Rajasthan
 

Any advice for two not so young ladies travelling to India, mainly Rajasthan, in March

Enjoy!

Kathie, we intend to enjoy, but neither of us have been to India before, starting in Delhi, then have a car and driver to take us around Rajasthan, then to Agra. Will also visit Varanasi and fly back to Delhi for a couple of days at end of trip, 21 days.

Tell us what questions you have.

Appropriate clothing

Is it safe to eat street food

My doctor has given me anti malaria tablets, but I have heard dreadful things about the side4 effects, has anyone had experience of these tablets

only bottled water incl brushing teeth.... no street food!!!

eat only in upscale restaurants and finer hotels.... your driver will advise you....

no driving at night...none...

neemrana fort palace hotel for one night---between jaipur and delhi...

Here is the info on safe food and water precautions:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/disea...diarrhea_g.htm

Did you consult with a travel med or tropical med professional? There are a number of immunizations you should consider.

Which anti-malarial are you asking about? The various anti-malarials have very different side effect profiles.

Kathie it is Lariam 250mg

Larium has the most negative side effects. Malarone has the least that I am aware of but is the most expensive. I have never had any reaction to Malarone. We did not take any anti Malarial at all in India when I was there last Jan/Feb but did put deet on during dawn and dusk.

Thanks for that answer, I am leaning to omitting the anti malaria tabs and just using the repellant, it is good to know that you tried that without any problems

As I have said this before on this forum, make sure your car and driver are from a reputable car hire company - don't cut corners on this one - this will make all the difference in your trip. Don't even think about driving yourselves. Most of them speak English so communication shouldn't be too much of an issue, accents might be challenging though.

The heat should be bearable - approx about 35 deg C - carry a good suntan, a sun-hat and keep yourselves well hydrated.

Cotton clothes should be enough - shirts, t-shirts, long skirts, capris, etc. Try not to pick anything too revealing (deep necked, short skirts etc). Be ready to get stared at - they mean no harm, just curious - but this should be minimum if you follow the general tourist trails.

No street food. Have food only from good restaurants - as mentioned if your driver is an old hand he should know. Only bottled water. I wouldn't bother about bottled water for brushing your teeth if you are staying in a 4 star or upscale property.

Can't advise you about immunizations and shots - never taken them but I see that others have given you the info you were looking for.

In crowded places like Varanasi, Agra & be alert to your surroundings and your personal stuff (purse, camera, etc). Though violent crime is very very rare - small opportunist crimes like pick pocketing is common in such places (even Indians have to face this in crowded areas - so it is not as if they are targeting a foreigner, they usually target tourists - both local and international).

Enjoy your trip

Thanks for that, you are all very helpful. Can't wait to get there. ny thoughts about leaving valuables in hotel safe anyone?

If you are staying in an upmarket hotel or property the rooms will usually have an electronic safe in the cupboard. You can safely store your valuables there. If your room does not contain a safe make sure you take it with you. Invest in a good money belt which can be worn under your shirt in which you can carry your money, credit cards, passports etc. Try and leave jewels and the like back home instead of having to worry about it on your vacation.

Thank you for your help. amny thoughts on the safety or otherwise of hotel swimming pools

My experience is that they tend to be heavily chlorinated than what I'm used to back in the west, so if you are allergic then that might be a problem. Also one look and you could judge if it is well maintained or not - go with your instinct, if you think it does not look clean, don't risk falling sick. If you feel it looks clean then go for it.

I'm generally the adventurous type and have had no issues. Probably I'm immune to the local bugs as a result of me staying there for a few years ;).

Don't expect any lifeguards to be around - you are usually left on your own.

Larium is the anti-malalrial with the most and most serious side effects. Take a good look at the cdc webpage and see whether you are traveling to places with a high risk of malaria. If you are, you may want to consider a different anti-malarial. Malarone is the one with the fewest side effects. I took malarone on my trip (to a very different area of India).

If the doctor gave you Larium, I'm guessing he/she is not a travel med doc. Do make sure all of your routine immunizations are up to date (tetanus, in particular), depending on your age you might need a measles,mumps,rubella booster, a polio booster (India is a country that still has polio outbreaks). The two travel vaccines you I highly recommend are Hep A and typhoid. Both are diseases of sanitation, and you have no control over who handles your food (even in a 4 star place) and their hand-washing.

I agree that you should avoid Larium - one tablet was more than enough for me! However, I've been taking Malarone for several weeks, as I have done before, with absolutely no side effects. When I started traveling long term I visited a travel clinic, now I use the CDC website and my regular doctor, but I've had about all the inoculations I'm likely to need.

Thanks for the information, I had tetanus shot two years ago, and over the past few months I have had all the Hep, typhoid, etc. so I think it's all systems go and stop worryng - I will be careful but not timid

"Careful but not timid" Well put!!!! Do you mind if i use that expression some time?? (-:

Have a great trip, Patricia! Regards from another not-so-young lady!

Here's a "thread" on the topic of our generation traveling to India, from the marvelous chock-full-of-info Indiamike forum. For more on any topic related to India, and for you in particular, info on travel in Rajasthan, check it out.

http://www.indiamike.com/india/india...-india-t63314/

The other thing that I always take now is
Dukoral. It helps with travllers diarrhea and colera. If you have not done it before it is a two step process, you drink it.

I did not get sick at all on our trips to Tanzania, India or Laos
http://chealth.canoe.ca/drug_info_de...ticle_rating=1