Tales of a backpacker: How to do India on a budget

From Mumbai to Allepey, Stephanie Roche shares her dollar-a-day adventures and lessons learnt from a month-long Indian holiday

India is not a holiday destination. This was my conclusion after spending a month there. It is difficult to do justice to the experiences I had, the people I met, the beauty I laid eyes on.

India is an obstacle course, a health risk, a machine. India is a circus, a grand parade, a symphony of colour. India is a spice garden, a kitchen, a home. For those who dream of seeing it, especially on a budget, here are some tips.

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1) MUMBAI

If you read all the literature describing Mumbai, you would still be nowhere near prepared for the explosion that is this city. Mumbai looks like a completely dilapidated European town that has been taken over by a new population, with thousands of people rushing in all directions through streets of crumbling old walls. The people do not match these old buildings:   the women wear beautiful, colourful sarees and the men business clothes — despite the heat.

You start sweating as soon as you walk outside and it would have been near impossible to sleep if our rooms had not had air-conditioners or, at least, a fan.

Mumbai is mad. I have never seen a place so alive. It’s also the perfect place into which  to fly if you’re on a budget, or if you want to be shaken up as soon as you step off the plane.

• Where to stay: Hotel KumKum. You’ll wake up every morning and step into a street of chaos. There are piles of fresh fruit for sale at every corner if you can make it past the crazy traffic and the cows. Welcome to India.

We paid R220 per person per night, cheap considering that Mumbai is probably the most expensive city you’ll visit.

• Don’t miss: A tour of the Dharavi slums.

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2) MYSORE

In Karnataka, southern India, Mysore is home to the eponymous palace, the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars, the Maharajas of Mysore, who ruled the princely state from 1399 to 1950. 

We reached Mysore by bus, watching the vegetation become drier and less tropical as we moved inland.

Mysore is warm but breezy, with wider streets and more cows than cars in most of the intersections.

The view from the rooftop of our hotel was surreal — flat, colourful roofs stretching in all directions under a bright dome of sky, with the temple lit up on Chamundi Hill after sunset. This skyline is brought to life by the darting birds above and the hooting below.

Mysore is the perfect place to visit if you want Mumbai-madness but not quite to the same degree, or if you want to try out a yoga retreat or teaching course.

• Where to stay: Hotel Chandra Palace. They don’t have a website, so ask a tuk-tuk driver to take you directly to the hotel to bargain for a price. We paid approximately R100 pppn. Nothing beats a cup of chai on this rooftop at sunset.

• Don’t miss: The markets. I have never seen so many bananas in so many colours, or sniffed air so thick with incense. Stick to food that you can peel yourself, and don’t fall for the “perfume” sales. If you’re in Mysore on a Sunday night, stroll past the Palace of Mysore to witness all 10,000 lights aglow.

To slow down even more, keep travelling north to Hampi, a tiny village in the centre of an unending landscape of ancient temples. The extra few days of travelling are definitely worth it; Hampi is a backpackers’ heaven.

3) ALLEPPEY

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If you have seen any photos of Alleppey you will have seen the boats. Alleppey’s canals are populated by the entire range —  from majestic houseboats to decorated motorboats to modest canoes.

Alleppey is Venice without the crowds and rows of souvenir shops. Alleppey is a jungle of green, decorated with churches and temples and fruit sellers.

We chose to do a village tour in canoes in order to get closer to the bustle that lines the waterways. The backwaters in Alleppey are not just a transport route for people and goods. Here, women wash their clothes and rinse their rice unperturbed by passersby, while men bathe shamelessly on the doorsteps of their homes, the soap gliding into the water to join the dragonflies and floating plants.

After hours of exploring, we were invited into our tour guide’s home for what would turn out to be the best meal of our trip. There are few experiences as satisfying as using your fingers to eat a home-cooked Keralan meal from a bright-green palm leaf.

• Where to stay: Palm Lake — even if it’s just for the much-needed mosquito nets. Expect to pay more than R150 pp/pn if you want to stay anywhere close to the canals.

• Don’t miss: The village tour (houseboat tours are more expensive and you will not be able to pass through the smaller waterways).

Ask for “Antony” — his tours are the cheapest at around R300 per person for a full day, with meals included. Be sure to spend a day at Marari Beach, a white-sand paradise but without the tourists.

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4) MUNNAR

The drive to Munnar, the land of tea,  is at best unpleasant but no trains reach this altitude so the bus is pretty much the only budget option. There is no glass in the windows to act as a shield when the people ahead of you can’t handle the motion sickness (yes, that did happen) and the buses smell like urine. Sitting there with my head in my hands, I could not help but wonder what we were doing there.

When we arrived, though, we found our Indian mother. Stella’s family guesthouse is right at the top of the mountains, with a view stretching for 100km in all directions.

The air is cool and the only sound up there is the rain, and occasionally Hindi music coming from Stella’s kitchen. When the mist retreats, hilltops peek through the clouds, hinting at the lush underlying plantations that stretch to infinity.

• Where to stay: Mountain Rest. E-mail mountainrestholidayhomes@gmail.com. Prices vary by season and duration of stay.

• Don’t miss: Stella’s cooking. Ask her to teach you to make one of her famous curries.

sub_head_start IF YOU GO sub_head_end

CURRENCY: Rupees (INR) can’t be bought in South Africa and travel cards add unnecessary costs; rather notify your bank and then take along your debit or credit card.

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BUDGET: We spent less than R20,000 —  including flights — on a month of travel. India is the place to be if you want an exchange rate in your favour.

HYGIENE: Don’t eat any fresh fruit or veg that you haven’t peeled yourself. Ask for drinks without ice. Keep liquid sanitiser on hand, because you’ll be eating with your fingers. Check the expiry date and seal quality of all bottled water and take chloride water-purification tablets to be safe.

FOOD: Still, be adventurous if the food has just been cooked and is vegetarian. Our best meals were in places recommended by locals and not travel guides and we often paid less than R20 for dinner. Order the ‘thali’ if you like the idea of a bottomless curry special.

ACCOMMODATION: Bargaining in person gets you the best deal, so it is only necessary to book your first few nights if you’re backpacking or on a budget.

HEALTH: Pack a few boxes of Imodium and anti-nausea tablets. Make sure to get your typhoid and Hep A vaccines before you visit. If you’ll be in Kerala, take mosquito spray and citronella candles.

• See more photographs by Yael Benjamin from this trip to India.