Prepare for your trip
India is everything, and more, all at once.
It's a sensory potpourri; a visual explosion of bright saris, lumbering cows, marigolds, incense, spices and bursts of sunlight - where you're guaranteed to craft your very own Darjeeling Limited experience.
As for the language, Hindi isn't spoken by everyone in India - in fact there are more than 20 languages spoken throughout the country and English tends to serve as a common one.
A few Hindi phrases will definitely help along the way: "Namaskar" (hello), "shukriya" (thank you), "aap kaise hai" (how are you), "kitna hai" (how much) and "naam kya hai" (what's your name), may come in handy on your trip.
As for money, you'll be dealing in Indian rupees - there are about 55 rupees to each Aussie dollar. Credit cards are widely accepted, but make sure you know all your pin codes as signing has been phased out around the country.
WHERE TO SHOP
Pondicherry boutiques are a delight to discover… Famous as a centre for producing household linen and garment textiles in satin, twill, corduroy, poplin, chambray, oxford, cambric and Khadi (a home-spun fabric). Pondicherry is a fine place to purchase pottery, leather products, stone works, wooden ornaments and handmade paper.
In Tanjore weaving, painting, jewellery, woodworks are some of its famous handicrafts. A prime traditional craft is silk weaving, pick up some lovely Tanjore silk saris, weaved with broad border and unique motifs laden all over with Zari work.
Chennai is also renowned for its passion for music and is a good place to buy musical instruments. It is also the hub of the Tamil film industry, the second largest in India after Bollywood (Hindi films). The film making district here is known as ‘Kollywood’.
