<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by lamandel:
Hi. I have travelled to India a lot. I lived in Bombay for six months. I can honestly say that if you just talk to people where ever you go you will be taken to their homes for food, (take sweets (phonetically met-i) from a vegetarian place). Tell them you are a vegetarian and you will enjoy anything they serve. Meat tends to not be cooked and refrigerated like at home. Also avoid Kulfi (ice cream as you can get a really bad kind of tuberculosis).
Hospitality in India is different. The visitor is potentially G-d. Therefore you will receive offers of lodging and food and no will ever ask you when you will leave. You must not exploit this but it is useful to know.
Once after about three months of no sex in India, I met a very well turned out Indian man. We had lunch a few times and he invited me to visit him at home for dinner. He sent his car and driver. I was certain romance was in the air and put on my red Victoria Secret undies which gave me amazing cleavage (by Indian standards)under my Indian suit. You can imagine my embarassment when we pulled up to his house and his mother, his wife and his four kids came out to greet me. I kept trying to make sure the red bra didn't poke out at the neckline during dinner!
Anyway after this embarassing adventure I got the "straight goods" on the Indian concept of "guests".
I agree with the person who said be sure they know you don't want to buy anything or go to any shops.
Enjoy your travels and see Jaipur and stay at the Rambagh Palace!
All the best
Leslie</font>
Had I known, I would have send my wife, mother and kids away.
