With a week to go before my departure for India I feel both anxious and nervous. No matter how much I read about India and Dharamsala there seems to be an unknown factor. I guess that’s the interesting part of traveling.
My son Chris, has drawn sad faces on my departure date on the family calendar and he is counting down for me. It is beginning to hit me that I will be away from my children and my husband for 11 weeks. For sure I am going to miss them. So, in preparation for this void I borrowed a web cam, bought a headset and learned how to use Skype. However, due to limited access to cybercafés I might be communicating to them only once a week.
One huge dilemma for me in the last month has been whether to take Malaria pills or not. Many travel doctors are recommending them according to the malaria risk map. But after reading the possible side effects and talking to some people who have taken them made it difficult for my decision to take them. Some possible side effects are stomach pain, depression, psychosis, difficulty with night vision and they appear to affect many people. With the passing of the monsoon season in India and Dharamsala being at high altitude the risk of malaria is greatly reduced. After discussing this further with another doctor and my Faculty Associate I have decided not to take malaria pills. To further reduce the risk I am bringing lots of natural insect repellant with citronella (extract from lemon grass roots) for application directly on my skin and insect repellant with Deet (quite a harmful chemical) on my clothes. I will also bring a mosquito net for my sleeping quarter and hopefully will keep mosquitoes away from me.
The temperature at Delhi this week averages about 37°C, but to avoid being inappropriately touched by strangers it is advised to wear clothes that do not show too much skin. Dressing with good coverage is also a way to respect the Tibetan and Indian culture. While working in schools long pants, long sleeve tops and exercise shorts with knee length are required. My problem is that I will not be comfortable wearing my long sleeve tops and pants from Canada in such heat. One way to solve this problem is to wear local attire. So, my strategy is not to bring too many clothes and I plan to buy local outfits as soon as I get there. Apparently I can get a custom made outfit with cool fabric for ~ $5 Cdn!
Indian cuisine varies from region to region, which means the variety and the amount of spices may be quite different. Although I enjoy India cuisine in Vancouver, however I plan to ease my stomach into India’s spicy cooking. I will be packing some bottled water and some comfort foods (peanut butter, granola bars and some dried fruits and nuts) in my luggage. I have also begun to take probiotic supplement to increase the healthy bacteria load in my stomach. In addition, I will bring some electrolyte in case I do get diaharrea, but I really hope that I will not get sick!
My next entry will be from India! Seven more sleeps…
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Hi Laurie, bring lots and lots of water, a friend of mine goes to India often and he suggest that you take Malaria pills, the side effects will offset the sickness. This will be a real test for you to be away from Edmond and the kids for so long. Wonder who is the first to start crying....ha ha ha. I think after you come back, you will really appreciate who wonderful Vancouver really is (incase you haven't discover it yet). How fortunate we are to be in the west world. Any who, you can add me on SKYPE as contact since we will be very close, time zone wise. My skype name is asianpremiums1, my email is sales@asianpremiums.com Hope to hear from you soon, take care, I will be following your blog!! bye
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