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Lonely Planet India (平装)
by Sarina Singh
| Category:
Travel, India |
| Market price: ¥ 308.00
MSL price:
¥ 288.00
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Very extensive coverage of this vast and multi faceted country! |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 7 items |
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Simon Foster (MSL quote), Clapham, London, UK
<2007-01-18 00:00>
A couple months ago I decided to go travelling. I wasn't really sure where to, I just needed a change. In the end I decided on India, because I've never been, and I'd always heard what a great place it was to go.
I didn't take much; a backpack, some clothes, and the Lonely Planet Guide to India. To be honest, I didn't even start reading it until I got on the plane. What I discovered was that it wasn't just something you read once, it's something to have with you the whole time.
Whatever your plans, the chances are you're going to lose your way or make mistakes or just change your mind, and that's where this book is essential. It's like The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy - no matter what need you're in, it has an answer for you. Maps, essential sites, local customs, everything you need to get by in this incredible country.
At first, I wasn't sure if I could manage by myself. You realise how much you rely on other people for so much. I found myself retreating, thinking about home, wanting to go back. But then I'd pick up the Lonely Planet, and find something to do, somewhere to go. And soon I was relying on it less and less, and after a while, hardly at all. Before I knew it, I'd been gone two months and hadn't thought about home in weeks. The book isn't India, it's a way in.
Over the course of my time away, the only thing I came back with that I took with me was this book; everything else I left behind; I realised in the end nothing else really mattered.
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Denis Benchimol Minev (MLS quote), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
<2007-01-18 00:00>
It is almost a crime to try to fit a great country such as India into a one volume guidebook. However, being such the understandable proposition - tourists are unlikely to want to carry many guides - this guidebook does a very nice job of putting it all together.
There are very interesting historical section which are often deeper than what one would get from a local tourist guide. It covers all the major attractions (at least in the places I visited) and gives the tourist a good idea about the culture, history and socio-economic conditions of the places being visited. The list of hotels, restaurants and places to go out at night is quite current, as of July 2006.
It is the only guidebook I used in India, so I cannot compare, but this is quite a good guide that is unlikely to let you down. |
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A reader (MSL quote), Oregon, WI USA
<2007-01-18 00:00>
This expanded and updated eleventh edition of India is the result of considerable research and study by Lonely Planet's expert staff including Sarina Singh and ten associates. India is an comprehensive and highly portable 1140-page paperback guide to the diverse country of India. Introducing travelers to a significant grasp of Indian culture and land, India offers readers a "user-friendly" reference for best accommodations for budget, historical information, lesser known locations such as national parks, remote tribal villages and serene secluded mountain treks, comprehensive understandings of Indian cuisine, and transportation information with over 200 precise maps. India from Lonely Planet is very strongly recommended to anyone planning to visit any part of this remarkable country either for business or for pleasure.
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A reader (MSL quote), Los Angeles, CA USA
<2007-01-18 00:00>
We just got back from a wonderful month in India. I have always had a special place in my heart for the Lonely Planet guides and have appreciated their willingness to encourage me to venture into places I might be hesitant to go. And I was happy to get an India guide that was revised so soon before my trip. The cultural information and tips were very helpful, but some of the info still needs to be updated (shops behind the Taj Mahal where they describe problems were closed by the government four years ago). There are actually two Rikhi Ram music stores in Delhi-each run by a very talented and charming brother, and people should check out both (the other is at 144 Bhagat Singh Market, about a kilometer from the original).
We were there for Art of Living activities with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and people should definitely schedule a visit to his beautiful ashram 21 km south of Bangalore on Kanakapura Road (not mentioned in the guide, though he is probably the biggest spiritual and social force in India right now; most of the auto rickshaw and taxi drivers knew the way), or even take one of his Art of Living Courses. We referred to the guide in Bangalore, Delhi, Rishikesh, Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra. I don't know how they should do it, but there are very few hotels listed in each city. One option we took (with some risk perhaps) was to book a guest house on the internet, which worked well in high-priced Bangalore.
The challenge of this guidebook is to represent a country that is larger than the U.S. in a single volume. I have not checked out other guides to see if they are more complete on hotel options, but the background on the various areas and the shopping and eating clues make this one worth looking at in any case. However, they are a little light on the high-end options and we were happy to have a high-priced meal once in awhile at a five-star hotel such as the Oberoi in Delhi and Bangalore, delicious multi-cuisine food; fresh pineapple never tasted so good. (Though generally stay away from salads when not at a five-star place. Our grapefruit seed extract kept us from gettting sick from food in India, and we never drank water that was not bottled, even for toothbrushing.)
The sidebar on the Beatles in Rishikesh repeats old misinformation. In Ringo's current book he says that he did not leave because of the food-he has food allergies and had already taken food he could eat with him-and he had only planned to stay a short while because of his then-wife's aversion to flies. The others left because of a rumor about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's behavior toward a female participant , but it turns out that the woman was an actress who was hired by a Beatles associate who felt his position was threatened by Maharishi's new role in their lives. In her book, "A Twist of Lennon," John's ex-wife tells how the experience was the best thing that had happened to them, and how wonderful Maharishi was toward them all. She cried when the Beatles did not even ask Maharishi directly about what they had only heard, though he came and sat nearby when they were leaving (they did not talk to him though). Ringo himself maintains that his mantra was the only thing of value he had ever gotten. The song part is right, though, and John Lennon called Maharishi shortly before he died to ask if there was anything he could do to help. The ashram itself moved to another city, but the unused remains of this one are still there, with the property controlled by the Indian government for the last four years. Rishikesh itself is an incredible place to meditate. Watch out for the gem stores though (most reputable seems to be Hanumant Gems near the taxi stand at Shivananda Nagar, Muni-ki-Reti, run by the son of the charming Gita Press trustee).
I went back and forth on 3 or 4 stars. All India is such a big project that perhaps a different format is needed. The guide was heavy for taking in our day pack, though we did, and we kept wishing they had pull-out pages. (They do have a separate South India guide but we didn't see that one.)
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S. Cunningham (MSL quote), Japan
<2007-01-18 00:00>
If you plan to go to India whether on a guided tour or your own, get this book. I just got back from India, and this book had everything spot on. Our guide has been leading tours in India and Nepal for 12 years and said that he thought this was the best guide for India he's seen.
You will enjoy the trip a lot more if you read up on the history, culture, and sections on each place you are visiting. Knowing what to expect will help you avoid the culture shock many people experience arriving in India.
No guide has it all, and this one missed one thing. Do not mail anything from your hotel. The bell captains take the mail, steam off your stamp, and resell it. Unfortunately, we found out about this after we mailed our postcards.
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Kamla Srinivasan (MSL quote), SF Bay Area and India
<2007-01-18 00:00>
Having grown up in India I thought I could wing it when we went for an extended stay in India. We were going to be living in Bombay, now called Mumbai...a city that I had never lived in, but had visited briefly 15 years ago. But, once we landed in India and started exploring Bombay, we got suggestions and opinions from various people. Some of these suggestions were good, and some not so good. It was then that I decided to reach out and buy a copy of Lonely Planet India. (I believe India was the first country Lonely Planet people wrote about.)
I had previously used Lonely Guide editions to different countries, and found their guide books very useful. I thought their book on India might help me in discovering Bombay and other parts of India.
After having used the book for a while, I have mixed opinions about the book. I think the mixed opinion stems from two reasons: one India is too vast a country for one book to capture everything, and two having grown up in India my expectations maybe a little bit more demanding of the book.
The strength of the book is that it provides a good basic introduction to the country, and a broad overview of the history and culture along with a laundry lists of do and don'ts that are very useful things to remember. For instance, they do an excellent job of providing information on various modes of transportation and how to reach your destination.
With referfence to Bombay the book provides a good thumbnail sketch of the city and some good basic information on what to do, where to eat etc etc. However, the information provided on the city is confined mostly to the southern tip (referred to as "town" by the local denizens) of this vast sprawling city. They miss out on some interesting things about other parts of Bombay, and the new eating joints etc etc. What they have failed to capture is the changing and dynamic nature to Bombay.
I would recommend this book to those who are visiting India for the first time. If you need more information you might want to buy a couple of travel magazines that are available in news stands or pick up any one of those handy travel brochures. And if you have any friends who have travelled to India do ask them for suggestions.
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Maurizio Giuliano (MSL quote), Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
<2007-01-18 00:00>
This edition of "Lonely Planet India" is better than the previous one, which was very very good itself. Despite the immensity of India and the numberless topics and regions that therefore have to be covered, the authors have done an excellent job indeed. Some weaknesses are inevitable, and this is perhaps why this is not one of LP's masterpieces, but it is indeed inevitable for travel guidebooks to be the better, the smaller the region they cover - this is why this book should perhaps be complemented with the individual LP guides to different Indian regions. But in itself, this book does cover most of what a visitor will need or want to know. And in a place that is chaotic and tough for foreigners like India, this may indeed be an essential tool for the less experienced travellers. The coverage of places to stay and eat is absolutely excellent, not just for the major cities but also for minor towns and sites (the authors would indeed seem to have been on every single square foot of land in India !). The section on permits and other legal matters is of immense value to anyone, and well up-to-date. And of course, the sections and special chapters on history, culture, religion, are extremely well written, great for the traveller and the armchair reader alike. Even though the best discoveries are those a traveller will make herself / himself, this guidebook is surely a great tool and help in anyone's discovery of this wonderful land. All in all, a masterpiece despite its limitations. A weakness is of course that things being as they are in India, information is subject to change, and some may have become out-of-date by the time this book was printed. But this is of course inevitable, and it simply means that - as in any country - a traveller should not rely on only a guidebook, but make a considerable effort to grasp as much as possible of current circumstances on her / his own.
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1 Total 1 pages 7 items |
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