omaralt

so i'll be taking a 2 week trip to india. One night in Delhi, followed by 10 days in Leh, and then another full day in Delhi. i've never been to India before, but have traveled in the middle east and europe. What precautions should i take? i've heard some people take the malaria treatment preemptively, but i would like to avoid it if possible. obviously i will bring bug spray. but anything else i'm missing. the dates are 8/13-8/27

manneca

Look on the Centers for Disease Control website for malaria advice. I imagine it's dependent on where you are going. Leh being in the Himalayas I doubt if it's necessary, but check.

Do not under any circumstances drink the water. Ever. Don't open your mouth in the shower. Follow the standard cautions for eating and drinking in the developing world. Wash your hands. Take pepto and Immodium (don't believe the myth that it's better to have the runs than take Immodium). Take some antibiotics for really bad cases of the runs. Are your vaccinations up to date? Are there some you may need for Leh? Check with a travel doctor. Do you have adequate health insurance that will cover you in a foreign country and includes evacuation coverage. (You might fall and break something.)

Make sure you have a visa. (I managed to forget I needed a visa once; thankfully I thought about checking just before I was going to purchase my plane tickets.)

How are you with altitude? Take it easy and breathe.

I've never been to Leh, but I have been to a number of places in northern India. It is not like traveling in Europe or the Middle East.

omaralt

thank you very much!

i'm a healthcare professional; so my vaccinations are up to date. i've already applied for the visa online and have been approved.

i'm aware of the water situation and will follow all you said and more. bottled water will be provided for us so i will avoid it.

they will give us a day to acclimate to the altitude before beginning our work (dental/medical trip). i am from Florida; so huge adjustment!

i will definitely take plenty of immodium and pepto with me.

thanks again!

Keyser

august is the month with the most reported dengue cases in delhi....you won't have any problem in leh but just be careful in delhi....use mosquito repellent & keep yourself covered as much as possible....the chances of you getting dengue are remote at best but it can't hurt to be extra careful....

omaralt

thanks. so what are food to avoid? i know water obviously. but what about fruits and vegetables?

filmdave

Avoid any raw fruits or vegetables unless they have a peel (i.e. bananas or melons). Basically, if it's something you'd wash with water at home, it's probably washed with water in India, too.

Cooked foods -- meats / vegetables / etc -- should all be fine. Consider daily probiotics as well to help with digestion issues.

Avoid food from street vendors.

desi

Getting sick in a far away foreign land is a tough cookie.

Risk Management is the prudent thing to do.

Medical Treatment in India is extremely affordable but still you should have insurance more for serious stuff like Evacuation after a serious fall.

Bug spray containing at least 30% DEET (try deep woods type from camping store) is advisable in Delhi area even at airport. (may not be needed in Leh) Malarone is Malaria prevention drug. There is no quick cure for Dengue - only prevention.

You may want to look into Acetazolamide for altitude sickness.

My personal preference is to avoid ANY meat (just to be safe) and avoid fruits/salads even at 5 star hotels. Only recently cooked HOT items. Plenty of freshly cooked safe vegeterian food choices should be available. Anyone insisting on eating Western dishes in rural India deserves the gastro punishment one is likely to get.

Tylenol, Ibuprefen, Immodium, Lots of Tums, Cough-drops, Band-Aid, Neosprin, Cortizone, Ammox or Zithromax (antibiotics are available in India over the counter at fraction of a cost (many made by same US/Euro companies like Pfizer, Glaxo, Novartis))

It might be helpful to get some historic/political background about the area you are visiting. (Leh is manily Buddhist region somewhat sympathetic to Tibet which has been occupied by Chineese. Luckily it is on the eastern edge of the Jammu-Kashmir state and hence not much affected by Pakistan sponsored terrorism)

Georgia Peach

The altitude in Leh took a little getting used to, but I didn't notice it after the second day. ChapStick or other lip balm is a must. The scenery is amazing - enjoy your trip!

Shounak

Definitely avoid salads.

Leh is an amazing place. Hope that you have time to sightsee around the area!

omaralt

thanks everybody! i'm definitely excited and we have plenty of sightseeing set up. the one frustration has been getting a sim card. i was planning on getting a sim card (unlocked iphone 6+) in Delhi, but i'm now reading that it wont work in Leh? it seems like only sim cards purchased in the state of Jammu and Kashmir work there? anybody have any advice on this? i mostly want data (3g/4g?) to communicate with back home via facetime.

whimsey21

On the "avoid water" front I'll also just remind you to ask for any cold drinks/water without ice. Seems obvious, but I've seen many people focus on making sure the drink itself is safe (from what I've read, carbonation is a plus), and forget about the fact that the ice added to it may not be made from bottled/boiled water...

emma69

Would ice be considered 'safe' in 4/5* hotels? I haven't traveled to India yet, a trip is planned, and just wanted to check - I have been places where it is *no ice not ever not no how* and places where it is *no ice, except in the nice bars / hotels* and was curious which to follow in India (Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra in my cases).

emma69

Oh and one more while I am here - how safe would chai be from street vendors? It sounds like a great chance to try some local flavour, and wondered if because it was boiled it would be safe? Or is that a 'not if you fancy seeing more than the loo for the next 48 hours' territory?

Shounak

If I remember correctly, post-paid sims of the bigger providers from anywhere in India will work in Ladakh (Airtel, BSNL and Vodafone). Aircel etc. won't work.

I've lost track of whether foreign tourists can get a post-paid connection though.

Pre-paid sims have to be purchased in J&K.

There are some good internet cafes in Leh, so that might be an option. You'll have to look around though. Some basically function at dialup speeds but I remember there being a few that were quite decent even 2 years ago.

Once you leave Leh, you'll have no service at all!

Shounak

At least in the Taj hotels that I've stayed at, they do use filtered water to make the ice. 4*s? I'm not so sure...you may always ask at the hotel.

You'll have to decide for yourself what you're comfortable with. In traveling to India over the past 30 years, I tend to sample lots of street cuisines and love chai. I've only fallen ill once...but that was typhoid.

Most hotels make a very good chai tea though! But if you really must sample from the street vendors, my only advice would be to bring your own cup/glass. They wash the used glasses with untreated water, so that is definitely not safe.