Other India Experiences

My travel companion (Lahaul Expedition) Nate Montgomery's website about India.
http://www.unc.edu/~nmontgo/hhe/background.html

More trip pictures from other team members
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lahaul2008

Mark Clapp's blog (Spiti Expedition)
http://unchhe.blogspot.com/

Article in The Lancet Student about the Spiti Expedition
http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2008/05/23/%e2%80%9cthe-last-free-summer%e2%80%9d/

Advice for the Indian Traveler

General

-you have likely never seen this many people. Expect craziness.
-everyone expects you to pay more than Indian people. You will be ripped off constantly. Consider this your language barrier tax.
-never accept the first offer for anything. Walk away or find someone close by who offers the same services and make them earn your money.





-bring some type of water purification for urban water. I used Polar Pure which is a type of Iodine purification and it worked great because I could fill up my water bottle out of the sink and then treat it. I preferred this to buying bottled water.
-wash your hands...constantly





-little children of all social and economic classes will ask you for money, they seem to equate foreigners with free money
-some children will ask you for some of your local coins for a coin collection they have. This is not true. An adult will later take this child's money and cash it in for himself.





-I wasn't a fan of tour guides.
-Get yourself a good guide book and read it.
-traveling in nice hotels means that you pay more for everything, not that it includes more (internet, phones, food, travel arrangements)






-you will see all kinds of animals mating
-you will step in some kind of feces
-cows are gods, literally and figuratively
-farm animals live in the city, well everywhere really






-don't expect nice bathrooms, there will be no shower curtains
-the shower head will likely come out of the bathroom wall somewhere random, if your lucky there will be a drain nearby
-always carry toilet paper...you never know
-expect to see people defecating in very public places





Transportation


-never, never, never try to drive in India
-plan to share the road







-meeting a large bull with horns face to face in traffic is common.
-coming within inches of another car is common, no matter what the speed








-larger vehicles have the right of way because you have more to lose in a collision with them
-coming to a complete stand still in a face off and having everyone get out of their car to "discuss" the options is common






-trains are a nice way to travel but they aren't as cheap as you might expect.
-overnight trains are great, and a interesting experience
-don't fly Go Air. They charge for drinks and snacks, they don't have many flights so when one gets canceled it takes a while to get on another one. I would suggest Jet Airways.





-when possible, always buy a prepaid taxi. You can usually find these around airports and bus stations. If you do get a prepaid taxi do not give them your slip until you have reached your destination. This slip is cash to them.
-people are inherently bad at giving directions. Confirm directions with at least one other source.




This is all I could think of right now. If anyone sees this and can think of something else please add it to the comment section. India is a lot of fun and knowing these things will help you with what to expect when traveling in India. India is fascinating and beautiful. Enjoy it!