I know this is not African travel, but it seems this is the likeliest forum for the thread. My wife is planning a month-long trip to India in January. She'll go with a friend who has been there four times. It appears they will be visiting cities mostly in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. We're checking the usual sites: CDC for health advisories, CIA and State Department for security issues, etc.
We'll need to make a choice on anti-malarial meds, of course. The friend also recommends filling a Cipro prescription ahead of time, and of course sticking to bottled water, as well as modesty in dress and behavior (e.g., be careful of the left hand, bottoms of feet).
She said the most overwhelming early impression of India is simply the chaotic volume of humanity flowing on the streets and sidewalks, and the first few times crossing a choked street (and surviving) can be exhilarating.
Any thoughts, advice, admonitions from experienced travelers to India here?

I have been to India many times. I would get every shot that the CDC recommends (including Hep A and B as well as a gamma globulin shot) and then get some more shots just for good measure. I would take prescriptions for Cipro and Lomotil. She should take toilet paper or packs of tissues with her wherever she goes. Some hand sanitizer would be a good add too. Avoid salads and any food that may have been washed. Focus on breads and items that have been cooked. Hopefully just being careful she will avoid "Delhi Belly".

I actually find India fascinating but it is a place that assaults all of your senses at the same time, visually there are people seemingly everywhere, it has its own unique set of smells, it is very noisy on the streets with cars, horns, etc. She should defininitely try to go to one of the state run craft shops. They have an incredible array of handmade items that are very unique and some are quite pretty.

Everything Mike said above applies. Drink only bottled water. Do not eat street food. People are overall very friendly. Warn her about the traffic, noise and masses of people. She will have a great time and fall in love with India or hate it. It's westernised on one hand but still clings on to its own identity and customs and beliefs, right or wrong.

Rajasthan is very beautiful. January is a nice time to go, tell her it can be cold in India up North to take some warm clothes (fall clothing) as well. I am sure her friend will show her the ropes since she has been there several times.

Use usual caution as when travelling to any big city. Everyone speaks English.

Not sure what you mean by bottom of feet and left hand. Dress and mannerisms depends on whether you are with Indians who are very orthodox or more modern. Eitherway they are pretty tolerant so not an issue.

Tell her not to be alarmed if she is openly stared at, its an Indian thing, curiosity for the most part.

I am from India so if you have any other Qs feel free to PM me.

Regards,

Arjun

Arjun makes a great point about the people. One of the things that I enjoy most about India is the people. I find that in general everyone is helpful and friendly, albeit a bit reserved. You should not take their being reserved as being aloof, my sense is that it is just a cultural difference. One other thing, just because most folks speak English does not mean that you will be able to understand easily. The accent and pace of the speaking can make it sometimes difficult to understand.

Ms AZWriter and I spent a month in India last year. We were there to do some climbing in the Himilayas, but the flooding/landslides in Leh pretty much wiped out most of that (we did attempt Stok Kongri).

I loved Ladakh (which might as well be Tibet), but I thought most of India to be quite depressing. I can still picture the hundreds of people squatting in the grass in the morning as our train went from Delhi to Agra. The poverty is mind-numbing. The traffic jams must simply be seen; you will never complain in the US again.

On the other hand, the people are friendly. I never did care for the food, either before I went there or while I was there.

Many, many people suffering from leprosy, many. many people urinating and defecating in plain sight, poverty beyond poverty, the TATA Group producing vehicles with about as much compression as a sneeze - resulting in awesome smoke-pollution, great difficulty breathing in large cities....blow your nose in a clean hankerchief and take a look at the result, wonderful food (avoid, unlike me, the street food, or get a whopping case of toe-curling dysentery as I did). The beer is delicious; comes in large bottles. If in Jaipur shop CAREFULLY for gemstones....Jaipur is the nucleus of gem cutting and polishing in India....but play it safe (bring along an Indian friend) or you will be a typical target-tourist. Check out the Amber Fort......see ALL the rooms.... awesome...one can buy FINE star rubies at sensible prices in the fort shop.
If you go to Agra to see the Taj....try also to see Fatepur Sikrit (terrible spelling) ....abandoned city. Indian people are FINE and friendly people. The perpetually corrupt government keeps them in poverty. Do I sound cynical?? Ho-boy!! ..... go see.

always drink bottle water - preferably one acquired from a reputable retailer.

dont eat any food from any street vendor

only eat cooked food

be very careful on food - i grew up in india and as a kid ate everything - today when i go back (a few times a year) i dont eat anything other than home cooked food or hot cooked food in reputable hotels

dont take risk with food

north india in winter is good - perfect weather

i have not traveled much in india beyond bombay - bombay is a great city but very dirty populated noisy - delhi is much better.

the poverty will be shocking as will the mass of humanity in the cities. ask locals what property prices are in delhi and the shock will be about as much as the poverty

english is standard so communication should not be an issue

locals should be hospitable - stay aways from tourist traps or take a local friend with you

Everyone knows not to drink the water, but dont drink anything served with ice cubes. You might also consider bottle water when brushing your teeth.
Dont eat any fruit you cant peel and stay away from seafood. I was once told by an Indian Physician to not eat unless your really hungry. Your stomach breaks down bacteria better that way.

Sounds like the travelors should take some Cipro along!

if it doesn't come out of a boiling pot or hot frying grease don't eat it! I hope you like the smell of "curry" cooking, it seems the smell is everywhere,, it is either a "curry" smell or "sewer" smell. The crowds of people can almost create panic attacks if you are on a main street. Most people are helpful and nice and there are some beautiful sights. If you ride the trains,, you can get a first class seat for very little increase which means you are closer to the front of the train and get to see all the people taking a poop by the tracks first! If you have a sensitive nose you better adapt quickly.

Wow, gang, thank you for all the suggestions.
One of my late uncles, who flew in the Army Air Corps in Burma during WWII, said a man can't possibly appreciate Western civilization -- or sheer humanity -- until he has been to India. Arjun: I will very likely be in touch by PM.

quote:

Originally posted by drwes:
if it doesn't come out of a boiling pot or hot frying grease don't eat it! I hope you like the smell of "curry" cooking, it seems the smell is everywhere,, it is either a "curry" smell or "sewer" smell. The crowds of people can almost create panic attacks if you are on a main street. Most people are helpful and nice and there are some beautiful sights. If you ride the trains,, you can get a first class seat for very little increase which means you are closer to the front of the train and get to see all the people taking a poop by the tracks first! If you have a sensitive nose you better adapt quickly.

Re: train travel......overnight ticket in a room with beds is CHEAP, and comforatable. Don't put your head on the pillow....look under the crisp, clean, white pillow-slip and see the dried, blackened snot on the pillow below from a thousand noses. If you MUST defecate.....do it early during your trip, before any other travellers get to the john...otherwise you will slip and slide on the pee and turds all over the floor. Actually, you can get a driver with car very inexpensively for travel anywhere in-country, thus offering you access to the country you pass. Remember....if you're afraid (judicious) of the water....and are also a beer-drinker ... you're in HEAVEN!!.....the bottled beer in India is BLOODY TERRIFIC!!! Avoid salads in ALL restaurants. If possible, carry your own eating utensils (knife, fork, spoon). Trust NO restaurant...even the "best", to assume any responsibility for your intestinal integrity.

My father was tasked by the State Department AID program, as I recall, with setting up a biology department at a brand new university in the newly constructed city of Chandrigar in the Punjab, designed by Eero Saarinen. Dad spent one or two summers there with my mother and three youngest brother and sisters.

It was a funny city design by our standards, since it even included what we would call slums.

My father, a scientist, seemed to experience extreme culture shock, since he had no patience with Indian ways and said so. It was very embarrassing, I was told. My mother, on the other hand, was more mellow and made many close friends. She absolutely loved India. The fact that she had six children made her very sympatico with all Indian women. When they returned to Toledo, OH, she ended up being the den mother to the Indian community there and even gave away the bride in several Indian weddings.

She joined a club of Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association (PSEAWA) dedicated to UNICEF matters and after my dad's death travelled all over that area visiting them. Indeed, that little Ohio housewife became the group's delegate to the United Nations in NYC!

In other words, your approach has a lot to do with whether you will enjoy India.
___

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Wow, gang, thank you for all the suggestions.
One of my late uncles, who flew in the Army Air Corps in Burma during WWII, said a man can't possibly appreciate Western civilization -- or sheer humanity -- until he has been to India. Arjun: I will very likely be in touch by PM.