India

Travel tips to India, is the second-most populous country at 1.36 billion (after China 1.4b) and the seventh-largest country by land area, Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, with Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 entities

I flew to Madras (now Chennai) in April 2013 with my brother Tom, a bustling and hectic city and the largest city and capital in the state of Tamil Nadu that stretches for almost 20 kilometres along the Coromandel Coast. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is one of the largest cultural, economic and educational centres of south India. Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities by foreign tourists. It was ranked the 43rd-most visited city in the world for the year 2015 and was ranked the 36th-most visited city in the world for the year 2019. The Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India. Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. Check out flights to India ?

The beach you see above is the Marina beach at Chennai, many people just go there so see the waves and feel the sea breeze. They can’t swim as the waves is high and strong here, there are stall selling Samosa, Masala, Poori, seashells, peddler selling cotton candy. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south, a distance of 6.0 km (3.7 mi), making it the longest natural urban beach in the country.  It is one of the most crowded beaches in the country and attracts about 30,000 visitors a day during weekdays and 50,000 visitors a day during the weekends.

The most visited place in India, non other than, I believe is Taj Mahal which is over 220km from New Delhi. It is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. The Taj Mahal is also the world’s most famous testimony to the power of love. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. Construction was begun upon her death in 1631 and took 20,000 workmen until 1648 to complete. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately 70 billion rupees (about US$956 million). The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. 

I haven’t been Taj Mahal but my 2nd India trip would definitely be there so just keep my finger cross. India is a big country, they are many places to visit and things to see. Here are some,

1. The Holy City of Varanasi -Bathing in the Ganges is of great importance to Hindus.Dating back to the 8th century BC, Varanasi is one of the oldest still inhabited cities in the world.

2. Harmandir Sahib: The Golden Temple of Amritsar-an important hub of Sikh history and culture. Founded in 1577 by Ram Das, Amritsar is an important hub of Sikh history and culture.

3. The Red Fort, New Delhi – covers a vast area of more than two square kilometers. Built by Shah Jahan in 1648 as the seat of Mughal power-a role it maintained until 1857

4. The Golden City: Jaisalmer -an oasis of splendid old architecture that rises from the sand dunes of the Thar Desert, also known as the Golden Fort-a daunting 12th-century structure that rises high above the town.

5. Mumbai: The Gateway of India -Built to commemorate the arrival of King George V and his wife Queen Mary in 1911.Constructed entirely of yellow basalt and concrete and notable for its Indo-Saracenic design

6. Amer Fort, Jaipur – built as a fortified palace in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh.Carved high up into the hillside, the fort is accessible on foot via a steep climb

7. The Beaches of Goa -60 miles of coastline is home to some of the world’s loveliest beaches. The “go-to” destination for those seeking a great beach holiday

8. Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Madurai -home to numerous species of mammals, including a large free-roaming Indian elephant population, wild boar, otters, the lion-tailed macaque, and more than 20 Bengal tigers

9. Agra Fort – Located just two kilometers from the Taj Mahal. Built as a military structure in 1565 by Emperor Akbar

10. The Ellora Caves, Aurangabad – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ellora Caves were built between the 5th and 10th centuries by Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu monks

Speaking of Indian cuisine, there consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits’ Here are some good top 10 examples

1. Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken) – Butter chicken is mouth-watering, tender chicken, cooked in a spiced tomato sauce. It’s traditionally cooked in a tandoor (a cylindrical clay or metal oven), but may be grilled, roasted or pan-fried in less authentic preparations.

2. Samosas (Deep-Fried Potato/Veggie Dumpling) – combination of spiced potatoes, onions, peas and lentils wrap in pastry skin and fried, its a popular traditional Indian dish. Can also have other fillings like ground lamb/beef/chicken.

3. Aloo Gobi (Potato and Cauliflower) – a dry vegan Indian dish contain potatoes (aloo), cauliflower (gobi), kalonji and curry leaves. Sometimes garlic, ginger, onion, coriander stalks, tomato, peas and cumin are also common ingredient added.

4. Naan (Flatbread) – is an oven-baked flatbread which have varieties like butter and garlic, Paneer naan (Indian cheese type), Chilli naan (spicy) and of course plain naan.

5. Matar Paneer (Peas and Cooked Cottage Cheese) – consists of tomato sauce with paneer (farmer’s cheese) and peas, and spiced with garam masala, likely served with rice, naan, paratha, poori or roti.

6. Rogan Josh (Curried Meat) – made up of braised lamb chunks cooked in gravy that consist browned onions, yogurt, garlic, ginger and aromatic spices. It’s a staple food of northern India, Kashmiri region.

7. Tandoori Chicken (Chicken Marinated In Yogurt and Spices) – roasted chicken that is marinated with yogurt and spice mixture like cayenne pepper, red chili powder that brings out the fiery red color.

8. Chana Aloo Curry (Chickpea Potato Curry) – A sultry blend of ginger, tomato, curry, and garlic marinate potatoes, chickpeas, and onions. These veggies and spices blend together to create the magical, Chana Aloo Curry.

9. Shu’Bah’ (Tomato Soup) – an Indian- spiced vegan soup made from tomatoes, onion, spices like ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon and ghee.

10. Chutney (Fruit Sauce) – made of various fruits, herbs and spices add brown sugar, turmeric, red wine vinegar plus mango chutney, taste flavorful sweet pair to savory samosas.

Well here are all top 10 Indian cuisine, looking for a flight there, check out here