Customer Reviews

India (Living Wisdom Series)

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I sat in the local "Big Name" bookstore and read through every India travel book on the shelf. I walked out of the store with only this book in my hand. It was clearly the best book to prepare me for my 3-month trip to India.

This book is unlike the more popular travel guides - Lonely Planet, Fodor's, Frommers, Rough Guide - which give you the hotels to stay at, the restaurants to eat at, the tourists spots to visit, what to pack etc. Honestly, who wants to read 500 pages about other people's taste in food, level of comfort, need for security and familiarity? I've traveled to a handful of countries - India, Costa Rica, Caribbean - and I've always trusted my intuition and eyesight. I enjoy a sense of adventure and don't want to schedule every minute of my trip. The magic of traveling to an unknown location is when you surrender, go with the flow, and let life opens your eyes to the beauty of a culture and environment.

Some rules of thumb when traveling abroad:

1) Eat where the locals eat. The food will be authentic for the culture. The food will be fresher. The taste will be better. The prices will be fair.

2) Choose your hotel by seeing it. Ask to see the rooms. Check the bathroom. Pick the room that faces the ocean, mountains, sunrise, sunset, etc. Tell the manager what you want. If in India, all prices are negotiable. Be fair to the manager, but offer less than what they ask, 25-50% less. If you don't pick your room and price, they will overcharge you and stick you in a poor room so that they can sell the better rooms and make more money.

3) Pack what you use at home. Don't go out and spend $500 on special travel clothes and accessories. Look at your daily life. What do you use day in and day out. Bring this. Far too many tourists never touch 1/4 of the things in their suitcase. Bring some clothes, personal items, a flashlight (a must in India), small first aid kit, small umbrella, and you're set. Pack light. You'll be much happier.

** A great packing website to visit is "One Bag". It'll teach you about how to pack everything you need in one bag, showing you what to take and what to leave home.

** Get great advice from real India travelers at "India Mike Travel Forum". Search by keywords and you'll learn some great tips about traveling or living in India.

Frommers or Lonely Planet can't give you better advice than this. Don't make your travel choices blindly, trusting a book that may have not been updated for 5 or more years. And make your trip to India an adventure, not a schedule.

Now, onto the India Cultural Companion. While other books map out your vacation. This book teaches about how to see and appreciate India. You'll read through the history of India and see hundreds of remarkable photographs that tell the story. You will learn about the religions, the customs, the politics, the revolutions. You learn what the language of India is speaking - the temple carvings, the religious symbolism, the mantras, chanting and prayers. After reading this book you will know more about real India that any of the authors of the travel guides. In fact, I learned more about India in 3 days reading this book than an entire University class on Indian religions.

You won't be disappointed. This book will open your eyes to truly see India and it's magnificence.

It is a great book for anyone interested in India and its culture! Easy to read with some nice snaps!

Richard Waterstone does an excellent job of making sense of the all the religions and customs of India. Excellents photos and text makes this a must have.