Foreign lady visiting India - concerns about safety and security

Hi Janice:

Thought I'd mention my penny's worth opinion here though drmchsraj has covered a lot of ground.

Any of these places you mention are good to visit in January. And while the city of Bangalore by itself may not have much to offer, the good thing is that quite a few interesting places are close to Bangalore, so there is always plenty to do! For example, if you are wildlife enthusiast, the forest resorts near Mysore is something you wouldn't want to miss - they are quite liked by foreigners. You get to spot elephant, bison and deer herds easily and leopard, bear and tiger if you are at the right place, right time(!!) and lots of other small animals.

You haven't mentioned the duration of your trip. If it is longer, you could consider covering Pondicherry or Hyderabad with Bangalore. All of the cities and Kerala as well are safe I guess since these are all frequently visited by foreign tourists. Basic precautions like sticking to main roads, prepaid taxis at airports, avoiding too crowded a place and avoid going out late in the night, and you should be fine.

Depending on the duration of your stay, you could opt whether to go up north or cover the southern states. Must mention though that in my opinion south is much safer.

About outfits - jeans, tees, skirts are all fine as along as they are not skimpy or lewd as you mention.

Hope this helps.

Sindhu

Jyothisri, Mythraeyi, BeeAmma, Sindhurao and drmchsraj,

Thank you so much for your replies! I really appreciate all of them :)
It looks like we'll be sticking to South India for the duration of our week-long vacation, and based on your suggestions, it's a toss-up between Kerala and Pondicherry. We'll probably be purchasing a packaged tour to reduce some of the hassle and to enable us to swing by several touristy sites. Drmchsraj is right, though, I do want to see quintessential Indian sites (or as the kind gentleman put it, 'incredible-y india'-nly things ) so I was kind of hoping to go to the North too, to see the Taj (you couldn't get more Incredibly India than that can you? ;) ) and Rajasthan. But yeah maybe I'm being too ambitious...there's always a next time after all. Anyway, I'm not too worried, now that my fiance has said to "leave everything to him". I expect to be pleasantly surprised -- but then again sometimes my anal-retentive side comes out. Hehe :) Thanks again everyone!

drmchsraj,

Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply. It's certainly very helpful.

Is your fiance Indian/well versed with the practices there? If so, you are in good hands and nothing to worry. How old are you both (if you are too young, don't travel too much - carry pre-ordered/packaged food on train journeys and don't socialize too much, don't share too much info (or stare!) - be 'unseen'!). How long is your trip for?

To answer your question, my fiance is North Indian, so I don't know if he is well-versed in South Indian mores and customs. However, I don't think the regional differences would pose too much of a problem -- or am I mistaken? Regarding our age, we are in our late-20s, I don't think that's too young, right? :)

Why did you give the tips you gave above? Are young couples particularly vulnerable (and vulnerable to what)? You mentioned that we should remain 'unseen' but you also advised me to stare back in case somebody stares at me. Can you please clarify as I am a bit confused? I find it disconcerting to engage in a staring competition with Indian men (I did that when I was living in Singapore and boy was I majorly outstared! Majorly, overly outstared! lol!). However, I don't think I would mind being stared at by women. I'd probably stare back too, as Indian women are so pretty :)

Finally, with regard to your suggestion about Goa, don't you think the place can be kind of seedy? I've read stories of police being unusually tough on Indian/non-Indian pairings. Anyway, my fiance and I can probably go there on our next trip to India.

Thanks again man! Really appreciate your help :)

Week long's never vacation! :p

Stick to one place, too much traveling in one week might tire you guys. Kerala or in and around Bangalore as the others suggested.
Regd tips: I meant young ones make ideal theft victims, get tired or too over-excited easily etc. Everything else was said in jest. well, partly. For instance. In a train, the more 'friendly' you seem, the more those around you might feel the sudden adn endless need to break into a one-sided conversation with you: they'd either be overnice, extolling themselves, or keep on bugging you, loading question after question etc. like Ram or Arjun would have shot arrows (per Hindu myth), If you are anything like me, lacking patience ie, it'd be hard to resist the urge to slap them...or it'd be awkward trying to shake them or not to make eye contact. SO nip it in the bud - unless you encounter someone chirpier and more interesting than the said fiance :).

abt Goa: Nopers. Laid back place, no one really cares anymore! Rent a 2-wheeler hassle-free (for that unique experience of nagging him; with NO stereo for him to listen to and with you holding on to him, he knows he has no escape and you are sure you have his attention) ;).

And yes, late 20s is too old. I suggest you both age backwards well in advance to maximize your experiences ;).

Hi have u decided ????

Im from Pondicherry ,do u want any information still???

Vidhya,

Thank you for your offer to help. My fiance said that I should "leave everything to him", so I'm trying not to spoil the surprise (but mind you, I'm really struggling to refrain from pestering him with so many questions ) Anyway, I'll try to see if I can fish for information from him so I can ask you for your feedback. Thanks again!

Have fun ....
Regards
Vidhya

Tips: Auroville in Pondicherry is the place fully occupied by foreigners ,u may find it very comfortable .....