Blog-TOWER OF BABELI went to India on a 20 day trip. I had never really spent any time there, actually one night in Bombay, but it was an 18 hour blur. I research India before I left. I bought "INDIA”, by Lonely Planet books. It is a series of books on every country you can think of. A great read, although very bulky(you will have to give up packing a pair of shoes, to get this in your bag.
Sorry peeps. But reading did not prepare me well enough for India. I went to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Udaipur, Mumbai and Jaipur. There is a high risk of terrorism in all of India, especially in 2008 and 2009 and especially around India holidays and US holidays. I was there on dec 24-25, 30 and 31. Bombings and attacks are perpetrated on a regular basis by extremist groups in the state of Assam.
There are police checkpoints everywhere and they check under your car with mirrors and dog teams prior to entering hotel properties. In order to check in to a hotel, you go thru the the same things we go thru when you fly commercial. This is for all of our safety. Security is heavily enforced in Rajasthan, which is on the border of Pakistan.
On New years eve, we were staying at the Mumbai J W Marriott. There were armed guards on every floor, at least 10 per floor- with high powered machine guns.
Make sure your shots are up to date. You must do this 6-8 weeks prior of departure. I tried to get an H1N1 shot prior to leaving, but CT is completely out of it. Now, when I got back, it is offered in every pharmacy (CVS and Walgreens), you should have cholera, tetanus, Hepatitis and malaria shots.
I took Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) everyday for 20 days while there as a precautionary measure. Dengue fever is prevalent and you should have DEET and where long sleeve shirts. Anywhere there is open stagnant water pooling should be avoided. I did not get sick over there, but my stomach since India has been a bit off.
love the food in India, with a lot of diverse spices and use of many vegetables. The diet is mostly vegetarian. Cows walk freely in traffic wearing garlands of flowers. I was seriously craving am in and out burger by the end of the trip. They use Tamarind a lot which is one of my favorite flavors. I went into a kitchen, and they use pound and pulverize the spices in a "stone bowl, mortar and pestle type" contraption.
They simmer and cook the food all days in the spices. The Indian Brahmins,(the highest orders of caste), avoid onions, garlic, root vegetables and mushrooms. It interferes with their spirituality. Garlic interferes with my popularity. If you see a typical Indian family, the eat from a Thai, (a metal plate with their hands.
They always put out little bowls of spiced vegetables, curd(dairy) and something sweet, like chutney. After the meal, the eat yogurt and banana to "put out the fire" They also eat a lot of pumpkin and lotus root instead of meats. All this food increases the blood flow in your brain for meditation, and eating of this food combats flu and illness, so they say. They use nuts, cardamon and coconut as well. Alcohol consumed in India is for "medical purposes." They have their own vineyards as well.
I did not do much shopping there, but I did by a lot of wraps or scarves with sequins, a few wall hangings and some carvings. Pashminas come from Kashmir and can range from $30 -$120 US dollars. India is filled with many contrasts and mysteries. You cannot help but be curious and this forces you to learn with an open mind.
As far as catering goes, I brought a lot of the food and froze it thanks to Molly at Executive Cuisine on Elm In New Milford, CT guiding me as to what will last the longest. I was a bit rusty at self containment. BUT there is a deli at the JW Marriott in Mumbai that was very helpful; for the leg back to the US, just bring your foil pans and tupperware.
They have great baked goods, muffins, croissants and fresh sandwiches with an assortment of cheeses parma hams, crusty breads crackers, amazing homemade desserts and drinks.
The people are very polite and really helpful. Yes, there were a lot of beggars, especially around the Taj Mahal. They range in ages from 4 -90 years of age. It was a bit daunting, and they chase you down the street. It was an amazing experience and I would go back for more.