i'm going to india (mysore) to a school with university for a week. it will not be a pleasure holiday, because i have to stay most of the time at the university and listen to some lesson, but i HOPE that i will find some time to go around and make some shopping... my goal is to find a "cheap" sitar or some local instruments...
and i'm bringing my minidisc record to record some "ambient" sounds and vocals!
if you want a really good sitar, try getting to varanasi. this city/neighborhood is said to be THE place for sitars.
inform yourself about export stuff. i've heard the wood they use for making sitars is a 'protected' good, and there's something about taxes. don't know if it's true or false... well, a fine sitar shouldn't cost you more than € 150.
have fun, even if it's not a 'fun trip'.
learning things IS fun.