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Im 14 years old and going to India over the summer, any suggestions?

Any tips so I dont get sick anywhere? Its my 2nd time back since I was 2 and i remember getting sick. Also, Im going to chennai and maybe visiting bombay, and I need a lot of indian clothes, jewelry, bhindis, etc:) shopping is my #1 priority. Is there any good malls and shops where you can find pretty ones? And whats a basic rule for girls and women in India? I heard where modest clothing and always cross your arms in train stations and anywhere else. Im used to guys checking me out here, but what do I do in Chennai and bombay?? And my sister, shes 11, she has NEVER gone. What do i do to protect her from any illness and make sure we have a good time? is there any safe food that wont cause stomach drama and wont make you fat? lol... im very health oriented here.

Public Comments

1. take Immodium tablets with you for any tummy upsets. do not drink any water except bottled water & avoid salads as they are not washed in bottled water & can cause tummy problems. Malaria tablets will be needed also & protective anti mosquito spray for the evenings if you are wearing short sleeves. in the towns it is always appropriate to wear a dress or skirt & top....not skimpy attire as it is nice to respect local culture. you will find cheaps shops & shacks everywhere for your clothes & jewellery...but - you have to haggle the price for everything as you are a tourist...and tourists tend to stand out from the crowd. you'll love it there...we go to Goa every year...it's wonderful. p.s. stick to rice & fish dishes...not fattening at all & very tasty!
2. Oooh! im going to chennai and im 15 tho. let me tell you, everywhere you go, wear indian clothes. mostly salwar kameezes. in chennai i think there is a HUGe shopping mall, its called spencer something. in bombay you have to be very careful. i went to bombay last year, i had to be very careful. for the food, dont eat in the road side shops. its not healthy at all, you'll fall sick. so eat in the good restaurants. also, i always take malaria tablets for my 11 year old sister and myself. and for the water, eat bottled water only!! good luck!
3. Nithya, Your name sounds Indian. So probably you are accompanied in your travel by some family elders and so may be getting their support and advice.However, you should be careful about drinking water, contaminated road side fast foods/ chats etc. Additinally get aquainted with following suggested precautions : http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/01/05/23-ways-to-prevent-molestation/ 23 ways to prevent molestation in public Jump to Comments Ads by Google Rescue Aditya Chandran International Kidnapping of Aditya leads to violent abuses in India www.rescueaditya.org It’s all tumbling out of the closet. This recent molestation incident concerns an Australian woman from Sydney. She admitted on live television (CNN-IBN) yesterday that she and her boy-friend were right there - at the Gateway - and exactly the same kind of molestation that had happened to the unknown girl at the Gateway of India happened to her. There were tears in the couple’s eyes as they narrated the sordid saga of her being pinched, pushed, shoved and felt up. She asked her boy-friend to cover her from the back as that is where the hands were coming from. Finally they escaped…and ofcourse, cancelled the rest of their India trip. They are going back. They also spoke to Midday. Lee said: ‘We used to get strange looks from people for being foreigners, but we never really felt unsafe. After this incident, we fear for our safety. We are terrified.’ Midday also reported this incident where an American woman was molested by a fifteen-year old boy who had asked her to take his photograph at the Prince of Wales museum. The bitter truth This can happen to any girl or woman anywhere in India. But everyone, including the government, the travel agencies, the police and hotels gloss over the fact that eve-teasing and molestation is part and parcel of daily life in India. Nobody wants to know what the average woman suffers every single day at the hands of perverts. Rude and continuous staring at body parts, lewd remarks and gestures, brushing against women’s bodies, touching, grabbing and even hard pinching and twisting..these things happen all the time in all the cities in India. What exactly happens simply depends on opportunity the perverts get. As we can’t depend on the police to stop this menace and we cannot change the mentality of these people, let’s save ourselves. It is not possible to stop the lewd remarks and staring - but molestation can be reduced. Here are a few tips which will be of great use not only to the uninitiated, but also to those women who are new to India. A few guidelines to prevent molestation..and er…they are just guidelines: 1) Do not go walk around in any crowded public place (meaning - packed with people), whether it is a park, a procession, a celebration, a square or a market even if you are with someone, even if it is a known safe place and even if it is daylight. Be careful in a discotheque or a party which is packed with people you don’t know. 2) Generally malls and theatres are safe but it is possible to get caught in a crowd here too. If by chance you are caught in a rush of people (while entering or leaving a theatre for example) be instantly on alert. Keep as much of a distance from the men and ofcourse it’s best to wait until the crowd leaves. 3) If you go for a movie or any show, always make the man accompanying you sit next to the man in the next seat. Most Indian couples do this naturally and no one thinks of it as unusual. 4) Do not under any circumstances travel in a crowded bus. If you take a local train then only use the ladies compartment. (An NRI I know traveled in a general compartment and had a bad time - it was rush hour.) An overhelming majority of and rickshaw drivers are decent, at least in Mumbai and Pune but do avoid going around alone in a cab or rickshaw alone if you don’t know the road and if you are alone. 5) If you catch anyone leering at you or if you hear a lewd remark, ignore it if you alone. However if you are being touched you need to make a fuss. 6) If you have to hand over money or recieve change from anyone, I mean a guy whom you think could be leching, it is better that you diplomatically suggest that they keep the change on the counter. If you do it casually no one will get offended. 7) Avoid eye-contact with strange men. Generally, talking to strange men is unusual here. 8. Do not share taxis or rickshaws with strangers. Ever. And definitely avoid getting into a cab or rick if there is another person next to the driver, his friend or relative. 9) My suggestion is that avoid traveling to India as a tourist if you are a single woman. Single women living in India know the ways here. A single foreigner will not. 10) Avoid small talk with cabbies, shop-keepers or other strange men. Don’t even accede to any male’s request to take his photograph and never ask any man to take yours. An Indian woman approached in this way will probably snub the man. 11) A hotel employee might genuinely want to help you, as part of the ‘good service’ of the hotel. However, be alert. If the man looks at your breasts or crotch, refuse the help. There are always ladies around who can help. 12) It’s a sad reflection on our society but a woman who shows skin (legs above the knees, low cut top) is thought to be a woman who wants or deserves to be ogled at, molested or raped. There will be eve-teasing. (Update: I am adding this for those who feel that I am implying that women should as a rule dress modestly: No, this is not a morality lecture. I am giving tips on how to help yourself. If you think you can handle it, wearing a mini in a crowded public place, its fine. These are not hard and fast rules, simply tips. But generally you find that in India, girls in minis go around in cars, and do not use public transport. It is absolutely safe wearing a mini in mall or even on the streets, specially if you are accompanied by a male, but ofcourse you will get attention. Every woman has a different way of handling it, some can ignore it.) 13) Any woman who sits in a restaurant alone or is in fact even walking alone is considered a fair target by road-side romeos. By this I mean that there will be eve-teasing. 14) Be alert while standing in lines - airport lines, railway station lines or in fact any line. The guy behind you could be a pervert (don’t be fooled if he is well-dressed). It is easy for a man to sidle up to you in a line so casually and so quickly that you will only know when the feeling up or breathing down your neck process is over. 15) While walking on the road always be aware of those behind you. It’s not just a pick-pocket that you have to watch out for, but a pervert who will try to brush against you. There have also been several cases of cyclists coming from behind and grabbing a breast as they cycle past. This usually happens on deserted roads or at night. It happens often in Delhi. 16) Do not hang around alone in any one place for too long. People will notice and might get interested. 17) Do not for god’s sake travel to an Indian village unless you are in a group or with family. I know that the author of Shantaram (Gregory Roberts) did it but he was a toughie. Law and order in villages is not as good as it is in the cities. Rape is far more common in the country-side. You will realise if you read this article or this. 18) It goes without saying that do not ever go out to a deserted place. This applies to any place in the world I guess. 19) If you have to return home at night make sure you have trusted company and a vehicle. 20) Occasions like New Year’s when people get drunk and are feeling festive are dangerous nights. Even people in a vehicle can be stopped. Anything can happen. People I know make it a habit to stay the night at the party and leave the next morning. 21) Avoid wearing a swimsuit unless you are in a really good hotel…or in Goa! Ofcourse if you don’t care about the stares, it’s fine. 22) Avoid a scene. Do not imagine that the public (no, not even women) or the police will support you. Lewd remarks, leering and touching strange women are not considered serious issues. Women who talk about it are thought to be making too much fuss. Unless ofcourse you are in a decent place and/or in a group…but then this might not happen in the first place. These kind of incidents usually happen when a woman is alone - at a railway station or in a bus. 23) Carry a pepper spray at all times. You may ofcourse never need it. Safety issues in different cities based on my personal experiences: DELHI - a city in which I lived for almost 6 years. This city is unsafe for women. Being alone in any public place is a risk even in the day . Going out after dark is positively dangerous. Ogling, lewd remarks, touching is a daily ocurrence. Rape statistics are high. Women drivers are often heckled. Cab and rickshaw drivers are not to be trusted. CALCUTTA - a city in which I lived in for 4 years. Though the city is generally safe, there are not too many women on the roads. One of the reasons is that the percentage of working women in this city is not too high. However, even in vegetable markets I was usually surrounded by men buying vegetables. It felt odd. Yes, there is plenty of staring but as long as you avoid going out after dark chances of being molested are very low. I have traveled in Calcutta by a public bus (not crowded) and have never faced a problem. Once on the metro I had a bad experience - in a crowd. While the local Bengali people are respectful towards women, there are a lot of bad elements from other states who live there. This city is not safe after dark. BANGALORE - We lived here for a good four years. It is generally safe to move around alone in this city. You will find plenty of women on the roads, in rickshaws, behind the wheel in cars, in pubs…infact everywhere! This itself makes one feel safe.
4. Make sure not to drink tap water or allow bath water to go into the mouth. Especially in the first couple of weeks. After two weeks you can eat ice creams and brush the teeth with tap waters. Mumbai (Bombay) is like New York City, you won't have any troubles with the finding of malls. only everyone wears the jeans now so don't be looking like the dorks in shalwar kameez. And don't worry about the whole girls thing yaar. This isn't Taliban territory. Just be prepared for people to stare at you and nothing else. Go to Delhi for a day of shopping, they have the best native clothes. Go to Khan market especially. And don't worry after couple weeks you will not be having problems with the foods. You will be used to foods there.
5. you are goin to have fun kid.. just make sure you drink safe & clean water... try to b on juice or fruit.. BUT dnt 4get to eat dhosa & idli.. in madras & all d things in mumbai... like chat , sandwich etc..lol