The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: The Realities Of India Travel
I spent the month of March 2007 in the primary tourist destinations in Rajasthan (Udiapur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, as well as Ranthambore), and perhaps others can benefit from a few thoughts that I'll share.
This was my fourth trip to Rajasthan, so obviously I like it. However, there are risks & rewards with traveling in India, and I think the various guidebooks do a very poor job of painting the big picture. Let me give it a shot:
Rajasthan offers some of the most amazing sights and traveler's experiences that the world has to offer. Fascinating culture and history; interesting, exotic, and generally friendly people; amazing forts and palaces; great food; colorful markets and scenary; and exotic wildlife. There's no place like it.
However, experiencing the above carries a price. Streets in areas of tourist interest are often disgusting, littered with trash, smelling like urine, and strewn with poop from cows, camels, horses, or even people. Hustlers and con-men abound and can be an annoyance, and coupled with chaos that's common in the cities, can be maddening. Air pollution and noise pollution are big problems in congested cities (particularly Jaipur). Hassles and attempted rip-offs are continuous. And beggars, some with terrible deformities, can be annoying and/or heartbreaking.
Above summarizes the tradeoffs. For the traveler, the more money you spend, the more that you can/will be insulated from the difficulties. Whether you judge your time in India to be wonderful or horrible depends on how well you deal with the above, or whether you spend enough money (i.e., midrange budget or higher) to avoid the unpleasant aspects.
For me, the tradeoffs come out very well. Formerly a budget backpacker, I'm now a "midrange" traveler so I avoid some of the problems. I view hustlers, con-men and chaos as entertainment; I accept the unpleasantries of urine stench and poop as occasional inconveniences; and the "net" is that I love Rajasthan. However, others may (and do) see it very differently.
This trip I saw many more package tourists than in the past, and I assume that these folks are sufficiently shielded from the unpleasantries that they have a fine time, even though their tolerance for pain and hassle may be relatively low.
I think it's key for travelers considering a visit to India to do an honest self-assessment of their ability to either deal with the unpleasantries, or spend enough money to avoid them, before taking off on a trip to Rajasthan.