalore 
  • Mango tree bar - vagator 
  • Muunar 
  • Fort kochi 
  • Allepy backwaters 
  • Mandrem beach 

Things to drink: 

  • Old monk reserve 
  • Kalitmuxho - (Spanish), red wine with coke  
  • Dry fruit smoothie 
  • Fresh blueberry juice 
  • Masala chai 
  • Kingfisher strong 

Things to eat:

  • Masala rice 🌾 
  • Vada pav 
  • Tandoori style kingfish 
  • Veg biryina
  • Chicken 65 
  • Chilli chicken 
  • Paneer 
  • Cheese Garlic naan 🫓 
  • Masala bread sandwich 
  • Paneer pasanda 
  • Paneer Tikka Masala
  • Kashmiri Chicken
  • Momos
  • Onion pakoda 
  • Soya sticks - good snack
  • Paratha 
  • Chicken sukkah 
  • Chloe bhature - deli 
  • Chilli mushrooms 
  • Thali 
  • Paneer dosa 
  • Roti 
  • Aloo Paratha

Essential Phrases: (written phonetically)

  • Thank you - Dan ya bad 
  • No I don’t want - Na he cha he yeh 
  • What is your name - Apkaaa nam Kya hai 
  • My name is - Mera nam *….. * hai 
  • Banchotttt  - sisterfucker 
  • Chu tyyyaaaa - stupid  
  • Okay - tiikeee 

Useful things to know 

  • Rickshaw - 40 rupees per km (approximately) 
  • Exchange rate (2023) - £1 = 100 rupees 
  • The head wiggle is not necessarily acknowledgement that they have understood you 
  • Most of the time when someone tells you that you can’t do something… they probably don’t know… just do it anyway *I got told everyday for a week when I went to this cafe that I couldn’t pay on card… everyday I paid my bill on card. 
  • When asked for photos: reply that you will for 20 rupees, people will laugh then usually leave you alone… a simple no does not suffice and will not deter! 
  • Get a haircut - haircut, shave and massage for 150 rupees 
  • Get the kingfisher strong large every time 
  • Don’t give to beggers 
  • Seeing a Bollywood film is essential
  • Wear a helmet 🪖 
  • Always order the Chicken 65 
  • Smile and always accept Indian hospitality… the most amazing things happen when you let them look after you. 
  • Don’t try and ride the cows

Driving (motorcycle): 

  • Rent a Royal Enfield 350 Bullet.
  • International drivers permit - necessary to avoid having to bribe the police if using either a car or scooter. 
  • Can just have a copy on your phone should cost like £40 to get a digital one online 
  • if you do have to bribe the police the usually take card or cash and in extreme circumstances Redbulls

Healthcare: 

  • Bring basics! A first aid kit is always a good idea anywhere you go! (Highly recomend life systems)
  • Imodium and dahriolite will almost certainly make your experience in the country more pleasant 
  • If you have D&V for more than 6 hours go to a doctor immediately… typically can be sorted quickly with the right antibiotics. 
  • Malaria is not high risk and typically you are not required to take medication 
  • Probiotics are a good idea! 

Phone: 

  • Indian numbers: +91
  • getting a local sim takes about an hour but are essential… it should cost 400r no more! That gives you 1.5gb of data everyday and unlimited texts etc for a month 
  • You will need your passport and visa to get it! 
  • Call someone to check your number - sometimes the number that is associated with the sim is actually different from the number that the person says it is! - rlly fukking annoying 

Apps to use: 

Confirmtkt (IRCTC) - train booking app, all over India, difficult to use as a foreigner… easier to get a local to book for you 

IRCTC Catering (food on track) - app to order food directly to your seat on a train

RailYatri - check your seat/platform of train that you book on the previous app

Redbus - Bus booking app - works everywhere… much easier than booking a train and buses are pretty good (get a single bed on a sleeper bus) + check with a local where the bus station is… sometimes they are just in random places on the side of the road *the app can show you the route of a bus though and that can help you establish if your in the right place* 

Ola - Asian Uber 

Rápido - Indian Uber… good in cities because you can agree to tip on the app when looking for a tuk tuk/taxi so they come quicker! 

Agoda - booking home stays & hotels 

Booking.com - booking home stays & hotels 

Trip.com - booking home stays & hotels

Hostelworld - booking hostels 

 AllTrails - finding routes to go hiking on 

I went to India once.