Yes traveled throughout India a few years ago, what an amazing country! I worked up from Mumbai to Goa to Aurangubad to Delhi to Agra - The Taj. Got very sick in Goa for about a week, still not sure what it was but man, it was coming out of both ends and was not too pleasant. Did glean some interesting hallucinations although so it was not all horrible. Would absolutely love to do the Himalayas so that's so great that you can, can't wait to hear back about it!
By far the most amazing places I visited was near Aaurangabad, 2 places called Ellora, and Ajanta which were basically a series of caves carved into the mountainside, very intricate and detailing the life and death of Buddha. Ellora was my favourite, we spent all day in what was called Cave 16 which was an entire city carved out of a single rock, far more impressive than the Taj Mahal!
Yes beggars were incessant and difficult for a newbie traveler like myself to deal with, many women with babies that were hard to ignore, but that would be the advice if I could offer any, rude as it sounds. There are just so many and white means money in their eyes, again, shame to say it. It is a very poor country as you well know if you've been there before and these people do lead a rather harsh life. But I also have a very fond memory in Delhi of a one legged, one armed man hopping his way down the street towards us pointing with his eyes to his stumps and asking for money (baksheesh) and then me saying sorry but no and then he just shrugged, laughed and limped away again.
Goa is a very beautiful place as well, never really expected such a tropical paradise in India to be quite honest. The Himalayas should be a wonderful retreat from the hectic traffic and clogged atmosphere of the cities.
Edit: Pics fixed
