I sent the following to a new friend on, I cannot remember which website it was, probably rag, tagged and got you by the Bobtail. Very strange folk but this one seemed fine. He knew I had been to India and wanted to know about it because he was soon to be travelling there. Also at the beginning is a list of To Do things to remind me what needed doing so I was quite busy at the time going around in circles.
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Hello Sami,
I apologise about this but I cannot find the invitation you sent me to join you! Only joking, ha ha ha. I have typed this about three times, twice I have lost it so this time I am being careful.
First and most important.
NEVER drink tap water. It is not good for drinking. Buy bottled or make sure the place you are eating at has served you a jug with proper drinking water in.
What to see. Well that does depend on where you are staying.
To travel long distances in India is easier and quicker by plane.
Travelling on the train takes too long. If you do travel by train make sure you book a seat on the first class or air-conditioned part of the train. The train is the best way to see India but as it is a business trip then you probably won't get the time. The first class also have good bunks to rest on. It is an experience though even if you just travel three stops and back!!
Places to see in the north would be Jaipur, that is beautiful, so I have been told by reliable sources. It is very English in design but beautiful with the red buildings.
If you are further north then you must see the Taj Mahal. If you ever get the chance then visit Hampi because it is awe inspiring. It is an ancient city built by a remarkable civilisation and took 250 years to build. It was mostly destroyed by fire and plundering. The stone bases are still standing but the second levels that were built with wood and brick were all destroyed. What is left is so well carved and designed that it is a must to see. That would be a long journey from the North of India though to Karnataka which is just next door to Goa.
Food. The smaller towns do not have much dining choice, usually only Indian. Bigger places generally have multi-cuisine restaurants.
Most places are clean but there are of course exceptions. That is the same anywhere in the world.
Alcohol. Some States are dry. The Indian wine is very acceptable but if you drink the red then make sure it is chilled because room temperature is 90 deg there and Indians think of red wine as being Port Wine which is sweet and is drunk warm. Normal red wine soon goes off in the heat once it is opened so it is best to have an ice bucket and even better to buy one that has been in the fridge prior to opening. It is best not to eat hot and spicy food in the high temperatures as it induces sweating but that is a personal thing. There are a lot of Nepalese people in India and people travel long distances to work. They stay in the area they are working.
Each state in India has its differences. There is a difference in language as well as appearance so you can tell by looking where people come from originally. The most common language is Hindi and English is second but not everyone speaks Hindi or English but this should not be a problem for you.
I am not sure about travelling from State to State in respect of requiring passports. If you are travelling on business I would think you would have your passport with you anyway. We definitely did need one when we went to Hampi in Karnataka but not when we went to Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The journey to the latter was carried out with our Goan friends so maybe it did not matter then. However, it would be best to ask before you travel out of State.
We were told that it was expected to always haggle when purchasing things. It is not so much the case though where shops have pre-priced items.
Most items are very cheap in India anyway but there is the Indian price and the tourist price too but again not in the larger shops.
Ayer Vedic medicine is very cheap if you take it. That is worthwhile stocking up on but if you plan to take suitcase loads back then you would need to get a prescription from a Doctor because Customs stop and search you and if there is no prescription they assume you are taking them for resale. This is what we were told anyway.
There are some excellent jewellers but you probably have good quality jewellery near you. I know they have a good diamond trade with the Kashmiri suppliers in Goa.
Be careful if you go swimming as there is a strong under-current. Never wear clothes in the sea (the Indians do and many are dragged in by the current and lose their lives.
It is very nearly rainy season in India now so you will find it very humid and sticky, maybe not as bad in the north but the humidity is a killer. I would suggest you pack plenty of shirts and clothes changes.
There are many tailors. Should you require suits then it is a good place to buy them. However, make sure they are decent ones because there are tailors and tailors so some of the finished item might not be up to standard. Material is very cheap in India. However some saris are very expensive due to the material and the gold threading.
If you have an Ayer Vedic treatment you will find it very expensive but the medicine can be purchased anywhere.
If you require dental treatment it is cheap there and good quality. That goes for spectacles too.
You must have a shave at the barbers. The massage they give you after is very uplifting. They massage the head, neck, back, arms and hands. If you do this make sure the barber changes towels between customers to prevent cross infection.
The drains will probably be a little unpleasant now due to the heat. You will find the cities have roads with pavements. However, the smaller towns do not always have this. Traffic is awful. There are thousands of motor bikes because it is a cheap and quick way to get from A to B. The roads are quite narrow out of town too. If you drive always use your horn when you want to over-take as it warns the vehicle in front to move over. It is advisable to warn pedestrians of your presence because they walk out from the side of the road due to the lack of pavements. The state of the roads can be from highway to cart track depending on the area and the time of year. Following the monsoons the smaller roads are awful.
They have open drains in places by that I mean they are not covered with tarmac, only slabs of concrete. I am giving you the worst case scenarios here because it is not like this in every place. The telegraph wires are an amazing site but they are trying to get them underground now. It can be very dirty if they are building or working on the roads and if it rains then everywhere is mucky. I hope the north of India is not as bad as I have quoted. I can only tell you what I have seen so do not be put off because India is a beautiful sub-continent
You will find a lot of begging. It is advisable not to give money because it will not always be used for the highest good. It is best to give food or water instead. Another thing that is hard to come to terms with is the fact that a few people do not have limbs. This happens for several reasons. Some will have lost them at birth. Others will have been chook chook drivers. I was told that it is one of the most dangerous jobs. Taxis are very cheap but again you must haggle - well in tourist areas it is expected and part of the way things are, there is a lot of psychology at play. The wages in India are very low, even the higher jobs like bank managers or office workers. However, taxi drivers will make a lot of money in comparison which is why there are now so many. Ex office workers will turn to this to make a living.
This is an observation not a judgement. The Indians are not the tidiest of people and some places are rather chocker with rubbish although it can be said that a lot of the tourists are as bad if not worse.
The laundry is cheap but again, the colour of the finished item will depend on the area. In Goa all white clothes are noticeable red in hue due to the iron in the water but I don't know about northern India.
Basmati rice is tastier than pilaf rice. If you are in Goa you must try Goan rice. It is red in colour. It is usually eaten lunch time because it is quite fattening.
It is not a good idea to eat really spicy/hot curries in the heat because it causes sweating. Beware, if you are in Kolhapur they have the hottest chillies in India and I do mean hot.
The diet is varied, some places specialise in fish, and others will serve lamb dishes. Religion dictates what can and cannot be consumed. There are many vegetarian restaurants.
If a hotel is run by Hindus there will be no hot water to shower with except in the morning. If you want hot water then you will have to ask for it to be brought up. The Hindus wash first thing in the morning but I cannot remember why that is except it is to do with their religion. They go to the wash rooms in the morning. I don't know whether the washrooms have hot water in the evening though.
India is not troubled by religious differences. It is multi-cultural and that includes religions. They, like any race, have their likes and dislikes but that is not really important to you. You may have heard of the Cast system. That still applies now to a certain extent. The boys/men do the work and it is more usual for the women to stay at home but the latter is more a cultural thing than a cast one. The cast system is complex and well, it is just there.
The building system is good but the way it is done is an eye-opener. There is no such thing as health and safety in India. The scaffolding is wooden and the poles are not particularly straight. They do not have safety harnesses or hats but they also do not seem to have many accidents.
Hotels are designed in a manner where there is a ventilation shaft next to the bathroom. This obviously runs from the ground floor up to the roof. Therefore in the morning it can be quite a noisy experience (speaking as a woman, it seems the national pastime of Indians is to spit). The women who chew betel will do so too.
The laundry is done in the rivers still in places. It is dried out in the open too. There is much use of cattle to transport goods like sugar cane and tobacco. The cow is very sacred there too still. They can be found wandering around but not in the cities. Well, I have never seen one there. Indians drive on the left hand side of the road like in England. The roundabouts have a strange give-way system. Traffic does not give way at all and the Indians are incredibly noisy drivers. People walk on the side of the road due to the lack of pavement and they seem to walk so that the traffic is coming from behind. Beware when you cross the road. If it is really busy you may have to cross half way and then cross the rest of the way when a lull. That is just common sense.
It is a culture shock there and you may find it hard to reconcile many things. I don't know what it is like in the Middle East; maybe many of things are similar.
Indians are a noisy race. There is an expression there. A hotel can be full of English tourists and sound empty. It only takes about two Indians to make it sound like the hotel is full. The plumbing is, in many places, the hole in the ground type of thing. This is the case if you travel on the trains.
As mentioned, it is remarkably dusty in most places so if you like getting into bed with clean feet then take a pair of shoes/slippers that you can use for walking around the room once you are showered.
In Goa you will find that your hands and feet get stained with the iron. The soil is red in colour so in the humidity the air is filled with minute particles of iron which get into your skin because of the sweat (usually hands and fee) which is more noticeable there due to the white of the nails. Being fair skinned it shows up more on European skins.
Vaccinations. You do not require them in Goa but in some places you do so it is best to check with the travel agents or internet for that depending on where you are going.
Visas. You will need a Visa for entry into India but no doubt your company will arrange that. If not then you need to go to the Indian Embassy and buy one... You will get an immigration paper to fill in on the plane.
Sami, I will close now and apologise if this is in no particular logic order. I had to write things as I thought of them. I hope it gives you an insight and will help in some way.
Take care and speak to you again.
Kind regards W.
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I expect he is in north India now and too busy to look at his mail box in order to study these instructions. I just hope he has not drunk the tap water or I might never hear from him again. Maybe he was one of those Hello, How are you, Nice to know you - oh and Good Bye, types. Huh, plenty of them on the planet who like to waste my time and drain my brain. Perhaps I malign him putting him in that slot and I apologise if I have. Time will tell.
Well, that was at least six weeks ago and still not a squeak from him so maybe he did drink the water. I hope not.
