...to start making plans for our first trip to India! A quick glance at my dashboard today served as a reminder that we will be traveling to Delhi in less than two months! Off to a land where 100 degree heat is for amateurs. Or rather, it's for Americans, since we seem to be the only country still measuring our temperature in Fahrenheit.
Ah well, guess I'll begin my Indian immersion starting with my complaints about the weather. (Unfortunately, "it was a sweltering 38 degrees out today" just doesn't sound quite right.) And speaking of the weather, what exactly is meant by "monsoon season" in Delhi? To all the veterans-- are we talking tsunami like waves and canoeing down the streets, a light afternoon drizzle, or something in between? Also, if your Friday at work is dragging along at a particularly painful pace, we'd love any comments finishing the following sentence: "One thing I wish I knew before making my first trip to India was..." Thanks to all in advance-- looking forward to repaying the favor someday!
One thing I wish I knew before making my first trip to india was that it isn't like a bollywood movie. As to rainy season, I completely ruined a pair of trainers. Get some Crocs or similar. Your feet will get wet but your shoes won't be ruined. That's what I wear for rainy season in Korea as well.
ReplyDeleteOur first trip to India was during Monsoon season and we never saw a drop of rain in the two weeks we were there. Like you, we will be there in two months so we are both in for our first monsoon eperience together!
ReplyDeleteWe brought way too many snacks and forgot immonium ad. Lots of helpful suggestions here too:
ReplyDeletehttp://3rdstreetnw.blogspot.com/2010/10/dont-forget.html
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One thing I wish I knew before MOVING to India was that I would never get used to it. I'm glad for it too. You will love India and you will hate India and that's what is so great about India. As far as the monsoons, you'll want to get shoes that will protect your feet from muck but will also breathe and dry quickly. I know they are not the most stylish but keens are the best. Lots of people go with crocs but they can be very slippery when walking on wet marble of which there is lots. Hope this helps. I'd be happy to answer any other questions :)
ReplyDeleteThe Indian monsoon is totally predictable. Last year the monsoon got started really late and lasted really late in the year. We've lived through three and none of them were the same. What is typical, I understand, is strong rains a few times through the day. Usually these rains last for 30 minutes to an hour and then they stop. The problem this creates is for driving (try not to be in cars when it rains -- imagine a parking lot on the road), for shopping (so many of the open air markets don't have adequate drainage, so there end up being massive puddles) and being outside in general because of the oppressive humidity that follows. It's not awful, but it definitely isn't my favorite time of the year to live in Delhi! Oh, and the comment about shoes is correct. Chad and I both have Keens sandals, and we think that they are the absolutely PERFECT shoe/sandal for India.
ReplyDeleteHmm... One thing I wish I would have known before making my first trip to Delhi. This is a hard one for me. Nothing comes to mind immediately. We've spent three years exploring India and at every turn we find something new and different. Nothing that anyone could have said would have prepared me for the adventure we encountered. But one person, an Indian, did tell me the first week I was in India that "India is so big that anything you say about it is true." That is as close as any statement has come to capturing what we live every day.
One thing I wish I knew before making my first trip to india was that I would love it but find it very difficult all at the same time. It's such an amazing place but the poverty and the begging (especially the children) sometimes make it hard to say that I 'liked' being there. Agree with those who say to get some shoes that you can just wash off in the bath, along with your legs, after you've been out in the rain.
ReplyDeleteum. when I said predictable, i meant totally unpredictable! my bad!
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