You might want to try taking the train from Delhi to Bhubaneswar, Orissa ($45 usd one way). It was a very nice train ride with plenty of nice meals. We did this in 2005 and it was wonderful. The temples there are wonderful, some 2,500 years old. From there try Konark with the Sun Temple and Puri with the Jagannath temple. There is less interest in tourists because there are less of them. More to see, less cost, less fuss. We loved Orissa (formerly Kalinga).

Welcome to India I would sort of agree that India is an acquired taste but then I am living here and have a lot of foreigner friends who came here and thought they didn’t like the country at all but once they got the hang of things, now they are dying to return So my advice would be, ‘hang tight, India is gonna blow your mind’

Theory 2 is pretty correct. You do have to get used to the way India ‘works’, but i think if you take the time you really will start to see the other side of India (not just the yoga and meditation). We are currently in Southern India and have found that the people are very different to the northern India. Kerala was a great state to explore.

I agree to what Elise says. And I am a ‘north India’ geographically. people down south are a lot more polite. We in the north might seem rude but if you need help, plenty of us will go out of our way to help you (and for no returns).

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. I’m currently in Madurai, heading to Kanniyakumari. I will give India another week or two and see if she grows on me.

If not, it wasn’t meant to be. Tajikistan is just upstairs.