Elephant Blessings

While in Pondicherry, we came across a temple with an elephant out front.  There was a vendor near by who sold grass to feed it.  One could also make a  monetary offering to the elephant, and it would thank you with a blessing.  Here is Isabelle receiving her first ever elephant blessing!

Driving in India

One could wax poetic about the intricacies of driving in India... but the truth is, it's too complicated to explain and I doubt I could do it justice.  Below is a video of driving down the coastal road between Chennai and Mamallapuram.  Thankfully, we had Ganesha (the remover of obstacles) on the dashboard, and thus, we survived.  Fasten your seat belts, please.

 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.  We are celebrating Christmas Eve with a fondue made of cheese we smuggled in from the States.  Champagne has been opened, fire works have been lit.  Santa is sure to find this house!

Delhi Day One

We arrived in Delhi at 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, after a relatively uneventful, but extremely long trip.  I've slept a total of seven hours since Thursday night, so I am looking forward to firing off this quick update and crawling into bed.

I had my first experience of Delhi in the day time this morning, when Henrietta and I bicycled to a local bakery to pick up treats for breakfast.  We had a relaxing breakfast on the front patio as Isabelle continued sleeping.

We then piled in our friends' van and toured around the city.  We stopped off at Rashtrapati Bhvan (the president's extensive house and offices).  The grounds and buildings were extensive, and included bushes trimmed into the shape of lifesize elephants.

We drove by India Gate, which is a memorial to the fallen soldiers from WWI.  The picture below really shows how much smog there is in Delhi this time of year.  The air smells like you're sitting at a campfire... all day long.

We also toured Modern School, the boarding school Lakhdeep attended as a boy.  After more sightseeing (Begali Market, Connaught Place and the Central Cottage Industry Emporium), we went somewhere we rarely go to in the US... the mall!  Christmas was in full swing there, from decorations to a band singing Christmas carols.  So, our first meal out in India was in a mall food court... Chole bhature, dosa, Tandoori chicken and paneer tikka.

A advertisement at the mall... are these in the States??

 

 

We've had a full but exhausting day and I'm looking forward to waking up tomorrow and being able to think straight.  We fly to Chennai in the morning for a few days in the south east!

 

 A monkey searching for food on the roadside.

The Last (Steak) Supper

Isabelle seems excited about the upcoming travels. She has been planning (and is enthusiastic) for the 30 hours of transit. She is expecting there to be tons and tons of people, many of whom will be  poor and/or sick. She is ready to dive into a new culture and new cuisine... but she is terrified at the prospect of going for three weeks without beef.

 Cue soft, sappy instrumental music....

You see, we try to do what is right for the planet. We use public transport and bikes/feet when possible. We recycle. We cook food from scratch. We compost. We try to live as simply as possible... but we love our beef.

There. I said it, We're ... omnivores! Isabelle understands that there is meat to be eaten in India. She knows there will be chicken. We've introduced her to goat, which she found quite tasty, but still she worries and wonders about life without beef. I promised her a "last supper" of sorts, which we enjoyed last night. New York strip on the grill, with roasted potatoes, my dad's red wine reduction, and a hearty salad. 

I'm taking wagers on how long she will hold out before longing for a steak...  my guess is three days.

Travel Advisories

One of my favorite ways to prepare for a trip is to research all of the things that could possibly go wrong.  It’s fun to read various governmental pages that warn you of crime, exotic illnesses, strange customs that could land you in prison, and basic civil unrest.  Governmental websites are notorious for blowing things out of proportion.  Even a harmless holiday to Canada could be glorified into a dangerous trek to the bowels of hell, thanks to the overly pessimistic folks at the bureau of consular affairs.  (Do we really need a travel advisory warning that there might be snow in the winter? Or that cars get broken into in major metropolitan areas?)

So in between watching videos of bull elephants in marketplaces that get out of control and reading about various species of amoebas that live in the Ganges, I decided to take note of the most interesting advice the US and Indian governments had to offer.  Enjoy!

When it comes to what one should do if you hit a person, or even worse, a cow, while driving in India, the US Department of State and the Indian tourism board have differing opinions:

“If a driver hits a pedestrian or a cow, the vehicle and its occupants are at risk of being attacked by passersby. Such attacks pose significant risk of injury or death to the vehicle's occupants or at least of incineration of the vehicle. It is unsafe to remain at the scene of an accident of this nature, and drivers may instead wish to seek out the nearest police station.” –US

“If by any chance, you get involved in an automobile accident, wait until the police arrive and make a report. However, if a crowd gathers and appears hostile, immediately leave the place and go to the nearest police station to file an accident report.” –India

I have been to many places where beggars are plentiful, but I have been warned that none of those locales will compare to India in volume, frequency, and legitimate need.  India-travel-agents.com recommends these tips:

• If the beggar is a healthy person, don't give him any money or anything else. Ignore such people. Just walk past them or pull up the windows if you are in a car.
• In case of a physically handicapped person, you can give some money or even something to eat.
• If you come across children begging on the street, don't be surprised. It’s better to give the children something to eat. If you give them money, it will most probably go into the pockets of their parents or some other person. They will hardly ever benefit from it.
• Always give beggars money at the time of leaving a place, as you get in the car. Otherwise, there is a possibility of your getting mobbed.

Give a tip to beggars between Rs. 2 to Rs. 10. If you give more money than this, you will run the risk of getting mobbed by beggars.

A genuine concern of mine is one of food and water safety.  India Travel Agents once again offer sound advice:

Food precautions:

• The safest thing to eat is freshly cooked food. Food left sitting may attract flies and cause major health hazards.
• Salads and cut fresh fruits should be strictly avoided. Eat only unpeeled fruits.
• Avoid fresh fruit juice. If you want to have juice, go in for branded ones being sold in tetra packs.
• If you are a non-vegetarian, buy from decent shops. It is better not to eat from lower end restaurants or station platforms.
• Never ever eat anything from the roadside vendors. There are high chances of the food being contaminated.

There is no big problem of clean drinking water in India. However, you need to take certain precautions to ensure that you are drinking clean and pure water. Some of these water precautions for India are listed below:

• These days bottled (mineral) water is available almost everywhere. However, sometimes, cheap fake bottled water is also given. To avoid this, make sure to check that that the seal of the bottle is intact. Also, see if there is anything floating in it before buying.
• Even when you are visiting restaurants or hotels, insist on bottled (mineral) water. You will not face much trouble as almost all the restaurants and hotels keep bottled water.
• Never ever drink water from roadside vendors selling water pumped up from the vend's tank. That water is not at all safe.
• You may also come across water being sold in polythene bags. Don't drink it at all. Even this water is not safe.
• If you are staying at someone's place, don't drink the tap water. If they have aquagaurds or RO systems or other purifiers, then it's ok. Otherwise, insist on either boiled or bottled (mineral) water.

If we shift our attention to alerts of potential terrorist attacks, this is where the US Department of State becomes a real buzz kill:

The Department of State reminds U.S. citizens of the continued possibility of terrorist attacks throughout India and urges citizens to pay particular attention to their personal security during the Indian holiday season, which includes Hindu, Islamic, and other religious and secular holidays between October and January.  Recent Indian government advisories and local media report increased indications that terrorists are planning attacks in India. In the past, terrorists have targeted markets, public transportation such as trains and public buses, religious sites, hotels, and restaurants.  During the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, terrorists specifically targeted hotels and other public places.

U.S. citizens traveling or residing in India are always urged to maintain a heightened situational awareness and a low profile, monitor local news reports, consider the level of security present when visiting public places, and take appropriate steps to bolster their personal security.
This Travel Alert expires on January 20, 2012.

Every traveler wonders what clothes to pack, especially if they’ve never been to a specific country before.  Since this is our first trip to India, we were curious.

Winters (October to February) in India are quite cold, especially North India. So, pack some woolen clothes with you. Also, pack some warm innerwear, especially if you are planning to roam around too much. During Monsoon (July to September), there is a high level of humidity in India. So don't wear synthetic stuff. In this case also, cotton clothing is the best.

Last but not the least, while visiting places of worship (temples, gurudwara or mausoleum), you should be fully clothed. Also, don't forget to remove your footwear before entering any religious place.

Being a Floridian, I am always cold when I travel.  The advice above led me to believe we might even see snow, but that’s just not the case.  After researching average temperatures for the time of our stay, it should be in the low 70s during the day and the mid 40s at night.  But since I’m a rule follower, the woolen clothes have been packed!  My problem with the above advice is this:  How much roaming is too much?  I would think the more roaming I did, the less innerwear I would need, but then again, I’ve never been to India before so what do I know?

Typhoid: Day One

Oops.  I made my first rookie mistake while blogging:  never blog after a couple glasses of wine.

I assumed I would have to come in and edit last night's post a bit (correct typos, poor word choice, etc.), but had no idea it would be completely uninteresting.  My apologies.

Like dancing and karaoke,  I guess I can add writing to my list of things I presume I do better with wine...

Second Test.

No followers are showing up.  Those of you who said you are following, did you get a notice of this? 

This is a test. This is only a test.

Check. Check.  One, two, three.  Check.

Is this thing on?

If you can read this, then perhaps I am actually as smart as a fifth grader.  In a few weeks, I hope to use this site to chronicle our trip to India.  I would like to get in a little practice beforehand though, so I'll make a post or two about preparing for our trip, just to get my feet wet.

Since I named the blog "The Quinine Chronicles" (an apropos suggestion from my friend Jane, thank you Jane), I thought I would post a photo of our anti-malaria meds to practice posting photos.  

I carefully took the meds out of the fridge, and tried to photograph quickly, as they are supposed to remain cold.  And just now I realized that the meds I photographed are not an anti-malarial drug (that's what we'll start next week) but rather the typhoid drug Vivotif.  So many prophylactics, it's hard to keep them straight!

Thanks for joining me here.  I feel a bit silly about blogging, and I'm not sure why, but I'm committed to give it a go.