In October 2025 I had a brief visit to India to explore a section of the North. If I had a few words to sum up my experience:
Beautiful, chaotic, dirty.
I absolutely loved my time there, as I enjoy a bit of culture shock, but there are definitely moments where it feels a bit more like type 2 fun.
All that being said, I really look forward to going back and exploring further.
Advice/tips
- Do not book anything lower than second class train tickets if you don’t want to be miserable.
- Do not engage with tuk tuk drivers, use Uber.
- Indian food travels well, so if you’re overwhelmed with finding somewhere to eat, get it delivered.
- Carry hand sanitiser and wet wipes for use after the toilet and before/after meals.
- Arrive early for the Taj Mahal if you want a nice picture, around an hour before it opens.
- If you like cannabis, try a bhang lassi, or other bhang product. It’s *very* intense (& legal).
- Have medicine ready on hand before you might need it. I ate at cheap local restaurants and had Delhi Belly quite often, so keep that in mind (was worth it though hahah)
- You can eat the street food. Just be sensible and weigh up the risk of that particular product. You don’t have an Indian gut biome, but if you see people lining up for it, you’ll likely be fine.
Photo details
1. Jaipur (Amber Palace)
2. Jodhpur
3. Jaipur
4. Agra (Taj Mahal)
5. Aloo Paratha Thali
6. Jodhpur
7. Masala Chai
8. Jodhpur
9. Jodhpur (Jaswant Thada)
10. Jaipur (Hawa Mahal)
11. Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk)
12. Raj Kachori
