Denver Academy - Diverse Journeys
Preparing
for your visit to India:
Travelling
to India can give you a new understanding of life; it can test you on many
levels and also reward you in many ways.
In order to get the most from your experience it always helps to be
prepared both mentally and physically for the journey. This booklet will give you many answers to
the questions you have and give you good tips for travelling safely and with
good health.
You
will get the most out of your time here if you come with an open heart and an
open mind.
We
will do our best to ensure your time in India goes smoothly and gives you
lasting memories that will sustain you for many years. You are always welcome
to come back to Mother India who will always welcome you with open arms.
Passport
/ Visa:
All
travelers need a Visa to enter India. Your
passport must have at least 6 months validity after your return home for the Embassy to insert a Visa. Most Tourist visas now are for 6 months for
India. It is useful to carry a number of
copies of your passport and visa for smooth check in at the hotels. You can
also keep a copy of your passport and airline ticket for our staff to reconfirm
your flight tickets as required.
All
chaperones will have copies of each students passport (and hold all passports
during travel).
Vaccinations:
Being
vaccinated is a very personal decision.
Some people prefer to be covered for everything that might happen and
others prefer not to have anything more than is absolutely necessary.
I
strongly recommend you be covered for Tetanus.
One injection should cover you for 10 years. India is not as clean as we are used to and
often we need to remove our shoes in sacred places such as Temples, so we need
to take care in this area.
Hepatitis
A is carried through food and water and there is some risk to come into contact
with this. Vaccination involves 2
injections one month apart. This would
be a sensible vaccination to have before travelling anywhere in Asia.
Hepatitis
B
is carried through blood so we are at very low risk of being in contact
with
this. Injections are costly and are
given over 6 months without any guarantee of absolute protection. This
would not be necessary to have. Cholera vaccination is no longer
totally
effective.
Typhoid
vaccination comes in the form of tablets and is taken usually a week before
travelling. It can have very nasty side
effects. It is very unlikely you would
come into contact with this on your travels.
Malaria
tablets. Malaria is only common in India
in the depths of Rajasthan and isolated areas after the monsoon. Malaria
tablets are very difficult for the body to process and can have some very
severe side effects. I do not encourage
people to take Malaria tablets unless they are going further into Rajasthan
than Jaipur and Pushkar.
You
will certainly see mosquitoes and may well be bitten by them, but there is a
very low risk of catching any type of disease.
You
will be given lots of advice about vaccination by Doctors who get lots of information
from WHO about which diseases are present in a country. This does not mean there is a high risk of
catching it unless you spend long periods of time in rural areas with very poor
sanitation. This does not apply to the
places you will be travelling to.
Please
weigh up all the advice and make your own informed decision.
Travel
Insurance:
Travel
insurance is included in the price through travelshield.
All
our vehicles are properly licensed tourist vehicles with complete insurance
cover.
Useful
Things to Pack:
Most
hotels have an efficient and cheap in house laundry service so you don’t need
to bring many sets of clothing. 3
lightweight shirts, some people find even tee shirts a bit warm. Long sleeves are useful to guard against
mosquitoes in the evenings and light colors assist in keeping them away. 2 or 3
pairs of light weight trousers or skirts.
Ladies,
please bear in mind when choosing your trip clothing that India is a very
modest country and the women cover up. Please
avoid low cut or sleeveless tops, shorts and see through material. It is good to blend is as much as possible
with the locals and dressing appropriately helps us do that.
You
will be able to purchase Punjabi suits, which the local ladies wear, at various
places along the way. If you are
visiting ashrams or temples you need to cover your arms, at least short
sleeves, and legs. Men also need to
cover their legs. A pair of socks can be
useful for walking on hot floors.
A
jumper / cardigan or jacket for the cooler evening in the hills. When we travel
to Darmshala it will be chilly in the evenings: we need warm weather gear –
pullover and undergarments, a scarf, mittens, and maybe headgear.
If
your particular tour includes visiting a wildlife sanctuary then also keep in
mind that dark colors such as green, brown and black are the best to wear when
out walking looking for animals.
Comfortable
walking shoes for the wildlife sanctuary.
Slips on sandals are useful for the days when you visit temples where
footwear is removed.
A
basic first aid kit. This often ends up
being the heaviest thing in your bag and people tend to be very over
supplied. You need some antiseptic cream
or spray, mosquito repellent, pain killers and Band-Aids. You can purchase most medical requirements
easily over the counter.
“Wet
Ones” / moist towelettes are very handy for washing your hands before eating as
we come into contact with unfamiliar bacteria along the way. Ladies, tampons are difficult to find in
India (pads are common but tampons are not).
A
torch / flashlight and alarm clock.
An
inflatable pillow can be useful for longer portions of the journey – general
bedding, including a small pillow is provided on train journeys.
Earplugs
for lights sleepers - as street noise tends to go on and on into the wee small
hours.
Plenty
of film and camera batteries. You will
certainly find many excellent photo opportunities every day. Standard film can be found in most places.
Having a digital camera seems to have obviated this need.
Toilet
paper is supplied in all hotels but it is useful to have some in your bag also
- specially if you are caught unawares.
Sunscreen
is difficult to find.
A
journal for noting your varied experiences.
Travelers
have found Essential Oils have assisted them on long journeys:
Ginger
oil for nausea, Lemon oil for clearing the head in big cities and heavy
traffic.
A
10 oz plastic bottle of Eucalyptus clothes-washing liquid will be most useful
for those times you wish to do your own washing and rinsing. At least it will
be good for the early days of your journey.
Please
keep your luggage to a minimum especially if your tour includes train
trips. You will find many wonderful
things to buy along the way so leave room for them when you start out!
A
small daypack is handy to carry your camera, water bottle and daily needs.
Clothes:
Bring
as little as you can. Clothes, should you need them, are cheap and readily
available in India wherever you are. There will be time throughout the journey
to make purchases, and once you’re at Shantivanam ashram you can have local
cottons made into what you need by local tailors. Ladies, remember to provide
for your special personal needs.
Money:
Changing
money can be a very time consuming task and not always easy to do as the
banking hours are 10am-2pm Mon-Fri and 10-12 on Sat. Most hotels can change money and in some
towns there are private moneychangers with longer hours.
You
can also access ATM machines using a Visa Card, these are now available in
small and large cities. They’re everywhere! ICICI Bank, HDFC and IDBI bank are
linked to the International Visa network.
If
using travelers checks - make sure you bring your Travellers Cheques in USD. Other currencies are difficult to change when far from the
beaten track.
Most
shops accept Credit Cards for larger purchases.
You can change money on arrival at the airport. When you change money you will be given an
Encashment Certificate. You need to keep
at least one of these for when you leave India if you have Rupees left over and
want to change them back into USD, AUD or other currencies at the airport.
Currently (October 10 2008)
$1
USD= 47 Rupees.
Source:
http://www.xe.com/
Tipping:
The
chaperones will take care of all tipping.
FYI:
From
the moment you arrive you will see that India runs on tipping, from the person
who carries your bag, delivers your food or drives your vehicle. Wages are generally very low and most people
in service industries make the bulk of their living by tips. For a room boy who carries your bags to the
room a 10 -20 Rupee tip is fine – HOWEVER we will mostly look after all tips to
these boys as part of our service to you. If you are out and about please be
aware of tipping.
In
restaurants work on 10% and the tip will be reasonable. There is no set amount as is the case in
other countries. Please
don’t over tip!! You may find room boys making a nuisance of
themselves if you over tip on your arrival and they will bring things such as
water, towels and soap one at a time in the hope of being rewarded each
time!! It also corrupts the local
monetary system and they naturally start looking for bigger and bigger tips.
Begging:
Please
do not give pens, sweets, money etc to children who will approach you along the
way. This perpetuates the begging
mentality which Indians themselves are trying to eradicate. India is a resourceful country where people
take care of each other by feeding the poor and having many welfare programs
run through Temples and Churches. If you
have only one pen and 10 children wanting it you will only cause trouble by
giving the single pen. This fascination
with pens is a reflection of their obsession with foreign goods whereas
excellent Indian made pens cost very little and readily available. If you see someone genuinely in need, feel
free to buy them a cup of tea or some fruit.
If they turn it down and ask for cash they are probably not as genuine
as they first appeared and maybe working in a professional begging ring that
just live tourist spots for extracting money.
Yes, there are many needy people everywhere in India but if you want to
give something look for a registered charity along the way.
Personal
Security:
Each
student will carry their own neck wallet with a copy of their passport,
emergency phone numbers, contact information as well as cards printed in Hindi
asking for help, information, assistance etc.
DA
chaperones will carry all tickets, passports and any money, cards at parents
request.
India
is generally a safe place and you would be extremely unlucky to have anything
stolen. It is wise to take precautions
and always be alert. Small amounts of
money can be carried in a “bum bag” or shoulder purse. This ensures
you do not need to pull out a pile of 100 Rs notes for a 10 Rs purchase. It is important to not show the public how
much money you are carrying. All hotels rooms have secure locks and some people
prefer to leave their suitcase locked inside the room. Many top end hotels have room safes also.
For
air and train travel your bag should be securely locked. It is a good idea to carry a photocopy of
your passport, visa and tickets and the serial numbers of your Traveller’s
Cheques (and your travel insurance details) if you are unlucky enough to loose
any of these valuable items it will greatly assist in replacement.
Taking
care of your health on the road:
Parents
will provide chaperones with all medical information, medications and health
concerns. Chaperones can and will
distribute all meds as requested by parents and doctors.
One
of the main misconceptions people have about visiting India is they will ingest
a terrible bug and “get sick”. This in
fact rarely happens if you follow a few basic guidelines and listen carefully
to your body. Always drink bottled water
and clean your teeth in it at least for the first few days until your system
gets used to India. Eat fruit you can
peel or wash fruit such as grapes in bottled water. Wash your hands frequently. We constantly touch things in shops, at the
market, children who greet us enthusiastically or locals who want to shake our
hands. We come into contact with
organisms our body is not used to but can adapt to very quickly. There is no need to become an obsessive hand
washer, just be aware of it! Indians
always wash their hands before eating as they usually eat with their
hands. Even if we use cutlery we still
handle bread and other items while eating.
Another useful habit the locals use is clearly differentiating between
their “dirty” (left) hand and their “clean” (right) hand. An aside to that is they only wave or pass
things, especially money with their right hands.
So,
what if you spend an uncomfortable, sleepless night on the toilet? Don’t panic, it is very unlikely you have a
serious bacteria in your gut. Please do
not take “Lomotil” or “Imodium” which slows down the bowel and may have been
given to you by a well meaning Dr. If by chance you have a minor or major bug
you want to in fact expel it, these drugs slow the bowel and thus retain the
nasty things. Drink plenty of bottled
water and add electrolyte powder (e.g. “Gastrolyte” - sugar and salt replacement
liquid) if the diarrhea lasts for a couple of days. Drink lassi, a yoghurt based drink which
restores the bowel to normal rapidly. Warm black tea with lemon and a pinch of
nutmeg also settles things quickly. Have some plain rice but avoid the
temptation to eat lots even if you are a little hungry. Coconut water is also an excellent remedy and
easy to find fresh along the way.
Please
consider that your gut reflects much of our emotional condition. You may be experiencing some new and
challenging things, which cause us to have an emotional reaction, or we feel
the need to let go of much unwanted, long held emotional junk. We often do this, it is said, on the
toilet! Go with it and explore the
change that in fact you are doing something very useful and it will settle of
its own accord in 24 hours or so. Just
keep drinking.
If
the problem persists for 3 days or more, there may be something to treat
internally. Antibiotics can also be
harmful to the gut and should only be taken if absolutely necessary.
All
our hotels will be able to call a local doctor (who speaks English) if required.
The consultation fee is very small and they are able to prescribe the right
treatment on the spot.
Mosquitoes
are a nuisance but not a danger in South India.
You will see a small plug in electrical device to vaporize mosquito
repellent at night in your hotel room.
Put it on at dusk, through till the following morning. Keep the fan going at night, as the moving
air also keeps them at bay. Wear light colored
clothing in the evenings. Apply
repellent as the most effective deterrent.
Lemongrass oil is also effective. You can also buy insect repellent “Odomos” cream locally.
Telephones,
Fax and Email:
Parents
will be provided with all contact information including phone numbers of hotels
and tour agencies. Dr. Conlan and
chaperones will also have a direct cell line for parents to call direct in case
of an emergency.
It
is not possible to make a reverse charge (collect) call from a phone booth in
India. To make a call you need to go to
an STD / ISD shop (they are everywhere) where the phone has a meter attached
and you pay the person who runs the shop at the end of the call. If you are speaking on the line you will be
charged and so will the person at the other end. If you wish the call to be
charged to your home phone you need to call home, give them your hotel room
number and get them to call you back.
Where
hotel rooms have direct dial telephones, you will pay a high surcharge for using the phone, it is always cheaper to go to
the STD/ISD booth; they're everywhere.
Faxes
can be sent also from many STD/ISD booths.
Be aware that if the transmission fails and the fax has to be resent you
must pay the full amount on the meter.
Email
booths charge by the minute or hour; check before you start typing how you will
be charged.
Many
hotels also now have internet connections (WiFi) in the room – please check the
connection charges carefully as they can range from one set fee for a day to
100 Rs per hour or more.
Visiting
Temples, Ashrams and Sacred Places:
You
will notice many different forms of respect shown when people visit a Temple or
sacred place. They will cover their arms
and legs, and remove their shoes. We
should do like wise. They will also
remain silent. In Buddhist and Hindu
shrines it is offensive to sit with your feet pointed at the Buddha, the Deity
or towards other people, especially the soles of your feet, as they are
considered unclean.
Please
dress modestly on the days you visit temples or shrines, uncovered upper arms
and legs can cause offense. Observe how
the locals dress and follow their example.
You
will notice that in Ashrams it is common for men and women to sit
separately. It is important for us to
follow dress codes and behavioral codes when we are visiting such places.
Often
we are requested to be silent. Sometimes
we find this difficult to do as there are many things we wish to comment on or
point out to someone, please be restrained and discuss whatever is required afterwards.
By
maintaining silence we also become aware of the power of silence, this has been
taught by many sages in India. Even a
brief experience can be very powerful.
Your
Driver
The
role of the Tourist Driver in India is a little unique. It is very hard to be a
self-drive tourist due to the road rules, road conditions and lack of maps,
signposts or other information.
The
driver is there to assist you with all your small requirements throughout your
trip, showing you small places of interest along the way and describing
different socio- cultural things you will see – marriages, funerals, festivals
and other parts of daily life. The car is with you “on disposal” to go out for
dinner in the evenings or take short excursions to places close to your main
destination. We want you to experience the most you can and do not have hard
and fast rules about the kilometers driven.
We
value our drivers as they add many levels to your travel experience, they pass
on feedback about hotels, new places etc.
They
are not licensed guides and cannot take you inside monuments or temples to give
detailed explanations.
It
is usual for drivers to sleep in the car. They get an overnight allowance but
most choose to sleep in the car rather than take a room. They feel it is a good
security cover for the car and they are also onsite if you need any assistance.
On
arrival your driver will give you a card with his name, mobile number and car
registration number so you can call him at any time and find him easily in the
hotel parking area. However, mostly I will look after you in these matters.
Driving
Times:
In
your itinerary the driving times between the destinations are mentioned – if
you drive directly. Your driver will also inform you of places of interest
along the way, if you wish to stop, naturally the travelling time will
increase. Our main aim is to show you as much as possible, according to your
interests.
Road
conditions in India vary from state to state, we do our best to keep up with
local road building projects or major road works. Sometimes delays (even long
delays) will occur due to strikes, weather and other local conditions, if we
can warn you in advance we certainly will!!
Local
Guides:
We
pre book licensed guides in all the main monuments and historical places
that we take you. Should you go off on your own to other sites, you can also
find a guide directly but we cannot always guarantee their level of knowledge
or language ability.
Food:
You
can find a wide range of food in India, from Multi cuisine in the hotels to all
types of local dishes in the smaller restaurants along the way. If you would
like to sample some of the dishes of the area you are visiting, ask your driver
and they will select a good restaurant for you.
Shopping:
It
is expected in India that you will bargain.
Many of us find that difficult to do as we feel even the highest prices
are quite reasonable compared to prices at home. Please be aware the shopkeepers will know
immediately how many days you have been here and how much they can get out of
you. Research carefully and bargain
hard, you can overspend unnecessarily in the first few days until you get used
to what the going rate is for the things you wish to buy.
There
is free time in your tour program to go off with your chaperones exploring into
markets and bazaars, wonderful places to visit even if you are not buying. India’s selection of jewelry, silk and other
fabrics, bronze statues, silk paintings and other exquisite gifts is very
wide. Sometimes you will go into large
emporium where the prices are particularly high, the quality of these goods can
also be higher too so look carefully.
Just seeing beautiful carpets and saris and how they are made is as much
of an experience as anything else you may do that day.
Please
check very carefully if the shopkeeper offers to pack and send what you have bought,
assuring you all shipping fees are included in the price you paid. Many people
have found that they needed to pay the shipping charges and taxes when the
goods arrived in their country. It is always safer and easier to carry the
goods and even pay excess baggage if you need to.
When
you leave:
If
you have excess Rupees left over you can change them back to US dollars and
Euros only with one Encashment Certificate at the same back counter at
the airport.
Leaving
India
can cause a curious mix of emotions.
On one hand you may be longing for order and quiet, some particular food
you haven’t been able to get here and yet you really don’t want to
leave. This feeling is common. India has strange way of getting under
your
skin even though you weren’t expecting it.
Your
experiences will stay with you for a long time and your understanding of theme
will grow deeper probably as time passes.
India and your time here is very difficult to explain to family and
friends when you get home. Your
experiences are intensely personal and many aspects of India defy verbal description.
You
may find it more difficult than you imagine settling back into your normal life
back home. Your perspectives and
priorities may have been challenged and changed. Go easy on yourself and don’t make any
radical decisions, you are in a process of integration that could take some
time. Stay close to the fire that burns
in the cave of your heart that has been fanned by the spiritual winds of
India. This is the deep power of India,
underneath the dust and the chaos you will have been touched by this power that
invades all aspects of life here and it has now touched yours. It will continue to show itself to you if you
take time to listen.
I
trust your journey will have brought more depth and understanding to your life
and allowed you to see more clearly your own divine purpose.
Ramsey
Brookhart,
(303)
947-2295
shall@denveracademy.org
802 355-6262
Meath Conlan, PhD
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