DO'S & DON'TS OF TRAVELING IN INDIA

1. DON’T BREATHE. If I could put the stench that is India in a jar and bring it back for all of you to smell I would. It was not uncommon for all of us to be walking around plugging our noses because the smell was so foul. There was constant smog too because the air was so polluted. And everything was covered in a layer of dirt. Everywhere you looked there was trash littered about. But the main contributor to the rank smell was the common practice of public urination in India. A toilet is a rare gem so it is perfectly acceptable to just start peeing right on the side of the wall, in front of everyone! It was truly gross. Needless to say I threw away my shoes at the end of the trip.
2. DO LEARN ABOUT THE HINDU RELIGION. Over 80% of India’s population is Hindu and their religious beliefs permeate almost every aspect of their daily lives. Varanasi is considered the religious capital of India and while we were there we got to witness one of the most sacred Hindu religious ceremonies. The river Ganges is considered holy water and Hindus from around the world travel to Varanasi to bathe in the water. It is believed that the water will release them from the cycle of rebirth. So at sunrise we piled into a boat and floated along the riverbank to observe the ceremony. As the mecca for Hindus, many elderly come to Varanasi to die so that their bodies can be cremated on the banks of the river and their ashes spread in the water. From the boat we could see three public cremations. It was surreal. We also saw people bathing, swimming and even drinking the water, which was slightly gross because the water was a murky green color and clearly polluted.
3. DON’T EAT THE FOOD, DRINK THE WATER, OR EVEN BREATHE! If you don’t like spicy food, then India is not the place for you. Foods I never thought could be spicy were spicy in India. Our theory was that because their food is so gross they cover it up with intense spices that make it impossible to taste anything. Luckily, a majority of our meals were at nice hotels as I think it would have looked poorly on semester at sea to bring home a bus full of sick kids. The grossest part of it was their lack of sanitation. We would pass by markets with people selling fruits and vegetables and they would be covered with flies and other bugs. And because India seriously lacks clean water, nothing is washed or boiled beforehand. We had to carry bottled water everywhere with us and even that tasted funny. I think I lost any extra weight I gained in India from starvation.
4. DO SEE THE TAJ MAHAL. An obvious highlight of the trip and an absolute must for visiting India. And while it is as beautiful in person as it is in pictures, it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Nonetheless, it was so incredible to see and I could have spent all day sitting on the garden just staring at it. Inside was beautiful too; we got to see the tomb of both the Queen Mumtaz Mahal and her husband/builder Shan Jahan. It was such a beautiful love story. I hope one day someone builds me a great monument of love.
5. DON’T GIVE TO THE BEGGERS. It will break your heart to do, but its necessary. Sadly too much of India is corrupt. Our tour guide informed us that many of the children and people with disabilities begging are all part of organized crime rings and that very little of the money will actually go to them. Much like on Slumdog Millionaire. It’s heart breaking to pass by but there are literally hundreds of homeless people on every street corner. We took the train to get from New Delhi to Agra and I would almost break down crying every time. Endless children would pull at you and motion to their mouths for food. A few students decided to buy the children some food at the vendor instead of giving them money, but as soon as they gave the three kids muffins, 50 more kids all begging for muffins swarmed them. We learned in class that over 40% of India’s population lives on only a dollar a day. This was absolutely visible everywhere you looked.
6. DO TAKE A RICKSHAW RIDE. Because the streets were too crowded, our bus wasn’t able to drop us off right at the riverbanks, so we had to go in pairs on almost 30 rickshaws down the main street. A rickshaw is a little carriage like cart that is pulled behind a bicycle. Our 15-minute ride though, was one of the best experiences of the entire trip. We were sure that we were going to crash or tip over, but it was incredible to see the bustling city center. There was just so much going on. It was the first time I was absolutely sure that India had 1.1 billion people living in it. There were cattle being herded right down the middle of the street. Endless kids playing along the shops. So many beautiful saris. My pictures will do this experience more justice than my words can.
7. DON’T SAY YES TO TAKING PICTURES WITH THE LOCALS. One of our stops before the Taj Mahal was to Agra Fort, where the king lived. It had been a long day so our tour guide just let us go off by ourselves to get pictures and then we were to meet up at the front at a particular time. Wondering around, Alisa and I found a great spot to get a far away shot of the Taj, but as I stood for the picture this group of Indian women asked to take a picture with us. Being polite we said yes. Then another group saw us and asked to take pictures with us as well. At first it was kind of funny and a little flattering. People were handing me their babies to hold and pushing their children in pictures with us. Finally freeing ourselves, Alisa and I decided to venture off to another part of the fort. Within in minutes we were approached again for pictures by a large group of men. Not really knowing how to say no, we just went along with it. We took a group photo, and then each guy wanted his own individual photo with us. It was 100 degrees out and these sweaty, B.O. guys were putting their arms around us and making weird faces for the photo. Kind of fed up, I tried to tell them that we had to go meet our group. But as we tried to leave, the guy waiting for the next photo held on to us. Sensing our discomfort, the security guard near by came over and asked if we were ok, I asked if he could just tell them that we had to go meet our group. So the security guard angrily scolded the guy holding on to us in Hindi, but instead of letting go the man talked rudely back to the security guard. I don’t know what was said, but the security guard looked pissed, then got right in the guy’s face and slapped him as hard as he could across the face. The blow was enough to make the Indian drop his grip around us, so I grabbed Alisa and we took off running out of the fort. It was probably the scariest experience I have had so far and needless to say we said no to every other person after that asked to take a picture with us.
8. DO TRY ON A SARI. Anyone in my group will tell you that I got a little obsessed with these things. In India all Hindu women wear a sari which is a long piece of fabric, usually silk, that is wrapped intricately around in kind of a toga like fashion. Every woman I encountered was wearing one; I didn’t see a single woman dressed in western clothing. And while I still think they promote sexists values and must be miserable to wear in the heat, they are the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. They tend to be bright colors and some have beautiful designs. I snapped a ton of pictures of women wearing them. I got so intrigued that I even bought one. We were at a silk factory and I was just looking at all the beautiful fabric when a man asked if I wanted to try a sari on. It sounded like too much fun so I said yes. But let me tell you, Indian women have my complete respect now because putting on a sari is no simple task. You have to fold it, tie it, and weave it in so many different ways. But when he was done, it looked beautiful! Aware that I really had no idea what I was doing, the man also gave me a step-by-step guide for how to put it on again. So when I get back, be ready girls, I am going to want people to practice on : )
9. DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE SELLERS. From the minute we stepped off the ship sellers constantly swarmed us. The Indian salesman is a persuasive one and pretty persistent too. They would never take no for an answer and sometimes would follow us for 15 minutes just saying “nice jewelry, nice jewelry, I give you good price.” We would also walk through markets where there would be hundreds of shacks all lined up with people selling various crafts and clothing. Many children work along side their parents and they learn at such a young age to be relentless. The funny part is that a majority of them are all selling the same kind of things. There were a few times when I would have considered buying something but they were so aggressive and so insistent that I always ended up getting frustrated and leaving. A few of my friends however, did buy the trinkety, touristy stuff they were selling. One guy friend bought a Taj Mahal t-shirt that was folded and in a plastic covering. The tag said size large but when he got back on the bus and held up the t-shirt it wouldn’t have fit a fifth grader it was so small.
10. DO BE AWARE YOU ARE A GIRL. Never have I been in a place where I was so aware of my gender. Though we tried to cover up as much as possible, it was obvious that we were the only females in tight clothing and showing any skin. Men would endlessly yell catcalls and stare at us. Also in India, men and women are kept very separate. There is no PDA and no dating done before marriage. I would get dirty looks for just standing close to a guy friend. Women are very submissive in India and thought to be the property of men. Though no man said anything directly, I could tell they were offended or taken aback when I, a woman, would speak directly to them. On one occasion I was supposed to meet a guy friend, he was late and when he arrived I scolded him for making me wait. An employee of the hotel standing nearby let out a huff, he seemed to be disgusted that a woman was reprimanding a man. There were endless things like I hardly encountered a woman who was fully literate, while most of the men were or when I would ask a question the person would speak back to the male with me instead. It was demoralizing and super frustrating but made me more proud than ever that I am an American woman.
11. DON’T FORGET YOUR BUGSPRAY. A nice hot and humid climate always brings one thing, BUGS. I came home with about 15 mosquito bits. We went to see a prayer ceremony near the Ganges river at sunset and I thought I was wearing honey near a beehive. We sprayed our bug spray and deet like it was our job but it didn’t do much good. All the locals would laugh at us as we danced around trying to swat them away. There is also hundreds of flies in India, and we would see people just covered in them it was really gross. They would swarm all the food in the markets and since the streets were covered in trash, they attracted them even more. Luckily none of us got Malaria so I guess my daily pills are paying off.
12. DO GO TO A HOOKA BAR. Don’t worry mom, I didn’t actually smoke any hooka. A group of us decided to venture out one night and we came across a cool looking hooka bar. It was also a coffee shop, so us girls just ordered desserts and coffee while the boys smoked the hooka. We quickly learned though, that hooka bars are the cool places to hang out. There are tons of coffee tables only a foot off the ground and you sit on pillows around it. It was such a cool atmosphere. We got to meet some locals and finally see how the younger generation of India hangs out.
13. DO WEAR A RED DOT. Even after having spent almost a week in India, I still have yet to understand what the red dot means. I heard everything from it symbolizes the God Shiva’s third eye to it’s a female accessory to it indicates your married. Either way every woman I encountered had one on. When we would enter the hotels they would “dot” us and when we went to all the religious places we got “dotted.” One student was even handing out stickers to the kids at the train station. She was putting them on the tops of all of the kids’ hands but within seconds all of them moved the sticker to the center of their forehead. It was quite comical.