July 14 2010 Suitable for Indian Conditions

I thought I’d make a post about some of the practical things I’ve learned here from experience. I’ll tell you about the experience in some cases  and hopefully some of it will save some anguish or at least inconvenience for your next trip to India or a similar country.

I am not some kind of expert on all the nuances of Indian social customs by any means. And some things vary by region. Urban/rural differences are also prominent with the rural, like anywhere, being somewhat more conservative. There are times when in a foreign country that one would like to try to impose one’s own habits and practices. Some accommodation is often made for such differences. However when taken too far it can become insulting to people. The reason things happen the way they do anywhere has a long history.

On the practical side it is useful and often necessary to think McGyver style sometimes. Particularly if you are staying for several months or even years. Some of these things also might be useful for those who experience severe weather and lose a lot of the conveniences of life (potable water, electricity) or for DIY mountain compound-dwelling types.

These are in fairly random order as I’m just adding as I think of them.

General

Conservativism vs being cool. It is better to err on the conservative side than the cool side in terms of behavior and dress. It will avoid a lot of misunderstanding and problems. I have lots of examples but I don’t want this post to get too long. I’ll put a couple in later regarding specific situations.

At Home

Water Filters, Bottles-I bring a Katadyne water filter with me. I use it at home and while trekking as it saves on buying plastic bottles of water. Water from taps, wells or streams is generally not potable. (I had chronic giardia for 2 years so I know this well) A folding plastic container is also useful for refilling. But you can buy an initial 5 liter (1 gallon) bottle of water and refill it for shorter terms. Try to avoid buying a lot of water bottles, especially the small ones as there are very few recycling facilities available. The larger ones if left behind will be reused a lot by people carrying or keeping water at home if they don’t have or cannot afford too many pails or containers. Bringing reusable water bottle is also a good idea. Water filters of the portable variety are not generally available even in outdoor stores that cater to trekkers and campers so its best to bring your own.

Clothes pins and Laundry line-these are some of those McGyver items that will serve purposes far beyond their original. Also available here.

Large cloth (open style lungi)-A lungi is a wrap style garment that some men wear (and sometimes women depending on the region) around the waist when it’s real hot out. (Some men wear a dhoti but that’s a little complicated to tie up.) . It resembles a sarong or skirt. There is a closed style that is like a wide tube and you have to make pleats in it before rolling the waist down. That takes some practice or it falls off.  Open style is just not pre-sewn.  Usually these are worn at home casually and for sleeping, although some outside workers might be seen wearing the lungi. It is a loosely woven cotton or linen and is very cool. The open style also makes a reasonable bath towel as it dries really quick. It can also be used as a bed cover, head cover (turban style), cloth for bundling your dirty laundry, a light shawl, window curtain, table cloth and many other things.  To wear the lungi  simply wrap the cloth around your waist tightly overlapping so that it’s a tube. Roll the top down 3-4 times all around and an extra time where the cloth overlaps. This will keep it in place. It is sometimes tied in knots like a sarong but wearing it has to be mastered (mind the gap!). It is not tucked around a waist string like a sari. Some people will make a few little folds in it so that it’s looser around the legs. Here is an instruction page on how to wrap and wear it. How to Wear a Lungi shows both the stitched and unstitched types. For the unstitched it is more common in this area (and I think in Bihar as well) to fold it over similar to the stitched variety and roll the waist down rather than knot it.  Here is another page about Lungi- The Lungi Page.

 Plastic or tin box or canister -about 18×18 inches square and 12 inches deep with a snug lid. A round one is equally as good. These are available in most markets for a few dollars. Useful for food stuffs. There are insects here. And during and after monsoon, food can grow fungus or get stale very quickly if left in the open. Tiffin tins (pictured) are also good for keeping stuff fresh either cooked food or just biscuits and snacks. People take their lunch to work in these. Or have it delivered in some larger places. They latch together snugly. They can hold some dal, rice, bread, pickle or whatever.

A few large garbage bags-you may find you are traveling in a car with your luggage on top in the rain. Use one to wrap your luggage or luggage contents within within the suitcase, cover stuff inside your residence of the moment if your roof leaks, use it for a window curtain and quite a few other things.

Candles and matchboxes or lighter-available in the market but it’s good to have some with you upon arrival. Electricity everywhere is prone to disruption.

Headlamp-useful in many circumstances. These usually run on AAA batteries though there are some little ones that run on the flat 2036 batteries. They may have 2 or 3 ultra-bright LED lights which is quite sufficient unless you’re in the wilds somewhere when you need something a little more powerful.  I have often made tea in the morning wearing my trekking headlamp because the electricity is out. Our kitchen window doesn’t allow a lot of light esp. when it’s cloudy. It faces a cliff. Can also be a good thing if people do a lot of biking (or even driving) and need to make a repair at a time with limited light. It’s way easier than trying to hold a flashlight while changing a tire.  At a liquidation place you can often get them for less than 10$.

Multi-tool like a Leatherman or  Swiss army knife with a screw driver and other assorted tools. I’ve used mine to tighten up door locks and hinges, re-attach loose light fixtures, fix my reading glasses, open the battery slot in a clock, repair a leaking toilet mechanism, pick a lock, fix a bent up grommet on a hiking boot and about a hundred other things. Gotta put it in the checked baggage though.

Sewing kit with strong thread-The zipper on one of my suitcases wouldn’t close and I didn’t have time to try to find a luggage repair shop or even a tailor to try to attach a new one as it was 10PM and my flight left at 3AM. So I sewed the zipper shut all the way around. It worked great. I would have been in trouble if Canada Customs wanted to search my bag but they gave me a pass that time fortunately.  I got the idea by the way many packages are wrapped in cloth and sewn shut here when being shipped at the post office or with a shipping company.

Solar/windup radio. There are just wind up kinds(without the solar) but believe me you’ll get tired of doing that in a hurry. With the solar option it saves a lot of aching wrists. (click the pic to see further options for this particular model-I am not endorsing this merchant, they just have a good description) There are a lot of power outages everywhere in India. Some of them are scheduled daily (here we’re usually off 12-2PM) but most are unscheduled and can last for many hours. These are available at camping and backpacking stores for around 40$. I went to a liquidation place and got 4 of them for 14$ each. (a couple went for gifts to friends here and they really appreciated them) The radio station A.I.R.-All India Radio (in English-FM band) is available everywhere for news and music-even way up in the mountains on treks. It’s sort of like the CBC in Canada, the BBC or NPR but with better music.

Large brimmed hat that covers your neck at the back. If you are going to be walking and seeing sights anywhere something like this is useful. So many people bring a trucker or ball cap and the shades of crimson sunburn on neck napes I’ve seen are quite astounding. As well the Lawrence of Arabia style hats with the roll down back flap (like a ball cap with a mullet) are way too hot since the air doesn’t circulate much under them. Some places here that sell cricket and other sporting gear have cricket sun hats. They are washable and stand up to rain to some extent which a straw hat won’t.

Cloth shoulder bag or net bag-Monkeys in most places have learned to try to steal or rip open any plastic bag you may be carrying home from the market. Cloth shoulder bags seem to mystify them and they don’t grab for it. It is lighter than a backpack and can hold the necessary. I’ve seen some people just touring a market with backpacks/rucksacks that must be over 10 kilos (22 lbs) before they even start shopping! It’s quite unlikely that so much stuff is needed. And in the heat it can get quite exhausting  carrying that much weight. From what I can ascertain it’s mostly guide books-some people with 3-4 Lonely Planet or similar hefty tomes. The info for the day can often be copied onto a piece of paper and fit into a pocket. Documents, medicines, water, hat, money and valuables are enough to carry. Have good suitcase locks so that you can leave things. See next entry Padlock.

Padlock – it’s best to have a combination type since it is rarely possible to find someone who knows how to make an extra key for an American or European style lock and even rarer to find someone who knows how to open one. In unknown places in large cities and towns, if I’m leaving my laptop or other goods for quite some time I will lock the suitcase in the bathroom-many bathroom doors in Indian style hotels and accommodations have some kind of outer lock to facilitate this. Western style accommodations unfortunately do not. A D style bike lock or a short chain and padlock can be used to secure a suitcase to a piece of furniture in that case.

Geyser switch A geyser is a small water heater that is usually located in the bathroom in a position near the ceiling. The geyser will have a switch located somewhere in or near the bathroom. When you want hot water turn it on and wait for about 10-15 minutes and when you are done with hot water turn it off.  Almost all water delivery runs on a gravity feed system since water is pumped once or twice a day and collected into tanks that sit on the roof. There are very few places in India that have continuous water feed and pumped pressure. Do not waste the water. Supply is limited everywhere. Some large hotels or institutions may have a solar tank set up or a central boiler but this is unusual. If they do however there will likely be hot water only at certain times of the day. You’ll have to ask or figure out when.  As well in hot weather the tank water may be warm or hot and the geyser may be the only source of cooler water so no need to turn it on at that time.

Rubber shoes aka Hawaiis. These are needed while taking a bath and are usually worn around the house. People don’t go barefoot in the house generally as few have carpets, or would want to have them due to fungus and insect factors. Most people don’t have vacuum cleaners but do sweeping of the floors with a broom. The classic blue shoe with the white inner sole is by Bata shoes and they are actually called Hawaiis. If you ask for Hawaiis in the market everyone will know what you mean. They can be had for around $2-3. These are actual rubber. They are better than some of the flip-flops available in North America which use a plastic foam sole that is very slippery on a wet tile surface. These blue ones are industrial strength. I’ve had the same pair, worn almost daily for 4 years.

Bucket bath Bucket, plastic cup and small plastic bath stool are generally used for having a bath. In most places there are not showers, or if there are they are hooked up to cold water only. Bucket bath is quite thorough once you get the hang of it. Get naked. Sit on the stool. Pour water over yourself with the plastic cup. Soap/shampoo up. Rinse off.

Bucket full of water It is a good idea to keep a 1/2 or full bucket of water in the bathroom. Sometimes water runs out before the pump starts and the roof tank can be filled again. The longest we have been without water was 4 days since the main pump broke at the water utility. We had to haul it in big plastic garbage bins with lids (most people keep one or two of these for this purpose) from a well a couple of kilometers away. We used the jeep and ferried ourselves, bins and some of our neighbors twice a day.

Foot care I made a post on my travel blog about Foot Care for trekking and hiking or even lots of walking in tourist areas in India. A lot of it is pertinent for the conditions here every day as well. Lots of fungus problems and so forth.

Dahi or curds Pronounced “Da-hee” This means yogurt. It is available in many restaurants or from a dairy and increasingly from provisions shops.  It can be obtained in small plastic containers from shops or very fresh from the dairy. If buying in containers check the date stamp. Dahi is important because you will need to replenish healthy gut bacteria very regularly. If one is stricken with Delhi Belly dahi can be one of the most useful and natural solutions to the problem. People here recommend dahi, sliced banana and a little cumin (+ sugar if it’s not sweet enough) mixed together and eaten for mild stomach disorders. I’ve tried it and it works well for most situations. And a dish of Raita (yogurt with shredded vegetables) is always nice on a hot day or with spicy dishes. (here’s a link to a Raita recipe I posted on this blog a while back.)

Fans & AC I have a friend who heads up a health-worker teaching program in Bangladesh. Last year she had one volunteer who came to assist with the program. This woman insisted on leaving the air conditioning set to High in her room while she was out all day so it would be cool when she returned. They work 12 hour days minimum. This kind of wastefulness anywhere is distasteful. (I’m being kind) It only takes about 5-10 minutes for the room to become comfortably cool with AC. Electricity is a luxury here too and AC a huge luxury. Electricity is in very short supply. That is why there are black outs and brown outs all the time. So things like AC, fans, TVs, lights, geysers should be turned off when not directly in use. (She was told to stop and eventually did but got sent home from the program not long after because of a lot of other similar things-she thought she was on vacation and that everyone ought to congratulate her daily for her altruism of volunteering)

Out and About

Invitations-One gets a lot of invitations here, provided one is not dubbed a hippy in manner or dress. The neo-hippies are not well-liked although most people won’t express this to them directly. The invitations can range from dinner, a relative’s wedding, children’s school functions, political functions, drinks, temple functions, a restaurant meal, a sleep-over (non-sexual) to long term stays. I’ve gone to all of these and more. But they all came from people I’d known for quite some time. Strangers will also issue invites. I’ve been invited to Punjabi villages to meet unattached family bachelors, to Kolkata to stay at someone’s house, to take tours with families to Manali, to visit local historical sites in Maharashtra and a host of others. Had I shown up for any of these latter situations it would have likely been a great surprise, and possibly an inconvenience to these folks. Invitations by strangers are often just ways to say welcome to my neighborhood. One is not expected to follow up on them. With friends and colleagues it is different since actual arrangements will be discussed such as date and time. This is how I tell the difference between an invite-invite and a greeting-invite.

Gifts-you can bring small gifts to give to hosts/friends/colleagues. They will not be opened in front of you and likely placed aside to be opened later. If you give a gift people will try to give something back to you however so don’t make it something too expensive as this can make it difficult for some. Small food items like biscuits (I bring maple biscuits-a Canadian thing), jam or some other local product go over well. Should be vegetarian to be on the safe side.

Check MRP/dates on packages-most packaged goods in the market have a price stamped on them as well as a date of manufacture and some information about “use by”. It is actually by law that packaged goods have this. It is a good idea to check this at new shops to see how fresh their goods are. Once you know the market then you know who stocks the fresh stuff and who doesn’t so after a while it isn’t necessary. It also alerts the vendor that they better check their addition on bills since it is the habit to add about 10% or more for foreigners or strangers. One doesn’t need to get disgruntled about it but handing back an item because it’s past expiry and asking for a fresher one or double checking prices is not rude.

Agreed prices-for unpackaged or unpriced goods, if they are the more costly varieties, you may be able to get a discount if you haggle a bit.  It is generally not necessary to haggle with Tibetans. Just ask for their “best price” and you will get it. Some Tibetan friends of mine sell goods in the market and they dislike haggling because it can cause a lot of upset and bad feelings for people, especially if it goes on for long. People lose respect for each other. I’ve seen that happen in Leh, Ladakh with some tourists who didn’t even want to pay the cost of the goods. They were incredibly rude, relatively wealthy and the store owner, who I know, was almost in tears over it. The tourists just laughed and spouted a lot of rude remarks as they left the shop. I was of a mind to follow them and give them my perspective but I really didn’t want to end up at the police station and I doubt they would have “got it” anyways.   For small and inexpensive goods haggling is just being cheap and won’t get you anywhere.

Umbrellas are easily available and cheap. No need to bring that expensive designer one.

Chappals or sandals-Chappals are a type of sandals that you slide your foot into. In most of the offices, schools and even hospitals I’ve seen, professional men will wear sandals or good quality chappals. Trainers (running shoes) are not generally worn to work. Here is a catalogue selection from Bata India that shows various styles and prices of closed sandals (slightly more professional) and a link is there also for Chappals in the traditional style with the toe loop-they are incredibly comfortable once you break them in. There are ladies shoes there as well. Women tend to wear very fancy sandals with any outfit. And toenail polish for ladies is a must. Usually red.

Taxi rides and cars with drivers-it is common for institutions and even individuals to have drivers for their cars. As well, long or short distance taxis are also widely used. The seating protocol is somewhat important to some people, including the drivers. The highest ranking person sits in the rear seat diagonal to the driver. The next highest ranking person sits in the rear seat behind the driver. Guests do not generally sit in the front seat even in a crowded car.  Some people can be very insistent on these arrangements so it’s best not to debate the matter.

Seating arrangements in general-This is another thing related to social rank. If asked to speak at a function for example there will likely be a special seating area for you. At other social occasions the host or their delegate will also indicate the appropriate area for you to sit. If you are the only foreigner some place, people will make every effort to get a chair for you even if everyone else is sitting on the floor. This is something that just has to be accepted with the hospitality. Though sometimes I’ve just quickly sat on the floor so they don’t go to too much trouble-but this usually involves people I know to some degree and depends on the venue.

 Autorickshaws -aka autos or 3-wheelers, are open sided vehicles that one hires the same as a taxi. They are a lot cheaper. Negotiate the fare to your destination in advance. In many places they are supposed to be metered but the meters rarely work. There are larger multi-passenger vehicles (with seating for 6-8 but usually crammed with 12 or more) of a similar design called Vikrams that ply set routes but you’d have to learn about where they go locally.

In an auto sit in the middle of the back seat if you are alone. This is because a) it prevents thievery of your belongings-there are occasional drive by grabs done from motorcycles, b) you won’t get splashed by other vehicles if it’s raining out and c) in case it’s hit even a little or tips over it’s the best way to avoid injury. I’ve been in one that got hit in Delhi and have a friend who’s ride got tipped in Dhaka. But that is out of hundreds of trips so it’s not overly dangerous. They are not the fastest vehicles on the open road but because of their size they get through traffic jams a lot faster than taxis.

Taxis-I’d hire a taxi from a booking office at the taxi stand or from a hotel or travel agent if going into the countryside or to the outskirts of a large city. They know who they are working with and then there’s also a record of your travel. Depending on where you are, if you are a woman,  I’d avoid just picking up taxis on the street, especially late in the evening or at night.  Have your ride arranged in advance. In some places there has been harassment.

Sexual harassment or “Eve teasing”-this can be anything from “flirty” or rude comments to physical assault such as groping. I’ve experienced both but not so much that I went to the police about it. Rape is also in high incidence, although it’s actually less so for foreign women than Indian women. There is a charge that can be filed called “Eve teasing” if harassment becomes persistent and/or menacing. It is more pronounced when encountering groups of young men and in the late evenings. Incidence varies by states, and urban/rural situations. A couple of things to remember. India is for the most part a gender-segregated society. Schools are generally segregated as are many work places, if women work there at all. Upper class city dwellers will try to deny this but look around even in a Delhi or Mumbai club or disco and its mostly groups of women dancing together and groups of men watching or dancing some distance apart.  The majority of Indian women don’t drink alcohol either or if so very little and very infrequently. This is just beginning to change and people are trying to come to grips with this new “norm”. Introduction of things like MTV and VH1 has skewed some of the stereotypes of foreigners and some people believe those stereotypes and wish to act upon those perceptions. So even if you’re not aspiring to be a video decoration you may be perceived as having that potential.  (That’s true anywhere though)

Dhaba Food vs Restaurant Food-I prefer to eat at Dhabas. These are usually small food outlets that  have a fixed plate daily, usually vegetarian. It comprises some kid of dal or rajma (lentils, beans), rice, vegetable dish in it’s most simple incarnation but sometimes includes some kind of roti (bread), salad (sliced raw vegetables like onion/carrot/tomato) or dahi (curds or yogurt). It is made fresh daily with whatever local produce is available. Most dhabas don’t have refrigerators so food isn’t kept and used the next day as happens in a lot of restaurants.  And as the pot full is used up more is made fresh. One can tell a Dhaba from a restaurant because Dhabas usually have 5-6 pots sitting on the cooking burners in the kitchen. They are also usually open kitchens.

The plate pictured doesn’t have the rice yet as most people eat the bread and vegetable first then rice is brought for the dal and curds. One one other thing about dhabas is that they are usually all you can eat, which means the proprietor will come around and ask if you want more bread, dal, rice or vegetable. Often they carry the pot around in their hand and spoon it out to the diners. And the price is usually under 30-40 rupees-less than a dollar. In fancy restaurants you can get a thali (fixed plate) that’ll run over 100 rupees and these are often time limited (like lunch only). I prefer the dhaba because the food is local, using local recipes which are not often available in big restaurants. Tourists almost never go to dhabas because there is a misperception that because they are often fairly humble establishments, some not more than shacks, that food is not of good quality. One thing I have learned while traveling is to go where the locals go not where the tourists go for the best, freshest and most authentic food.

Another reason I prefer dhabas is that there was a recent problem in Dehra Dun, the biggest city near where I live about hotel restaurants cooking up big batches of sauce and keeping it for weeks by adding a lot of preservatives. They’d just heat up a pot full daily and use it. People got sick so some of the few health inspectors actually got in there and fined them for it. I don’t eat much restaurant food that has sauce unless I know the restaurant. And after a while you get to know if the food is freshly made or not. It just looks different as well as tastes different.

Big spoon or fingers-If you are given a plate of food with no utensils it is assumed you know the method to eat with fingers of the right hand. It takes some practice. I still can’t eat dal-bhat (lentils and rice) this way very well. In a temple situation there may be no utensils available but in restaurants and homes it is quite appropriate to ask for a spoon. There may not be knives and forks available.

Greeting People-Hindu people will say Namaste or Namaskar (the more respectful version) or just hello. Most people won’t put their hands together to say Namaste in a casual setting unless they are addressing someone older. Sometimes people will do Pranam which means they will touch the feet of the respected person or gesture towards them and then touch their own foreheads. Some people will shake hands. Muslim men will generally not shake hands with women and Muslim women will generally not shake hands with men. In some areas this is true of Hindus as well. It is best to take your cues from the people you are meeting and not be too forward. It is not appropriate to hug or kiss people upon meeting.

Tipping Don’t overtip. In a restaurant the small change from the bill is usually sufficient. For people carrying bags to a hotel room 20 rupees is enough. If you start tipping really big you will find there are suddenly 20 people that show up expecting to be tipped the same. And it causes problems within the staff if you don’t comply.  As well it makes it difficult for other travelers who don’t have that kind of means. And it distorts local perceptions of foreigners.  If your restaurant bill is 100 rupees it is foolish to tip that same amount. Do you do that at home? Not likely. And it’s not “helping to alleviate poverty” as some people think. It’s an example of idiot compassion. (The link is to a post on my Buddhist blog about idiot compassion and what that means)

Public Display of Affection PDA is not acceptable in most parts of India. Showing affection in public isn’t accepted.  Walking around hand in hand is not common except for same sexes. It is a sign of friendship in that case.

Emergencies

Medical issues Minor issues can often be resolved at the chemists (pharmacy). Skin rashes, small infections and colds would classify as minor. Just tell the pharmacist your symptoms and they can give you something for it.  They will not ask questions about allergies and stuff so you may have to ask. And any side effects or how the medicine should be taken (with water, food etc) you may have to look up yourself. Here is a good place to do that. It is the Medscape Drug Reference and it give contraindications and a lot of information about pharmaceuticals.

http://search.medscape.com/drug-reference-search

More serious things such as deep cuts that may require stitches, infections etc. can usually be taken care of by a local doctor or at a community hospital. There will be a small fee for this. Serious matters like appendicitis may be taken care of at community hospitals (if they have doctors available) but private hospitals are usually better. The best thing to do is query local people beforehand and make a list of qualified doctors/facilities before an emergency arises. Then should something come up you can instruct friends/taxi driver etc. where to take you. If you are in an area with ambulances (rare) know their number. Ambulances are basically vans with flashing lights and sirens. There are not EMTs or the like available in most parts of the country.

Dealing with Police Be wary of the police. Many are corrupt. Keep your mouth shut and stay calm if you are questioned or taken into custody. Answer questions only with the information asked such as name, citizenship etc. That’s the most useful thing you can do for yourself. Squawking about being a foreigner does not exempt you from local laws and practices. Do not get angry and demanding! It will only aggravate the police and may get you a slap in the head or worse. If it is a criminal matter such as drug possession (yes drugs are illegal in India even if a lot of sadhus sit around and smoke hash all the time)  you’d better have both a lot of time and a lot of money to get out of it.  If it is a case of a small violation or even simple extortion, such as failing to obey (a sometimes made-up) traffic law, ask what the challan (fine) is, pay it and be on your way. Arguing about 100 rupees (a couple of bucks) is not worth the trouble it will bring.

If you have had a crime committed against you, such as having your passport stolen then you will have to make out a statement called a FIR or First Incident Report.  This can be taken by any officer at the police station.  Get a copy of it as you will need that to get a replacement at your embassy. It will probably have some kind of case number assigned to it.

In any major dealings with police notify your embassy, employer, friends or family before they get you to the station if possible. If you are released report to someone that you’ve had the encounter and the details of that encounter. Try to get the names or numbers of the officers involved without being too forward about it. Should police continue to bother you let them know, gently, that you’ve spoken to the embassy, a lawyer etc. and that you would like to contact them about any further issues. The police will generally back off if third parties get involved.

If you get taken into custody ask to talk to the “in charge”. That is the highest ranking person available. It can save a lot of time (and sometimes money) so you don’t have to bribe your way up the authority ladder to get to someone who actually can make a decision on your situation.

Do not sign anything like a blank statement or sheet of paper. If you are making a statement in your own handwriting it is OK to sign that. If they say they want to make a copy and ask you to sign another sheet tell them that you will copy it yourself and then sign it.

If they come to your house and you have not called them ask to see their identification. It should have their picture on it especially if they belong to the LIU (Local Intelligence Unit which is associated with the office that’s in charge of foreigners). Ask them to pronounce their names. Remember their names or write them down.

In all it is best to avoid having to deal with police unless it is absolutely necessary.

Possibly NOT Useful Things

Heavy terry cloth bath towel-don’t bring it-it won’t dry during monsoon times and will end up smelling of fungus and mildew. A light woven cotton towel, or that large cloth (lungi) I mentioned above are better choices

Barefoot in the street-there are numerous times when one does take off their shoes such as at temple visits or in some people’s homes. (But not everyone’s) If one is on a religious pilgrimage it is possible some will do this barefoot. Babas, yogis and sadhus are often though not always barefoot. Buddhist monks and nuns do not generally go barefoot in the street. Beggars will often go barefoot, not because some have no shoes but because it increases the take for the day. There are begging guilds (little better than extortion rings in some cases) that give their members advice on this kind of thing, including where to rent babies for the day. Aside from serious health risks in going barefoot, infections, broken metal and glass strewn about and various kinds of organic waste as well, it puts people in something of a quandary. If people perceive that a guest in their country is bereft of shoes they don’t feel too good about that and at the same time don’t know what to do about it since a guest does not fit into the classical beggar category. There is a sense of obligation to do something and a confusion about what to do. So try not to put people in such a predicament.

Hippy attire- Drop crotch pants, psychedelic tie-dye anything, the barefoot statement, dirty dreds, a loose lungi – nobody here wears these except hippy tourists. If one is a hippy tourist then ignore everything I’ve said and please don’t talk to me in the Internet Cafe or elsewhere. I’m not going to tell you where to buy hash.

The I Can Do Anything I Want Here Attitude-This is what usually attracts the attention of the police. Standing in the middle of the market smoking hash in hippy attire while yammering loudly about “freedom”  and treating local people, if they are acknowledged at all, as lowly serfs to cater to your every whim (Yes I’ve seen all this too many times to count) will ire the residents and sometimes a trip to the police station in many areas. It will get you poor or no service in local businesses and a reputation as an asshole. People get as disgusted and frustrated with such arrogant attitudes in India as they do elsewhere and will try to avoid you at all costs.

If that’s the kind of “Indian Experience” you’re looking for then fine, I won’t argue about it.

Conclusion

I hope some of this is useful for those coming to India whether in for a short term vacation or for a longer term.