Being Young, Looking Young: Is it a problem?

machadinha

Sage advice yes, bears repeating every so often. This is what I saw around me, too. To think you're in a new love affair with that nice temporary roommate & travel partner only to wake up with your money and passport and ticket gone is really no fun (or so I imagine, luckily never happened to me, but it might as well have I suppose and one runs into those indeed).

As for the chemical and so on bit... hey, we all have our things to experience and go through, but getting screwed up is always much better done in the safety of a place you call home.

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kristinm

Or at least with someone you know extremely well and trust implicitly... one of the advantages of travelling with a mate I guess..

hellogoodbye

oops

clearly I meant 5'

kristinm

dzibead

Just teasing you.

devorenm

Well I'm 19, although I generally pass for 22-23 or so (which is nice here in the states) but I have traveled in India with several students in and around your age and I can tell you the stupid things that they do that get them in trouble and/or piss people off.

The first I think is a good rule reguardless of age and may be obvious but some people need to be reminded suprisingly often. You are not better than the Indians, your country is not better than India, even when your sick and its 100 degrees out, and the power keeps going off it still doesn't make you better than anyone and thinking you are will not make the trip better it will just make you an ethnocentric asshole.

But seriously, as a young white guy you will be a target for many beggers and shop keepers. Do what you feel is right for the beggers, a wave of the hand no and a smile is typically enough to get them to go away or if you feel so inclined a few rupees would be much appreciated. Just be aware of little kids who want you to buy them "milk" as you will leave the shop about 600 rs poorer than when you went in (it's a really popular scam for little boys), also anyone who wants to make you part of a business venture is probably up to no good.

Having said this, another mistake alot of young folks make is that they assume everyone is out to get them and try to avoid any kind of intimate contact/conversation (I don't mean sex, more on that later). It will not be uncommon (in fact expect it) that an Indian will ask you questions about your family, marital status, financial situation (they will ask blunty how much you make a month), and other questions that you might consider "persona". Secondly, if you are invited to ones home for a meal or to stay (which is also very likely if you are agressive in meeting people which I guarentee will make the trip much more fun) I would seriously consider the invetation (this is sure to happen if you spend any amount of time in the Punjab).

Thirdly, even though your young your stomach is not made of steel, be careful about what/where you eat. Avoide anything that is not cooked, especailly fresh vegetables/fruit unless you bought it, washed it, and cut it yourself. Local water will make you ill, buy a bunch of purifier tablets and a couple of stainless steel water bottles and take them, the tablets take about 30 minutes to kill all of the microbes that can make you ill so you can alternate which one your carring so one is always fresh and the other is "purifying". ALWAYS carry your own water so that you can politly decline water that someone offers you because you "have some already". Chai is almost always ok, learn to love it, because you will be drinking it everday at 10 and 4.

Ok, more about the sex thing now. You will fall in love with Indian Girls, they are gorgeous, believe me I get it. However being intimate/having sex with the locals is not something to be taken lightly. First off, HIV is a very real risk. Secondly, gender roles in India are still somehwat problematic by western standards and if it gets around that your partner had sex with you although you will probably not get in much trouble she could have alot of issues with family etc. (Disclaimer I spend most of my time in Rural Northern India and this may be different in the south and in more liberal urban centers, perhaps one of the other members can fill this in) As for having sex with other white folks, be careful the same way you would back home and watch yout passport, money, etc.

A word about passports, guard it with your life, because it basically is, it will be very time consuming and very expensive to get a new one, be super careful at money changers as it is very easy to walk off without your passport and believe me it will give you and the indian money changer a lot of uneeded stress. (I have had multiple peers I was travelling with do this).

Really I can't forsee any problems with travelling because your young, just use common sense as with travelling anywhere but don't spend your time in India as an outsider. I know as an anthropology student and as an amateur photographer that the best work (and usually the only work worth anything) won't be found until you get "in" to the local culture. You've picked a good country because while India is incredible diverse geographically for the most part Indians are incredibly hospitable, curious, and fond of travellers.

So yeah, basically moral of the story, India Rocks, Go, Be Smart.

devorenm

Oh I forgot, as for budgetting, I think 1000rs a day would be more than sufficent, if you can swing it you might want to budget 1000rs a day for an average day and then say 2000rs one day a week, this will allow you to get a nice hotel and a "gourmet" meal one day a week which in my opinion makes travelling much more tolerable as it negates the burnout that one can get from living the "travler" lifestyle. If you are up for it dorm beds can often be had for around 100rs a night and you could theoretically make do on between 300-400rs a day.

Gregor Samsa

Thanks again for all your wisdom. I think a good rule to follow is: "Greet people with open arms, but never let your guard down". Possibly a slight contradiction in terms, but a good rule nevertheless.

I'm not tempted by the chemical romances many people have to get in the mood, I'm much more of an organic kind'o guy.

Best wishes,
Gregor.

singsub

chemical romance??

Gregor Samsa

Drugs...

mazha

In India even the monkeys do it.

""

Ghosh wrote about "a miasma of lethargy" that seemed to be always hanging over the factory's surroundings - one example was the opium addled monkeys who would lap the open sewers carrying the factory's waste.

Monkeys still have the run of the factory, eating opium waste and dozing all day.

"They have become addicted to opium. Most of the time we have to drag dozing monkeys away from this place," a worker says."

""

See this for more background. Should be an interesting book.

singsub

ok now i understand chemical romance i depth. thanks.