Going to INDIA!

[gorirani]

Okay so O and myself are traveling to India in October but I am not quite sure of what I should do to or if I should at all take any precautionary measures! I have never been out of the country so if anybody has any advice please let it flow! I am soooooo excited to be finally going to India!

[sonali]

Awesome!
My only advice is to not have any expectations
Where are you going?

[gorirani]

Sonali sorry it took me so long to reply we are in high mode to get ready for India. We are going to Pune and Ahmedabad this is were O is from. We will also be celebrating Diwali which I am so excited for. When we started getting things together for the trip I seriously did not realize how many different shots I would have to get! O and I were talking and there is a possiblity that I can ride a camel (lol) has anybody ever rode a camel before? I really cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be going!

[sonali]

Hah, yes - Hep A - series of three over 3 months. Hep B - series of two. Typhoid you can take on sugar cubes. Malaria is pills that you start early and take while you're there and then some after you get back. You should get Hep A and Hep B shots even if you live in this country, really. Other than that, I don't do anything else .. I didn't do malaria pills when I lived there either. 

And remember that you can't give blood for 1 year upon your return.  Or now, since you've started the vaccinations either.

Enjoy Diwali..and a camel ride! I have never ridden a camel or really any other animal. Not even a horse. Pony ride when I was 9, but that's the extent of it.

[IndianTies]

Wow, exciting that you are finally getting to go to India!  I'm sure you'll love it!  Just be prepared for a little "culture shock." 

As far as special things to do, just be smart about what you eat and drink and where.  Bottled water and filtered water are the best options.   I didn't take malaria pills - but it is best to take precautions from being bitten by mosquitos.  They usually come out in the evening, so close off the room you will be sleeping in and wear long pants and long sleeves (or cover your arms with a duppata) - or use bug spray.

I'm sure your O will take good care of you!

I didn't ride a camel in India, but I did ride an elephant which was fun 

Looking forward to hearing more of your plans!

[sonali]

Just a quick thing I've been thinking about with regards to vax/food/drinks, etc.

If you are going for a short trip, I think it's best to take MORE precautions than you would if you were going to live there for a longer time. You're only there for 2,3 weeks max, so one week with viral fever/digestive problems/etc is really going to ruin your plans, since you have to do 10000 things in a shorter time. When I go back, I know it will only be for a short time so I plan to do the malaria pills, no street food, all that stuff that I ignored when I lived there.  You have two weeks to see 1000 people, visit three cities AND take a trip to the hills - you don't want to lose a moment due to illness!

[emm_and_emm]

We are going to Pune and Ahmedabad this is were O is from. We will also be celebrating Diwali which I am so excited for..... O and I were talking and there is a possiblity that I can ride a camel (lol) has anybody ever rode a camel before? I really cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be going!

Congratulations! Exciting times indeed. If you're looking to ride a camel in Pune, Koregaon Park is your best bet
On her first trip to India in December 2006, my wife emm rode one for a short distance on busy North Main Rd. (much to the amusement of everyone else including the rickshawallahs) and couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. She almost rode an elephant that same day too. Enjoy your time in Pune (and Ahmedabad)! We want to make our next trip home during the Diwali season too. Next year perhaps...

[LinZi]

With precautions... I think it also depends on how sensitive you are...

for me, even when I take a lot of precautions (no street food, no raw veggies, only peeled raw fruit, blah blah blah) I still manage to get sick! (I got a parasite, hooray!) but I also know many people with less wimpy stomachs who did perfectly fine eating with way less precautions than me.

I have had all the shots though... whew there are a lot!

I used to take malaria pills when I went but I kind of abandoned it for the last trip since I was there for over a year. A lot of people I know don't bother to take them unless they are going to a particularly malaria ridden area, of course it is always wise to avoid getting bitten as much as possible. This also depends on your sensitivity because some malaria pills can make some people have stomach upset, or larium (the once a week one) can cause some weird dreams and other issues. Since my stomach hates me when I take malaria pills my tummy hurts all the time... so it is not so worth it for me... but if you can tolerate them jsut fine, there is the added bonus that (since a lot of them are basically an antibiotic, I think) they can help ward off other potential bugs you might pick up.

As always... my advice for India is "Less is More"... India is not really a place that is set up to jam in a million different trips, tourist sites and adventures... if you try to do that you may end up exhausting yourself! I would suggest picking out some places or things you really really want to see... and leaving the others.... take some time to relax with family and see local life...

[gorirani]

Okay so here is a picture from my awesome camel ride when I was visiting India! It was so much fun!

[IndianTies]

Wow that's a great shot!  Must have been fun!  I rode an elephant in India but not a camel!  :-)

Did you do any other interesting stuff?  Would love to hear about your trip!

[LinZi]

Cool Shot!

I am pretty excited, I am going to be going to India this January... now this is my seventh trip, but I still could use some advise.. I am going to Delhi but then Vivek and I are hoping to take a vacation to Bangalore and Ooty. Has anyone been there and have any good suggestions for hotels (especially in Ooty, I would love a small hotel with great food... hehe) or other places that are worth seeing?

[IndianTies]

I lived in Bangalore for about 3 years, so let me know if you need any tips for B'lore.  I visited Ooty once, but I wouldn't recommend the hotel we stayed in. (don't even remember the name of it!).  But another place near b'lore to visit would be Mysore.  There is a great palace there and some gardens...  there is also a wildlife sanctuary on the way to mysore.  Let me know if you need details.  I don't know all the names off the top of my head but I could find out!

As for shopping in B'lore, try Commercial street for some good deals & bargaining and Brigade road/MG road for higher-end shopping.

[LinZi]

Hmm, well if you can remember the place you didn't like in Ooty, that would help too! (hehe)

We haven't really planned much yet, I guess if you know of some must see things, any info would be cool

[gorirani]

Yes we had an amazing time in India! We got to celebrate Diwali with his family and let me tell you what you think that the Fourth of July has fireworks wait until you see India on Diwali. It is absolutely amazing. I am actually thinking about writing a blog of my trip and I will keep you all posted! If you have never been to India you must go and be sure you go for at least a month!

[LinZi]

Well-- my India trip has been changed around a bit now... we decided that the flights to Bangalore are just too much to spend right now.. so we are looking for some small vacation options closer to Delhi.

Right now, our idea is Nainital... as you can see, hehe, we are partial to the idea of spending time together in some cold mountains..

Nainital is supposed to be a very nice hill station as well (like Ooty) but we really have no idea about that either. Has anyone visited there?

Again, any nice hotel or restaurant recommendations are highly appreciated.

Ahh, I can't wait to go back to India..