India Travel Warning: Hit And Run is a must!
Mar 15
posted by Steven Erat in
Restaurants, Video
| 3 Comments
While researching health and travel requirements for my upcoming trip to Bangalore, India I stumbled across this little factoid from the US Deptartment of State that instills oh so much confidence that this will be a pleasant journey:
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 can thus be unsafe to remain at the scene of an accident of this nature, and drivers may instead wish to seek out the nearest police station.
Ok, let me get this straight... In between taking my malaria pills, seeking out bottled water only, eating at only "American" restaurants, and looking 10 times before attempting to cross the street, now I've got to worry if my driver will smack into a cow at the risk of conflagration and death... the car's conflagration and my death. Yikes! Hit and Run is mandatory!
Driving in Bangalore video clips on YouTube.
#1 by Steven Erat on 3/16/07 - 9:24 AM
#2 by Simon Horwith on 3/16/07 - 10:05 PM
To be honest, you can eat pretty much whatever you want while you`re there if you follow a few rules:
1. Avoid raw vegetables
2. Take all drinks from a bottle/can and remember NEVER to drink anything with ice or with water from an unknown source
3. Don`t eat pork
There are loads of other things to watch for that are less risky - in most places you don`t want to eat fried food (because of the oil) nor will you want seafood unless you`re right on the water.
There are a lot of other little things - I`m not going to post them all, but if you have any questions - language, clulture, food, or any other related, feel free to email me.
Of course, I`ve been going every year for 6 years, have a cast iron stomach, and believe that you only live once... so feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt. I hope you live it up while you`re there - India is a fantastic place and is easy to fall in love with if you with an open mind, patience, and a sense of adventure. Have a great trip!
#3 by Brian on 8/30/07 - 9:23 PM
I spent 3 weeks in India earlier this year as part of a 7-month RTW trip covering Mumbai, the Golden Triangle and Darjeeling in the east. I ate everywhere: nice restaurants, snack shops, train stations and street vendors. I drank filtered water. I didn`t get sick. I also crossed the street on foot regularly including in places like Delhi`s Connaught Circle without incident.
If you`re in a place where crossing the road is sketchy, always do as the locals, literally! If you`re really stuck, shadow someone else as they cross the street, standing slightly down traffic from them. In most cases, the key to survival is to move steadily without stopping. Everyone will just aim around you and it will work out but as soon as you freak out or run somewhere, that`s where it hits the fan.
Steve, I have big respect for your Faces of India project. I felt very conspicuous carrying a camera there and it stopped me from taking photos. I`m not an introvert but asking someone to take their picture is weird for me. I partially solved the issue with a 300mm zoom lens. ;)