Expenses
Everything's in Indian Rupees
Kolkata
150 - Airport transfer
318 - Transportation
920 - 1 night in Sunflower Guesthouse
500 - 1 night in Golden Apple dorm
1340 - Food and drinks
50 - Adaptor
100 - Others
150 - Victoria Memorial entrance fee
3528 - Total
Varanasi
1000 - 2 nights Stops Hostel
768 - Food and drinks
200 - Ghats tour
100 - Sunrise tour
100 - Sarnath Temple entrance fee
345 - Transportation
10 - Map
2693 - Total
Agra
300 - Transportation
320 - 1 night Hotel Sai Palace
665 - Food and drinks
1000 - Agra Fort and Taj Mahal entrance fee
300 - Postcards and stamps
100 - Souvenir
2685 - Total
Delhi
800 - 2 nights Zostel
745 - Food and drinks
250 - Qutub Minar fee
250 - Red Fort fee
350 - Transportation
2395 - Total
Jaipur
650 - 2 Nights Vinayak Guesthouse
120 - Laundry
575 - Transportation
1285 - Food and drinks
400 - Composite Ticket (Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Albert Hall, Jantar Mantar)
400 - City Palace fee
3430 - Total
Jaisalmer
250 - Transportation
270 - Laundry
300 - 1 night Mystic Jaisalmer
75 - Postcards
1065 - Food and drinks
1200 - Camel Safari
800 - Souvenirs
3960 - Total
Jodhpur
700 - 2 nights Zostel
584 - Volvo bus to Udaipur
500 - Mehrangarh Fort entrance fee and audio guide
50 - Laundry
275 - Transportation
942 - Food and drinks
3051 - Total
Udaipur
900 - 2 nights Zostel
170 - Transportation
1540 - Food and drinks
340 - City Palace fee with camera
100 - Bagore Ki Haveli fee with camera
60 - Postcards
610 - Souvenirs
3720 - Total
Bangalore
1440 - 2 nights Hotel Empire
220 - Bus to city center from airport
215 - Transportation
1020 - Food and drinks
2895 - Total
Kochi
700 - 2 nights Vedanta Wake Up!
1250 - Food and drinks
278 - Transportation
190 - Laundry
850 - Vaikom Kerala Backwaters tour
400 - Cultural show (Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kalaripayattu)
160 - Postcards
100 - Aspin Wall Exhibit (Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014)
3928 - Total
Trichy
600 - 1 night Hotel Susee
490 - Food and drinks
31 - Rockfort Temple, shoe storage, and camera fee
116 - Transportation
1237 - Total
My friend and I spent a total of INR 33522 for entire trip excluding airfare and train tickets in 28 days. We spent a total of INR 5820 for our train tickets, an Indian friend was nice enough to sponsor one train ride so we got to save a little money, yey for Indian friendliness!
Planning the Trip
You could easily spend just around $15usd per day or less in India, we were spending around $19-$20 because there were some things and comforts we couldn't sacrifice to enjoy the trip, and some of the attractions came with a hefty price tag (Taj Mahal). I needed wi-fi because I was working online and updating my blog during our trip, so it came into the decision when choosing accommodation.
Food is extremely cheap in India, you can get a meal for less than $1 but I couldn't help but splurge because even mid-priced meals have large servings. Anything vegetarian is cheap, but meat products are expensive, I love meat so I couldn't help but spend a bit more on food and drinks. I had trouble with the food as I had a couple of days where my stomach turned bad, so I avoided eating street food, I gave it a go a few times but my stomach just wasn't cooperating.
Book train tickets in advance! Let me repeat, book them in advance! The lower class seats are ok for day trips, but when you have to spend a night in the train it gets difficult. Fellow travelers who took the cheapest possible seats had people sleeping ON them, had no room whatsoever, and one even slept in the luggage rack, it's common. Tough luck using the toilet because as soon as you leave, you have no place to sleep on.
My friend and I mostly slept on the 2 or 3-tier AC class trains for longer, and overnight trips, but took the sleeper class train for morning trips. The sleeper train is really cheap, but the 2 or 3-tier cabins are quite expensive.
Book train tickets through www.cleartrip.com. If you're up for an adventure, you can wing it, but by far India was my most challenging trip, because we darted from city to city in such a short amount of time. We covered a lot of ground during our REALLY long train rides.
Why visit India?
India is one huge subcontinent that has snow-capped mountains, verdant landscapes, beaches, temples, and great food. Each state is different and offers something unique for each visitor. The culture and in-your-face attitude took some time to get used to, but dig through the layers, and you'll see a friendly and warm local.
I felt a lot of contradictions during my trip around India. It is a polarizing country that can fill my home nation (Philippines) with just poor, or rich and talented people. It has an ancient and rich past embodied by the many forts, palaces, and temples scattered all over the country. It's beautiful. Crazy. Peaceful. Serene. Chaotic. And everything in between.
There's a lot to like and dislike about the subcontinent, it reminded me of the problems of my country multiplied ten times.
But there is beauty right at the heart of the chaos that is India.
Would I recommend a trip to India? Yes. And no.
