Loacker

I've always wanted to see the Taj Mahal, but the amount of trash and filh have put me off any potential trip to the India. A friend who's recently been to the country confirmed all my fears. She told me that people defecate on the street and train tracks and skinny cows roam the streets. She even had pictures to show me. Seriously, how can one enjoy India? Is there a way I can be parachuted into the the Taj Mahal without seeing all the misery in Agra?

crellston

Perhaps your friend secretly really likes India but doesn't want to meet up with you there! I am sure it is possible to be parachuted into the Taj Mahal, just watch out for the pointy bits!

dgunbug

It sounds like you've already made up your mind and you should probably stay at home where you will be much more comfortable and sheltered from any unavoidable discomforts encountered while traveling. Yes, there is much filth in India, however, I did not find the smells to be offensive. While there is poverty and trash on the streets, unpaved roads and dirt paths in many areas, people and animals urinating and deficating out in the open, India is a nation steeped in a rich history with some of the most amazing architectural wonders of the world. The sites, sounds and colors make India an unforgettably rich country and an experience that make most who journey there yearn to return for more.

julies

We love India and have spent nearly four months there, but India is not for everyone. In fact, on some of our trips while walking or visiting places we have started to enumerate our friends and say to ourselves this is not for them (many, many fit in this category.

I too have never been bothered by any smells (something many people seem to talk about). Yes, there is incredible dirt and trash in places. If this will put you off, I'd probably stay home and visit other countries that meet your sanitary conditions. But, I'll feel sorry that you will be missing an incredibly rich and varied and not-to-be-found elsewhere cultural experience.

jacketwatch

Well if say Singapore or Japan for cleanliness is 10 then India is about a 4. We've been there 7 times as my wife is from there. However it's not just the lack of cleanliness but also the health concerns that go with that and then there is the air pollution especially in Delhi to weigh in.

If you choose to go be sure it's in fall or winter as summer heat or even spring heat could be brutal. I mean temps like 112F give or take. However fall/winter is fine nd a touch cool for us but nice but for locals 65F seems freezing.

Honestly after 7 trips we've had it. Our last visit was 2013 and my wife got some horrid gi bug requiring a 5 day hosp. stay so do get health insurance if you go. At first it wasn't so bad as its all new but over time it wears you down and sadly since our 1st trip in 1978 it's still pretty filthy.

I think if you are that put off by trash and filth then skip it. However the Taj is truly a wonder and Delhi has amazing sights. I must add that my SIL in Delhi says there is a very nasty flu going around there (Delhi) now and last night our friend comfirmed this and said it has caused severe illness and has even been fatal. Clearly for us that's it. JM2C.

Loacker

Jacketwatch, did you wife eat any street food or did she get the gu bug from an upscale restaurant?

jacketwatch

She got it in Ajmer which is especially dirty The streets have open sewers. We never eat street food but I think it hay have been from the food catered at our nieces wedding. I got sick too but I responded to the ATB's which she also took but for her it was far worse.

Loacker

What are the chances of falling sick if one sticks to canned food, cereal bars, and bottled water?

dgunbug

Loacker - on our first one month trip I became sick as I entered the plane for our return trip to the USA. It wasn't a fun journey home. One needs to take precautions as the sanitation is not optimal. That being said, I got sick two times in Israel from food that I ate, so it can happen anywhere. We mostly ate in our hotels with the exception of a few outside restaurants on our first trip. On the second journey, I ate frequently at rest stops where our driver took us and never experienced a problem. I do suggest taking bars for the times that you are too busy to stop or if the sanitation does not look optimal.

jacketwatch

Sorry I can't really say. Certainly they are lessened and cooked food is usually fine but then again you could get an air borne illness too. Following precautions like you mentioned should be effective for food borne illnesses but then again you will miss out on the great tastes of India which at a better eating establishment like a fine restaurant or hotel should have better quality controls. No guarantee but I think the chances of getting a food borne illness there are way down. This has been debated on this forum quite bit so I will just say this is my opinion and I have my reasons. We had street food the 1st two times we went to India and the 1st time I got a little bug, no biggie and my BIL neighbor was a drug rep so he gave me some meds, took it, no issues. However the 2nd time was major illness. I got typhoid fever which began on our last day. Got home, a day later in the hospital for two weeks. I mean major sick. Good thing I was only 32 then. Now who knows but there is no chance of that as we are done going there. Too bad but my wife is now 67 and its just too much risk, especially as all our Indian friends who go there regularly say things are getting worse. For us even w/o health concerns its just too rough a place to go. I am tired of fending off people who want to rip us off and that happens every time.

jacketwatch

You can get sick anywhere but I beg to differ as the chances of that happening in India are greater or anywhere that the sanitation is not up to our standards. Our tummies just aint used to those kind of bugs. .

Kathie

No guarantees anywhere. But if you follow routine food and water precautions, you can reduce your chances of illness greatly. Neither of us got sick on our India trip. Eating canned food and cereal bars would be enough to make me sick! There is a lot of really wonderful food in India. To make yourself too afraid to eat any of it would be a pity. If you are that afraid of traveling to India, you shouldn't go.

By the way, if you do decide to go, make sure you have all of the appropriate immunizations, including typhoid and Hep A.

Kindgirl

You have already made up your mind , pointless in asking, you will be more comfortable at home. BTW, we had a wonderful trip in India this May.

jacketwatch

Wow! May is very hot. What part (s) of India did you go to?

julies

Cereal bars, canned food, and bottled water only?! You have got to be kidding that you would even consider a steady diet of nothing but this. Certainly everyone should always drink bottled water (or bring a purifier as we do), and we always bring one box of granola bars for desperation measure when we are hungry and there is no food available. But, what you are suggesting is way, way, way over the top as far as food health precautions.

Don't go.

BigRuss

<<What are the chances of falling sick if one sticks to canned food, cereal bars, and bottled water?>>

You're getting a lot of seriously judgmental answers here and the fact is that jacketwatch is telling you straight information about "Delhi belly" and the dangers thereof. I wouldn't live on this diet and in major cities with legitimate top-end hotels (especially major western Europe or Anglospheric top chains), I'd feel ok eating the food.

But the fact remains, you will have to take high precautions, bring strong antidiarrheal meds, a water purification system (see REI's offerings) and you're not going to be assured that you won't get sick. The offerings in India may be worth it for you under those conditions.

shelleyk

We spent 2 weeks in northern India about 5 years ago. We do not care for Indian food and never eat it in the US. We easily survived in India on western breakfasts and dinners in four and five star hotels and on granola bars. We did not get sick, though we brought meds just in case. I liked our trip, and liked it even more in retrospect once we returned home and looked at our photos.

Travelling in India is challenging, not just because of the food hygiene issue, but also because of the poverty one encounters. I think you should carefully consider whether you would enjoy such a trip. In answer to your question, most of the streets in India that I viewed, were basically very dirty.

CaliNurse

For sure Loacker, you do see such sights. However, loving India, for me, those negatives are more than worth it...in fact, part of the entire experience. There's so much more to India than filth and the Taj Mahal. In comparison, a perfectly clean place like Singapore --with its many plusses for a visit--seems a bit too sterile, and doesn't "lure me back" as India always does. To each his own.

It depends on your level of tolerance. Ask yourself what is your favorite place to visit, and what appeals there?
If neatness, odorlessness, and order are part of the reasons you most enjoy that destination, then I'd guess India is not a place you'll love.

JulieS--big welcome back!!!! Great to "see" you here again!

julies

CaliNurse--

Thanks. The past six months or so we've been super busy and we haven't had time for any travel-related things. Now, I'm busy planning a three week trip to SW France next month, so thought I'd bop over here from the Europe forums.


Loacker--I'll be interested to hear what you are now thinking about India after hearing all of these perspectives.

dgunbug

Julies - also glad to see you back! Hope we see more of you.

Loacker - did not mean to be so judgmental. My husband swore off India for 15 years, but finally relented after I kept reading him excerpts from trip reports. India has been the most fascinating destination for us and we returned for a second month trip, despite me getting ill on the last day of my first trip. On the second trip we did bring protein bars, but I mostly used them for lunch if we were on the road and too busy to eat. There is no guarantee that you won't get sick, but with travel meds and precaution, you should be fine. Of course only you can weigh the risks and your tolerance for the poverty and filth. The rewards, IMO far outweigh the challenges that are India.