Hi guys,
I'm looking to go to either India or China in May or June, just after my exams for 2 weeks.
I've barely planned it, so haven't got much of an itinerary, but have got something like:
India:
Delhi (4 days)
Agra (3 days)
Jaipur (3 days)
And either
Ahmedabad (4 days) or Mumbai (4 days) or Rajasthan (Jaisalmer, Jodhpur etc) for 4 days
China:
Beijing (7 days), great wall for 2 days of this
Chengdu (4 days)
Xi'an or Shanghai (4 days)
This is very rough and sketchy. It's quite city based and may change as I go along but these are the areas of the respective countries I am looking to explore.
I have some questions and would appreciate any help:
1) I'm looking to travel this one on my own, literally on my own. I know a few people over there but not incredibley well. So which country would be safer for an independant traveller?? I was told India is more dangerous for a lonesome traveller if you don't know anyone. Is this true??
2)The level of English, it's important as an independant traveller that English is spoken quite well or at least I can get around as I speak none of the local languages. Would India be more preferable in this case??
3)The cost, both are quite cheap, thats why I'm going lol, but which country is generally cheaper for food, transport etc. I've heard India can be quite expensive, is China more cheaper??
4)The food in general, I'm not the biggest fan of spicy food, but I can eat some indian meals not many, is this a disadvantage if I struggle with spicy food??
It's my safety and avoiding being ripped off that most concerns me. I want to be able to get around fairly easily without getting lost and can communicate well in part with locals occasionally at least.
Can anyone offer advice (especially on safety) I would really appreciate it.