It's time for a proper India travel thread on /trv/. Come here to discuss your travel plans and experiences in the world's most memorable country. All travelers and prospective travelers welcome. Political discussion not pertaining to travel belongs on >>/pol/.
Looks can be deceiving; the hotel at the end of this ugly alley is the best one I've stayed at in the country.
The ₹1000 ($12) room at this lodge on a back street of Khopoli was also great, apart from the lack of WiFi. A/C, hot water, etc. Rural India is full of hidden gems, but they know their worth and never throw themselves at you. Even on Google Maps you have to zoom in close to spot them.
>>2847688>apart from the lack of WiFi. A/C, hot water, etc>Rural India is full of hidden gems
>>2847685I want to go next month so fucking bad
>>2847688>$12>lack of WiFi. A/C, hot water, etc>hidden gem
>>2847711Punctuation, retards. The room had no WiFi, but it did have A/C, hot water, a chair, and so on. However, SEA water heaters are far superior to Indian ones. Here, they preheat a small 1 L or 3 L reservoir to scalding hot, which rapidly declines in temp after the tap is opened and cold water flows into the reservoir. Best to empty the hot water into the bucket, add cold water as needed, and ladle it over your head with the provided cup. Whereas Thai water heaters heat the water as it flows through and have a fully adjustable temp control.I found an abandoned British estate in Matheran, carefully boarded up. So many little trails in the countryside, you never know where they will take you. It feels like true adventure.
Villagers are more shy than curious and don't try to engage with me on my walks. My presence does not seem to disturb them either. Every day in India will bring you at least one pleasant surprise, and at least one frustrating or stressful episode as well. Got back to my room and the keycard quit working, with nobody present at reception. Evidently it must be reprogrammed every day. India is full of needless hassles like this. People waiting in line at a closed ticket window for 90 minutes just to be first when it opens a mere 45 minutes before train departure.
Traditional India still thrives in the villages, even with ten-story condos being built all around. 19 km of walking on my afternoon loop excursion today - it should've been 14 km, but I got impatient and walked out of the train station just before the train arrived. Annoyingly, the digital display boards on each platform do not show ETA for delayed trains. On the way up the mountain I met a pair of friendly young forest guardians, one female and the other non-binary. Everyone seems worried that some robbery or mishap will befall me while tramping around alone in the hills with no guide. They warn me that many bad characters live in the mountain villages, and there's no way to tell good from bad at first glance. Carrying around six months' worth of farm labor earnings in cash is a burden that far outweighs the little wad of notes in my pocket. If unsavory characters approach me, I respond with stubborn aggression that makes it clear they're not getting anything without a fight. I did not come to this country to drink ₹100 bottles of strong beer and languish safely in my room all day. I came to explore, and India has limitless opportunities for exploration on foot. Centuries-old trails carefully built over difficult terrain belie the whole notion that Indians couldn't care less about their environment. Same with the surprisingly clean villages, where nary a car is to be found. (Less than 4% of rural Indian households own a car.)
Thakurwadi is the name my OsmAnd map gives for this abandoned settlement high up on a mountain tableland covered in open savanna forest. A motorcycle trail leads up to some sort of monastic retreat tucked away in the forest. It was a struggle to find the overgrown trail continuing on into Thakurwadi and from there down a steep mountainside into Katkurwadi, a twenty-household farming village in a well-watered cove at the base of the ridge. Thankfully, the trail did not split up or disappear in the tall grass, but became more pronounced as the descent steepened. It finally reached level ground after descending a natural staircase hewn into a basalt outcropping, skirted some fields, crossed a mostly dry creek and popped out on somebody's front porch. A father relaxing with his children nearby asked me in good English where I was going and helpfully pointed the way toward the highway, which started off as a mere footpath before widening to a rickshaw track and finally a single-lane rural road big enough for a truck to pass. Interestingly, the area was inhabited by Indian Muslims, and the young schoolgirls gave me the most bold and curious stares...attention not much appreciated by their uncles and fathers, kek.
Smartphone maps have been the single biggest revolution for solo travelers. No longer do you need a local guide to go exploring off the beaten path; you can go anywhere by yourself and chart your own route, blithely ignoring all suggestions from locals that are contrary to your intentions. A scared lost puppy started accompanying me as I trudged back to Vangani with my flashlight along the dark busy highway, but I lost him when I slipped past a stopped car idling on the roadside with headlights blazing. He chickened out, went into the weeds, and would not continue past the car. After some time I noticed he was no longer shadowing me, looked back and saw him standing indecisively on the roadside. Should've walked back the hundred meters and encouraged him to continue the remaining 2 km to the village with me, but tired and annoyed I kept going and left him in the middle of nowhere. Poor thing...
Hiking in India>No rain or bad weather in December...every day is sunshine and 30 C>No pest insects in the dry season, except for slow flying mosquitoes at dusk>Soulful old trails that are fun to figure out as you go along>Quirky shrines, hidden retreats, rustic villages, interesting ruins>Lots of wildlife to see>No noise pollution, no crowds, minimal litter on the less visited trails>Beautiful old trees>Easy access without a car - there are always auto rickshaws available for trips to village trailheads if you don't want to walk the village roads>Probably not safe for solo white women in sports bra and booty shorts - younger village women always walk with a companion
