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Guide Books will list WHAT TO BRING – in Lonely Planet etc which is by the way – a great read to prepare you for India. See esp. Haridwar, Rishikesh and Delhi. Visa: requires one passport picture and $50. Generally takes one day – drop off in the morning (9:15) and go back to pick it up in the afternoon (4:30-5:15). Tourist Visa lasts for 6 months, + valid passport. NYC: Consulate General of India, 3 East 64th Street, New York, New York 10021. Tel. (212) 774-0600, (212) 774-0610, Fax (212) 570-9581, E-mail: http://www.indiacgny.org/ - it seems that the Consulate now outsource visas = You will need an Indian address: Seema is our host. Vaccinations: Hep A, Tetananus (required). Tropical diseases etc - Dr. Kevin Cahill 212-879-2607/850 FIFTH AVENUE (NYC – but any doctor can give Tetanus and Hep A vacc.) Money: good to have US dollars to change, the airport on arrival has a good exchange rate. There are ATM machines in the major towns. Visa/Mastercard are accepted in the larger stores. http://www.xe.com/ucc/ currency converter Phone/Internet: There are many phone booths available to make calls/reverse charges on calls. Seema, our host’s cell phone: 011-98-3703-5688. There are internet cafes in most towns…and one between the Hotel and the Johari home in Haridwar. Loose cotton clothing. Long flowing skirts, pants, shirts, blouses, tunic/pajama type outfits are good in the heat. Shopping is easy in India for such clothing. It is respectful to cover your legs and shoulders when out in the towns/temples. (ie. Shorts + camis are not great) Comfortable shoes – sandals. It will be hot during the days in March, cooler in the evenings. Flip-flops or house shoes help keep the street dust/dirt out of your room. Travel belt/or other concealed bag for passport etc. Cotton scarf. Yoga Clothing for daily yoga classes. A towel – the towels in India are like thin dishcloths…please BYO Toilet Paper – yes – most places in India provide just a bucket and water…which you might like. Hand Sanitizer+Hand Wipes are a good idea. Sheet – a light sheet and pillow-case are a nice idea – to make yourself cozy in your room. Tea bags The tea in India – called ‘chai’ is basically black tea, sugar and milk…very occasionally ginger and cardamom are added. Mostly the milk is delivered from the village cow, boiled at home and then used in the tea. If you’d like to have other options – other than the requisite bottled water, bring some of your favorite tea bags…soda and tea/coffee are served in cafes. Art supplies for Yantras: A small art kit – to make/color yantras – you can use/bring either coloring pencils or a small travel watercolor kit. Metallic gold and silver pens are excellent. Compass, pencil, eraser and ruler would be good. I will have paper + materials but feel free to bring your own. In case you’re wondering ‘what time is it in India?’ Useful Dietary Supplements: Paracleanse – herbal supplement to keep parasites at bay Grapefruit seed extract: (removes harmful bacteria etc) available from most health food stores. Probiotics – try to get the ones that do not need to be kept in the refrigerator. (probiotics help to replenish healthy bacteria) Available from Health Food Stores. Generally if you eat safely prepared cooked food, fruits that you peel yourself, and drink bottled water it is AOK. There will be one large meal and two smaller meals (breakfast and dinner) served daily. Bringing a few of your favorite energy bars as snacks is a good idea. Any powdered mixed green mix from a healthfood store to mix with water or juice as dark leafy greens are hard to come by in India as well as a good multi vitamin. Mosquito repellent – Mosquito Net Travel mat - my experience is that mats get very dusty and dirty in India, so an inexpensive lightweight travel mat is perfect and perhaps will be left in India when we leave!) On the whole there is more dust/dirt in India than one can imagine. Therefore bring your more durable bags, shoes, etc – nothing that can ‘ruin’ easily. Hand washing of clothes by you or the local laundry = will take care of laundering, lightweight cotton easy-to-wash clothing is recommended. Essential – to pack lightly. Bring what you can carry comfortably, with a little space to bring home some Indian Shawls/gifts.
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Visas/Vaccinations/What to bring