The Great India, A Different Journey

India. A different journey, off the beaten track and low cost. At the end of winter my wife and I visited a small part of South India, the part away from the big tourist tours. We were thrilled by it, not only for the beauty, but for the fascinating diversity of the rhythms, the urban chaos, the peoples and local traditions, as well as the fascinating and vivid colours that frame every moment of the journey in this land. As soon as we left Bangalore airport we experienced the nocturnal chaos of the city, seized, even at night, by the din of car horns demanding right of way. A soundtrack that accompanied us for the entire tour through the regions of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Waiting for us outside the airport was our driver and guide Naseer, who, also speaking a little Italian, showed us monuments, villages and big cities off the itineraries of Western visitors, but extremely significant for Indian history. The driver, an Indian from Bangalore, was very important and essential for our trip. Apart from using planes for long internal transfers, it's not possible to rely on public transport, which is almost non-existent and in terrible shape. Nor can you think of renting a car to drive yourself: practically impossible given the very risky state of the internal roads and the way Indians drive. Even though such a trip might seem very costly, given the driver and the car at your disposal, in reality it has a limited cost and is within reach of all Westerners.

If you can find a good low-cost flight that takes you to INDIA (we found ours at 700 euros each return including taxes and visa), every day spent down there can cost from 30 to 50 euros each, all included: board and lodging in good-level or even luxury hotels and restaurants (5 stars), car rental with driver (available 24 hours a day), tips, entries to museums and palaces, etc. (excluding personal purchases and gifts). Anyone interested can contact SIPA TRAVEL of Bangalore (md_azam2007@yahoo.co.in), a very young agency of drivers (ours was Naseer) that promotes tours in South India at competitive prices. It is the guides, or the driver himself in our case, who direct the traveller/tourist to discover the most interesting places, passing through the most beautiful cities. But not only.

Our itinerary started from Bangalore, a modern and technological city, where a splendid visit to the botanical garden also filled our spirit. Then off… towards the great Mysore, a former Indo-British capital, unique in its 19th-century architecture and with one of the most beautiful Palaces in all of India. Along the way we visited some stunning 16th-15th century temples dedicated to the god Ganesha and other gods, as well as the Tipu Sultan Garden and Palace, an example of Islamic architecture in the East. Among cows and buses packed with people, the walk we did in Mysore allowed us to immerse ourselves in an era of over a century ago, full of colours and smells coming from small alleys or grand tree-lined avenues, as well as from its characteristic markets.

Our tour then continued to Hassan, Halebidu and Belur where there are some beautiful archaeological sites with very large ancient temples dedicated to the bull god, and then to Shravanangapattana, where after a steep climb on foot up the stone hill, we reached the largest single-block statue in India. On a trip to India you also can't miss a visit of a few days to an ashram (spiritual community) and for our experience we chose one of the most famous and well-known mystical places: Puttaparthi, where Sai Baba lives. Here, besides living a beautiful and controversial introspective experience, alongside thousands of other people from all over the world, we were also able to meet some inhabitants of the village, enter their homes, get to know them and understand their customs and traditions, their way of seeing us and our way of feeling them.

A unique experience…as travellers, not as tourists. Yes, because India is not a destination like any other. It's a blow to the stomach even for the most expert travellers. It is of extreme poverty, but also of extreme dignity. It is chaos and quiet at the same time. It is everything and the opposite of everything. However you see it, it always remains extremely fascinating…and if you're thinking of taking a big trip at a low cost, this INDIA is certainly for you. You can contact us by email for more detailed information on accommodation options in South India or to better detail our very interesting itinerary. In that case you can contact us at miglio@internetlibero.it