"Don't go to India because ..." Prejudices and Misconceptions Collected

I clearly remember being in Sainsburys the day after I left India, feeling terribly sad, a sense of loss as if I had dreamt the whole trip.

This is a great way to describe the let-down feeling associated with coming back from a trip.

Do not go to India because if you will come back you will not able to understand reality including shopping in Sainsbury's.

Or people at home standing at bus stops trying their hardest to pretend the others are not there.

(My lasting impression of my first return from a several-months India trip, indeed.)

There are also positive prejudices and misconceptions that are just as absurd!

No need to mention them: they are easy to find here






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What, you mean as in Kanchipuram doesn't smell all of roses?

I do not understand why only I like your post.

Oh, don't worry about it, Ivana. I get not liked a lot

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Here's Drews60's long list of pretrip warnings recieved:

My First Solo Trip to India

i can empathise with Drew. Before my trip i was warned about it seemed everything to do with India. I was left wondering why anyone went there at all. While i appreciated the advice received before i left, i am glad that i disregarded most of it within 2 days of landing in India. As an example i was warned repeatedly that i would be pickpocketed. I sewed hidden pockets in my shirts and wore an extremely uncomfortable under the clothes wallet which i discarded after 1 day. I was careful but there were no incidents at all. I only toured Southern India, and am aware it is probably not as 'frontier' as in the north.
zamba

PeakXV, I thought this blog was for a giggle about prejudices.

May I suggest the pretrip warning references by Drews60 said more about the American psyche than their prejudices!!



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LOL. Actually, the thread title has been Mod altered a bit over the years - mostly likely because of the all too serious psyche of certain non North Americans.

Incidentally, ironically Drews60 did eventually wind up with the giardia parasite (quite possibly from his many street eats?) with which he is presently trying to rid himself of.

PeakXV

Elsewhere on IndiaMike is advice to get the the Cholera vaccine. While it is intended to assist in the prevention of Cholera, it also has the wonderful side effect of minimising bodily reactions to the various stomach bugs.

There are oral and intravenous forms of the vaccine

I don't know if it helps post trip, but possibly worth investigating.

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Sorry, out of topic.

Cholera vaccine? I think I am missing the vaccine. Do you have an experience from the UK? They usually give to India - vaccine A+B hepatitis, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid.

I read a leaflet regarding malaria vaccine. Do you havean experience?

Ivana

I don't remember the details, but I think the cholera vaccine(s) are not widely prescribed or administered or indeed even recommended anymore, and haven't been for some decades, owing to their low level of effectivenes or something. I think it may still be prescribed to specific destinations, and/or to high-risk target groups. It's never been suggested to me for travel to India or to Thailand, nor anywhere else for that matter.

A malaria vaccine (other than the existing prophylactics) has long been sought after; I don't know about the current state of affairs, but as per my latest am not aware one exists yet (my last tropical trip having been two years ago, and my info from the Netherlands, where I'm not unhappy with travel health advice by our public health care services). There exist various strains of malaria, in any case; I've no idea if those sought after would target them all at once.