Ten reasons why I didn’t fall in love with Rajasthan

No worries, I will list the stuff I liked further down.

1. Too expensive for what it is
Before I left I was sure this would be one of the cheapest holidays I’ve ever had. Since it is high season in December and January you have to take into account it will be a bit more expensive than the rest of the year, but when the prices of tourist attractions are doubled of what it says in the guidebooks, very average hotels costs the same as in Europe and the food prices have gone up as well, your budget will for sure be disappointed. It’s ok to pay the 15 euros it costs to get into Taj Mahal because it’s one of the most amazing buildings in the world, but the irritation to pay seven euros to see a minaret will overshadow the fact that the minaret is actually quite cool, old and enormous. 

2. Money problems
Right now there is a big money problem in India which affects both tourists and indians. Standing in line for one hour to get out a maximum of 60 euros will drive you crazy. Don’t talk to me about the expenses every time you withdraw money. I know, and I’m not happy about it.  

3. Delhi-belly and dirty sheets
If you don’t want to experience a really bad «Delhi-belly» you have to double check where you eat, for every single meal. One of the things I love about traveling is to walk in the street and pick a random place to eat or to eat some exotic street food. In India you can do it, but it’s risky. Even when you follow Trip Advisor or your guidebooks, you are not totally safe. I can vouch for it. If you go to random hotels, guesthouses or hostels I’m not sure you will be guaranteed clean sheets and blankets.

4. «Two kilo dust a day, keeps the doctor away»???
The pollution is terrible. The dust gets swirled up by cars, cows, motorbikes, you name it, while at the same they pollute themselves. Suddenly those stupid masks you put in front of your mouth makes sense. And the garbage. It is every where. I mean, e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Plastic is evil. 

5. The people
To be honest, I didn’t like the people in Rajasthan that much. A lot of them were rude, loud and not very well educated. I don’t yell at people very often, but we ended up yelling at a very rude (grownup) man outside a temple. Of course there were some highlights. For example when an old man in Delhi yelled at some tuk-tuk drivers trying to rip us off, and sent us in his private car to the place we wanted to go. 

6. Being a girl
I was there with my boyfriend, so most of the time I felt safe. It’s when I was standing alone that people came to me, wanting to take pictures a bit too close or calling at me as «sexy» or just standing next to me making kissing sounds. Even when we were together young guys would do that. I would never ever recommend girls to travel alone in India. In a country where women gets treated the way they do there, you shouldn’t expect them to treat you differently.

7. Selfie time
This was something I’ve heard about before I left. They do love their selfies. It seems that the priority for a lot of indians is this when they visit tourist attractions: 1. take selfies with tourists, 2. take selfies or have someone to take a picture of you doing ten different poses and 3. maybe take some pictures of the attraction.  If you say yes to one, you’ve said yes to who ever is around.

8. The lack of respect
Do you feel like spitting? Go ahead! You can even spit inside a temple. Do you feel like yelling? Go ahead! You can even yell inside a temple.

9. Everything is falling apart
It’s sad to see how many beautiful buildings that are being neglected and even destroyed. The only chance an old building has to survive is if some rich people like it and decide to maintain and restore it.

10. Constant noise
Never a silent moment. Ever. Honking, pigeons, dogs, music and cows. No wonder they meditate every day. This is also one of the reasons (together with the pollution) why Rajasthan is not made for walking. Don’t go to Rajasthan expecting you can go for peaceful and long walks in the cities. 

So, did I like anything? Of course I did!

1. The food
The food is great. Naan, curries, korma, parathas. It is yummy, spicy and (mostly) fresh.

2. Jaisalmer
This desert town is very touristy, but it’s for a very good reason. Compared to many of the other cities in Rajasthan it’s really not that busy. The sand colored houses, the havelies, the fort and the small streets makes it a «must-see» if you’re planning to go to Rajasthan. 

3. Hinduism
The greatest stories comes from Hinduism. With that many gods the stories are doomed to be filled with action, drama and love. 

4. The wildlife
We went to two national parks and both were great. Mostly because we were one of the lucky 25% that gets to see a tiger at this time of year. Birds are also great, but come on… a tiger beats some birds anytime of the year.

5. Masala chai
The spicy milk tea that they serve every where will warm up your heart and mind. 

6. Taj Mahal
Sometimes when you visit places you’ve seen a million times in pictures, you can be a bit disappointed. Taj Mahal is not one of the disappointments. I loved it. It is a big “wow”. Make sure to go at sunrise, then you’ll meet the busloads of Chinese when you’re done with your visit around nine. 

Would I recommend you going to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra?
I have to say… no. First of all, I think India is not for first-time travelers and solo female travelers. If you travel in the month of December and January you have to know it will be cold, especially during the night, and it will be packed with indian tourists and foreigners. There’s many places I would recommend you to go before going to India. Somewhere warmer, safer and cheaper.

If you don’t listen to me and decides to go anyways, I would recommend it to you if you have quite a lot of money to spend on one travel. Then you have the comfort of upgrading to more comfortable hotels and fancier restaurants. For the first time ever, we travelled with a private car and driver the whole way and I would definitely recommend doing it this way. You will save time and you will feel safe.

At least once in a lifetime you have to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I might recommend India just for that reason.

I’m always openminded  when I go to new places, but this time I was quite disappointed. I was in Tamil Nadu in the south of India some years back and I loved it. The people were kind, the culture was surprising and interesting, the food was delicious and it was cheap. It was like I didn’t visit the same country. India is huge, and for that reason there will be big differences in people, landscape, the way of living and behaving. I can not say “Don’t go to India”, because I’ve only seen a small part of it, but I can say “Chose where and when to go carefully”.

(All of the pictures are taken by me with a Canon 700D).