Another warm clothes dilemma

FirstTimer

hi, does someone know if I need really warm clothes for beginning of October in Dharamsala?

the online weather forecast says it's going to be around 17C at night and 30C day, which sounds perfect to me, but I read a lot of posts here that it's really cold at night at that area, so I'm a little confused...

I'm planning to get salvar kameez once I arrive, but is it warm enough to wear at night?

thanks!!!
ps - can't wait!!! leaving in a few days

mridula

The cotton salwar kameez are not really warm, not even the synthetic ones. For me 17 degree is cold! I would pack some light woolens or as many others at this forum said, if you find it cold buy it locally it is not expensive at all. October is not going to be too cold. Wish you a nice trip.

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mridula

http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

traceyam

Silk longjohns work for me under salwar kameez. Wool/cashmere shawls work over salwar kameez, too.

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"Don't you sometimes wish the arctic was strawberry flavoured?" -- Thermoman

Chandra

17-30 degrees in October? That's not my experience... I remember it as cold. But I didn't have any problems finding the clothes I needed there.

ine b.

just remember that 17°C in Dharamsala can feel very different from 17°C in NYC due to humidity and so many other factors. I haven't been to Dharamsala, so I can't tell you how it will feel exactly, but I was in Northern Thailand last year, it was around 20°C and I was absolutely freezing, while I think 20°C at home is quite warm. But then again if you're going straight from NYC to Dharamsala maybe you will not find it cold.
You'll see when you get there, I guess, and you can always buy warmer clothes like Chandra says.

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FirstTimer

thanks gals! I think I'll use this excuse to do some shopping there

happytraveler

even though you got your answer, just wanted to add my 2 cents, since i just came back from Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj a couple of weeks ago. i wore a salwar kameez every day in the other places i visited in India but there i found loads of westerners and saw "western" wear all over the place so i ended up buying some tops and wearing the pants i brought for trekking. there are also super cute wrap fleece tops, wooly hats with earflaps, etc. that i wish i had bought...

you can also have the traditional tibetan dress made for you (never learned the name but it is like a full-length wrap dress with a blouse underneath) - i only saw indian tourists in salwars not really people out walking in the streets.

have a wonderful trip - i wish i was back there right now!

FirstTimer

Thanks happytraveler - actually I feel better after reading your post - I think it's going to be hard for me to pull off salwar kameez on my first week in India - haha after new york... so I'm glad it's ok to wear some western clothes there. few more days - can't wait

traceyam

The neat thing about SK is there isn't anything to "pull off." You just pull it on and go. Pin the dupatta in place at first if you want, but there really isn't anything difficult involved in wearing SK, honest. It's not a sari. It's like wearing really comfy pajamas.

Chandra

Indians are not really people??
Well, when I stayed there for two months to do my fieldwork I often put on a salwar kameez. It's a comfortable way of dressing, what ever people around me wear.

Or maybe it was because I didn't want to be associated with some of the crowd. This is where I met a girl wearing really-really low-waist jeans and a top that resembled a bikini top more than a tank top, who complained loudly about how she hated the Indian men because they were staring so much.

But, as happytraveler says, there are a lot of nice things to buy there, both western, asian/western and asian.

C

FirstTimer

traceyam - I was talking about the mental difficulty to replace my usual "office" attire with something that is as you call it "pajamas" I guess I'm gonna get some cultural shock but I agree that I should leave my low-rise "7" jeans at home

Chandra

I understand what you're saying. The first time I went to India it took me a couple of weeks to feel comfortable in Indian clothes. I felt like I was "dressing up" in a way, or intruding on someone elses domain. But it passed fairly quickly, and now I often wear Indian clothes even in tourist areas. Anyway, there are some really cool kameezes out there these days, and they go well with jeans, for instance.

C

camelgirl

I also like salwar kameez alot. Have a couple I never wear at home but just save for trips! The styles do actually change. One trip the length of the top was above my knees and a much later trip they were down to the ankles (with the long pants underneath). I felt very out of fashion when I tried to wear the short SK at the time long ones had become fashionable! From looking at photos I think shorter is in again!

But it may have to do with where in India you are. Like people in New York City generally don't dress the same as people in Idaho In Goa the local women seem to mostly wear skirts and blouses and dresses that remind me of the 1960s in the USA! Of course there are always women in Saris too. Then again, there are alot of people named Fernandez in Goa (thanks to being a Portugese colony until the 1960s and becoming a State in 1987). Sorry I've gotten