I’ll be traveling to India to complete my teacher training in Nasik India in the beginning of April 2012. As a woman, and never having been to India, I’m looking for a travel buddy… either someone familiar with India or someone attending the same training at YogaPoint. Anyone out there?
Namaste.
Why don’t you send an email to YogaPoint requesting them to send you arrival plans of other students?
Are you planning to travel around in India? or is it just getting from the airport to the yoga school that is worrying you?
As a woman traveling alone:-
Hope this does not put you off too much. I traveled in India alone for several months and it was mostly great…no trouble with theft or being ripped off…but the men…ahhhaaahhhaa…I never felt actually in danger from them…more just harassed, I was grabbed/touched a few times mostly on buses or trains and had to stab one man with a pin and slapped another with a big heavy book.
The yoga school maybe able to put you in contact with other students arriving at the same time…the above rules of dress code etc still apply. A friend and I were followed by a very persistent man even tho we had a man with us.
[QUOTE=yogacambodia;68447]
4. Wear a pin…if any stray hands find there way onto your body…take your pin and stab the hand…[/QUOTE]
Haha! When I was doing some field work there last year, my translator and I were riding on an over-packed village bus. I saw her remove the pin from her sari and make what I would describe as “flying crane hand” with it as she slowly rotated to the left, staring at the seat behind us. I had no idea what was going on, until she stopped, looked at me, and said, “Waah, your bottle is here behind me only, I thought some man was creeping with the fingers through the back of this chair!”.
It also helps to have someone who speaks the local language teach you how to say, ‘GO AWAY’, or whatever the best local insult is for these kind of shenanigans. Usually this will be enough to shame and ward off jerks if spoken at a high volume with ferocity. I’ve spent over a year there cumulatively and only been groped twice (cheers!!). I tried the wedding ring thing the first year I went, but then learned that most people recognize other things as symbols of marriage. I’ve been quite well off wearing a heavy cloak of modesty, an arsenal of shawls, and occasionally a dark and menacing glare. If you end up traveling alone, take your cues from the locals. Sit with and stand near women or families if you can. People get cramped really tight in public transportation, but Indian women don’t take any crap from rowdy men. If someone actually fondles you, yell at them and point; enlist help… some old lady will probably come and curse at him and beat him with her handbag.
I suppose that none of this helps you find a travel buddy, but you will probably find many en route if the school doesn’t have a list for you. What is your port of arrival? What cities will you visit or stay in on the way to the course?
Thanks for this very good information! I’ll be flying into Mumbai and traveling to Nasik. I understand there are many options for traveling to Nasik, and it’s not a very long trip so I will probably make the journey in one day only, but I’d prefer to do it with someone. It’s too early for the school to have other student’s travel details yet (the course begins April 8), so I thought I’d try this so that i can start finalizing my own travel plans… even if I don’t find anyone here, this is great information! Thank you all so much! You can do all the research in the world, but it’s never the same as talking to someone that’s been there and done it. 
Hi Emkay
This link also might be a bit helpful - http://wikitravel.org/en/Nasik.
If you hire a professional taxi service from Mumbai airport to Nasik, you won’t face any inconvenience as mentioned by yogacombodia or suryadaya (I respect both of them for their genuine opinions).
I’m an Indian and my personal advice is: stay away from cheapest or cheaper transportation options if you can afford it. For example, you can travel from Mumbai to Nasik by paying US$ 1.5 to 2 and the same service can also be availed for approx. US$ 80 to 100. Here, first option is for financially weak people and second option is for lower middle class Indians. There are other options which are availed by middle class, upper middle class and upper class people and they simply don’t care about money and they also never face problems as mentioned by yogacambodia no matter how they look or what they wear. Here, I don’t mean to say that yogacombodia’s suggestions are wrong.
Personally, I feel if a person can pay approx. US$ 1000 for his/her air tickets, almost similar amount for his/her yoga course fee then why opt for US$ 2 or 3 bus services which are meant for poor people in India. Since these Indian bus travelers have little or no exposure to foreigners, they follow (not all of them) their typical instinct (mainly derived from western movies) as mentioned by yogacambodia. When I was a child (literate one) I used to think that when an Indian actor kissed an actress they kept a thin glass between their lips or face. You can imagine what our not so literate brethren might imagine…
Please remember - [B]Living in India is very expensive for most people and quite cheap for a few people.[/B]
These are my personal opinions (technically not perfect). If good, take it. If bad, dump it.
Enjoy, who cares. Spread happiness, yoga.
ActiveLink is right, you can find safer, more comfortable travel if you are willing to pay for it. However, one of the only two times I was groped in India was by my driver, after getting out of a private taxi after a three hour annoying ride filled with invitations to come sit up front, (which I refused). I’ve never been harassed on passenger trains, air travel, crowded village buses, share tuk-tuks or anything else involving cheap travel, and I’ve spent weeks hanging off buses in rural India with people gawking at me. There isn’t really a way to be prepared for ‘eve-teasing,’ as they call it. All the information I gave above is just-in-case it does. Good notes to remember in case you find yourself in any overwhelming situations.
I have had the greatest experiences, met amazing people and families, and gained so much knowledge taking the long routes and squeezing in next to the toilet on passenger trains rather than riding first class (which I tried once and was boooring). The country is amazingly beautiful, and 90% of the people I met were friendly, helpful, generous, hospitable, loving as long as I was friendly to them, and respectful of their ways. (The other 10% are rickshaw drivers in Chennai, who are rarely any of those nice things. They are my pet peeve).
Anyway, you will have a GREAT time no matter what you choose!
To be honest, a lot of Western women bring this perception about them being sexually open upon themselves. There were many Western women I came across in India who were having sex with Indian men, in fact in two cases my Indian male friends were virgins and they had their first experience with Western women, in both cases it was the Western women who seduced them. They said Indian girls are difficult, but found Western girls to be easier. I heard some stories from Indian men how Western girls are very curious about Indian men, and sometimes seduce them. At a cafe-hotel I went to a male friend of mine told me how Western women coming there actually hired some of the male-staff to come to their room…
This might be part of the reason why Indian men have such a perception about Western women. In other cases I did find certain Western women keep to themselves and not give any overt signals, these women were rarely ever approached by the Indian men.
A train or bus between Mumbai and Nasik is easy, many bus companies will seat you next to another woman…trains are fine and familys often travel together so you will feel safe and welcome sitting near a family. I have been on many Indian trains and was always offered food or advice about food from familys traveling alongside me.
Relax and Enjoy…
This thread is heading in the right direction and I’m sure all these discussions will be very helpful not only to Emkay but also to other forum visitors who are planning to visit India.
I completely agree! Thank you all so much for this very good information, it has already made me feel more confident about my journey, and I’m sure others will benefit from reading this as well. Thanks so much!
Namaste.
Some more tips from one who was born in Pune, equidistanced from Mumbai and Nasik. The local language there is Marathi, my mothertongue.
As compared to many cities, you are going to a relatively much safer place. It would take upto 4 hours by cab from Mumbai. This being your first visit, it would be good to have someone with you. But, you can as well book a cab from Mumbai airport itself where there will be co-travellers (mostly Indians living in the USA) and the cab number and your destination will be recorded with your name. You should also get a local pre-paid phone at the airport which you can use not only in emergency but also to call the destination from time to time to let them know your whereabouts while traveling. If your flight reaches too early in the morning wait at the airport till daybreak. Avoid traveling alone or during 9 PM to 6 AM. Also, be alert if the driver takes his own friend with him in the front.
Once in Nasik you will be OK. Apart from the “men” described in some posts here (who will be at the public places or transport) you will meet people on the street to be quite gentle, well-educated and English-speaking. In India, it is more customary for women to have women friends; so if you make a few, that will make your stay memorable.
Hi friends
I did yoga teacher training course in Shivayogapeeth,Omkarnanda Deepeswar Mandir Rishikesh India with Swami Sudhir.Really course is very wonderful with full of spirit , Now i am teaching yoga in my own center.In April I will send a huge Korean group for teacher training course to Shivayogapeeth Rishikesh India.
Minhee Lee
South Korea. 남한, 대한민국
[QUOTE=emkay;68414]I’ll be traveling to India to complete my teacher training in Nasik India in the beginning of April 2012. As a woman, and never having been to India, I’m looking for a travel buddy… either someone familiar with India or someone attending the same training at YogaPoint. Anyone out there?
Namaste.[/QUOTE]
Hello Emkay,
I was reffered to yoga point by a friend and thinking about registering for April. My only concern is hot temp in April. If i decide to register, Let’s keep in touch?
PS
Yes, its generally more heat out there in India. However, Nasik happens to be situated in hilly area and relatively less warm. April will be like the height of summer in Chicago. May and June may be worse, especially if mansoon rains (due June 4th) are delayed.
[QUOTE=emkay;68414]I’ll be traveling to India to complete my teacher training in Nasik India in the beginning of April 2012. As a woman, and never having been to India, I’m looking for a travel buddy… either someone familiar with India or someone attending the same training at YogaPoint. Anyone out there?
Namaste.[/QUOTE]
Hallo emkay,
I did my teacher training at yoga point as well and will be there again in Jan and Feb 2012. It is really not that hard to travel from Mumbai to the ashram’s head office in Nasik. I met a couple of girls over this site: http://www.metta.org.uk/forums/yogaf/showsubj.asp?Subject=Anyone%20ever%20do%20yoga%20point%20india and we prearanged a ride from Mumbai airport to Nasik with KK Travel. Some people don’t like KK Travel so much, but I took them twice and they were very reliable.
Good luck, I’m sure you’ll find somebody arriving at Mumbai at a similar time! After that everything will become easy. Have a great time at the ashram!
Veganlove
[QUOTE=Kristix;68575]Hello Emkay,
I was reffered to yoga point by a friend and thinking about registering for April. My only concern is hot temp in April. If i decide to register, Let’s keep in touch?[/QUOTE]
During this year’s TTC in March it was very hot, but as the asana trainings are not during the hottest time of the day (6 to 9 am and 3 to 5 pm). Plus there are fans and they even gave us air con’s for the rooms (didn’t work that great, but it was ok). As long as you make sure you drink enough water during the day and wear comfy loose fitting clothes, everything will be fine.
[QUOTE=Kristix;68575]Hello Emkay,
I was reffered to yoga point by a friend and thinking about registering for April. My only concern is hot temp in April. If i decide to register, Let’s keep in touch?[/QUOTE]
Definitely let me know! It is supposed to be pretty hot that time of year, but I am not worried about it. Especially with VeganLove’s information based on experience (thanks VeganLove, I am so excited for this! Glad to hear from someone who’s done it!)
Thanks for answers everybody!
Since there are people in the thread who have already been at “Yoga point”, I would like to ask how did you make your choice to go exactly to this place?
Well, I found them on the internet, price and curriculum seemed acceptable. I also found lots of pictures and reports from students who have been there before and almost everyone was happy about yoga point. And now, looking back at the course, it was the best place to go. You’ll love it 