A True Travellers Guide to Staying Sane in India Part 1

Think you’ve mastered the art of travel in developing countries? If you’re visiting India, think again. For even the most experienced voyager, India can provide an array of unique challenges that can make even the savviest traveler want to tear their hair out and scream. However, It can also be simply magical with mind blowing sights, provide fascinating interactions with locals and offer some of the cheapest and tastiest food you’ll find anywhere in the world.

India is alive with colours.

Although many developing countries present similar challenges such as language and cultural barriers, variable hygiene standards, the need to bargain, the occasional predatory behavior towards visitors, beggars, and overly friendly men (towards women); India is on an entirely unique level of its own.

Everything is more extreme and full on; take for example the continuous staring, leering and approaches on foreign women from men in the North, the sophisticated psychological strategies used not only in purchasing items, but in converting casual conversations into opportunistic ploys to part you with your money (even from the nicest, most sincere people); and the heart wrenching tactics used by beggars and bright children to sell their trinkets.

And then there are the more subtle cultural challenges such as people telling you “Yes!” or making up an incorrect answers rather than telling you “I don’t know” when asked a question. Or trying to figure out which of the many meanings the mysterious head wobble (a fantastic wagging of the head side to side) means at any given time - this can have various meanings including ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’ and ‘I’m uncomfortable with what you’re asking but don’t feel comfortable telling you that directly’. Or even working out who to believe when you get conflicting information from multiple uniformed ‘officials’ at a train station!

India is a truly beautiful place

Perhaps what is most challenging is trying to make sense of the endless contradictions you face as a visitor, and learning ‘how to play the game’ to the point where you can enjoy yourself more than be constantly frustrated and overwhelmed by the sensory assault that can be India.

So, how does one cope? After 2 months, I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I have attempted to identify some of the challenges unique to travelling around India and how to combat them in the best way possible to make the most out of your time in such an unforgettable part of the world.

What follows is a 3 part series with my best tips for surviving and enjoying India. Part one will cover the all important topic of staying healthy in India, while parts two and three will cover Dealing with overly interested men (for women), Bargaining and Minimizing the Rip-off Factor, Getting Around, Dealing with Beggars and Managing Sensory Overload.

If you have any other advice or recommendations I’d love to hear them!

Staying Healthy

Washing in the rivers is not a choice but a fact of life

Staying healthy is one of the greatest challenges for visitors to India, and you can catch a lot of bad stuff here (a friend of mine got a 10-year parasite when she was living in Kerala), so it’s important you take your health seriously.

What is relatively unique to India on this front is dealing with the possibility of being sold tainted water. While it’s common knowledge that you have to be careful with restaurants or vendors selling tourists water bottles filled with tap water, I was skeptical that this was more than an isolated happening. Especially since I’ve been warned about similar practices in South America and South East Asia and never seen a shred of evidence to support it.

However, at a local train station in the South I thirstily opened a bottle of water I had just purchased when I noticed the seal didn’t ‘pop’ upon opening. I told the vendor I needed a different bottle with a proper seal and he grabbed another one from the fridge. The same thing happened- no pop, and comparing the two side by side, I noticed that they had differing water levels. Needless to say, it wasn’t a happy exchange between me and the vendor, and I hopped on my train thirsty and minus a few Rupees.

The smiles don't change from state to state...!

It’s hard to tackle this situation on a few fronts. Firstly, the seals on bottles can be really weird in India, where they’ll pop, but only seem to be half sealed (which begs the question of whether they were glued on). Second, some of those with an outer plastic seal sometimes appear loose, making it difficult to tell whether they were slid on or are authentic. Thirdly, bottles are often dirty or dented, making it hard to tell whether they’re of the re-used variety. On top of this, more often than not, you’ll find yourself distracted, hot, tired (those night trains can be a killer!), overwhelmed, or suffering from the weight of your pack, making it hard to be on top of your game all the time. While there is no way to fully rectify this situation, the below tips should help you avoid Delhi belly:

1. Always closely inspect your water bottle for a proper seal and for a ‘pop’ when opening. Don’t be afraid to send it back (but expect a fight), and if you still don’t trust it, ditch it or purify it.
2. In restaurants, have your waiter open the bottle in front of your or hand it to you to open.
3. Be aware that train stations can be particularly bad locations to purchase water.
4. Sterilize your own water. The most common option here is using iodine which tastes disgusting and takes about 20 minutes. The more interesting option is using a UV filter such as a Steripen which my husband likes to carry because he’s an unashamed gear-freak on the road. It only takes about a minute to purify water and as an added bonus is guaranteed to draw an awe-inspired crowd at any train station, as it looks like you’ve just produced a mini light-saber and have bizarrely decided to plunge it into your water bottle.

The face of India

Either way, purification is a great idea and the surest way to avoid contaminated water. It’s also the ‘green option’, given proper garbage disposal is a major national issue and a purchased plastic bottle will likely end up on the side of the road. Still, it can be hard to work up the nerve due to the sometimes funky smell and color of the water coming from your room tap, in addition to the state of the tap itself. Indeed, you shouldn’t use the UV option unless the water is clear to be sure that it’s worked.

I hope this helped! Water is a necessity, we cannot live or function without it! But it is a commodity in India and you really should be prepared at all times with fresh clean water! It’s a little harder than you imagine, but knowledge and preparation are your friends! Next time I’ll discuss dealing with overly interested men (for women) and bargaining and minimizing the rip-off factor - both absolute essentials for surviving India!

Main image by carlywhitefield on flickr.com

Comments

• Flights to India says:

  India is a fascinating travel destination in South Asia. It appeals to travelers from all over the world with endless tourism attractions and excellent tourist facilities. This article gives you some interesting and deserving ideas for making your travel and tours in this country unforgettable - to cherish forever. Plan tour to any destinations in India like Mumbai,Goa , Delhi and more..

  7 months ago

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