What advice would you give me as a first time traveller to India?

• I'd like to travel to India on what can probably be best described as a 'spiritual pilgrimage', and would appreciate any advice and information about the best places to go and stay, as well as places to avoid. Thank you.

• Answer:

  India is such a marvellous place with such a rich cultural heritage, it's a pity that travellers will only get to see a few. bathing in the river ganges might be interesting (it's said to wash away all sins, and the river itself is said to have descended from the heavens) there are a variety of monasteries and temples that you could go to if only to admire the architecture. Oh, and I must warn you to never use your credit card in small shops in India, they scam tourists big, BIG time. I know, I've been going there for the summers for the past eleven years, but my skin colour is brown, so I'm pretty desi as they get. It's a great country, and it all depends on where in india you will be landing, there's a little bit of history in every corner of India, i suggest you do some hardcore research and shortlist the most spiritually enlightening places that you would like to visit. Kudos to Sa for mentioning bugspray. I must warn you, the mosquiotes come at tourists by the hundreds, I swear to god they f8cking eat you up if you forget to use your commercial product. The beggars are a foul sight, forgot to mention that. They steal if you take out a purse stuffed with cash, so just keep 100 ruppee bills in your pocket, that's about 6 dollars right? And just look away if they come at you like zombies from Resident Evil, they do that when they see tourists.