Travel Tip Number10 - Taking the Middle Road

I am really enjoying all the Holiday cheer and entertainment that Tennessee has to offer. Parties with dear old friends, Christmas concerts, and special Christmas meditations.

Someone asked me about the quality of the hotels we stay in on these tours to India. Someone else asked about staying in the ashrams - why we don't?

The tour company that works for us has picked some older, interesting, and high quality 3 and 4 star hotels. There are some really beautiful places, but they are a little older and not as expensive. For me, one of the most important things is to be able to come back to a hot shower after a day of touring. Hot water seems to be a luxury in India. Also I like some air-conditioning now and then. One of the hotels in Southern India even had a "Best Western" sign at the registration desk! So that is the general category, if that means something to you. Also the hotels we stay at are known for having excellent food.

The ashrams have no air-conditioning and as for hot showers -- well, one monk told me (when I asked him about it) that the water was hot enough. Later I asked a lady staying there, in Ranchi, and she described the water as not being hot at all.

India also has fabulous 5 star accommodations available, if you can afford it. But I like to travel to historical and SRF areas that are not necessarily high tourist areas where we can meet and interact with ordinary people -- not the extreme personalities you see on the tv news. I like to travel the Middle Road and meet regular folks so that India feels like a second home to me.

Travel Tip Number 9 - Guides

Dear Reader, by now you must be asking yourself -- if I have all this information, why do I need a tour guide?

The answer is very simple. A tour guide is essential. We visit India because the culture is just that different -- perhaps the mirror opposite of what we are used to. To experience that difference in the most enjoyable way -- we MUST have a tour guide. A Tour Guide takes care of us in the most basic ways -- as an interface with all the hotels, drivers, local guides, restaurants, etc. By interface I also mean protection. India is so crowded with enthusiastic ebullient people who want to help. If you were traveling alone, you might interpret this as an attack. Especially we Americans, who are used to doing everything for ourselves. We are not used to this level of helpfulness. We are not used to this level of being observed. And it is true -- our every move seems to be watched by all (good and bad if you like).

But if you stay within your own level of understanding about how the world works, i.e. travelling alone and protecting yourself, you will MISS the culture of India and its great gift to the world. The people of India have an openness and friendly quality that invites you to be part of their greater extended family at every turn, in ways you cannot imagine. But if you are traveling with a trusted guide, you can relax into the process. You can enjoy this unusual culture. You can enjoy your trip with a continual feeling of safety. The trip will feel like a true Pilgrimage and not a punishment.

There is also a monetary benefit to being on a tour. Our tour company gets us the best discount prices at hotels because we are a group. You could not travel through India alone and get the discount prices from hotels and private transportation that the tour company gets for us.

So planning ahead and traveling with a tour group is really the best way to travel!

Travel Tip Number 8 - Cooked Food

Because electricity is unreliable, refrigeration is also unreliable. However, as a developing country, India is working hard to fix these structural problems. But I don't think they will abandon this excellent custom -- No Leftovers!! Food is ALWAYS cooked fresh!

If you have eaten in Indian restaurants in America, you will recognize the names of many of the dishes offered to you. However each section of India has it's own version of that dish. So there will be some hopefully pleasant surprises. Also you will learn about many new tasty dishes.

If you are not familiar with Indian food, start eating at your local Indian restaurants and getting used to the food as a preparation for your trip. American food offering will be limited but some will be available. In many ways the Indian cuisine is more healthy than the average American diet. The spices have medicinal value. Consider this a spa diet!

The food at the ashrams that we will visit is also very healthy and safe. The YSS ashrams have many visitors from America and Europe and therefore are prepared. The food there is less spicey and more simple, but tastes wonderful!

The HT tour visits the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the restaurants will offer fresh caught fish. This is also very good.

Travel Tip Number 7 - Raw Food

We will be staying in good hotels that use filtered water to wash the fruits and vegetables. When you stop and think about it -- these hotels do not want to lose their good status with the tour companies, so they are very careful. But we need to be careful also! Here are a few important considerations.

Has the fruit or vegetable been pealed? That pealing can eliminate all worries. We will find at hotel buffets trays of pealed and sliced vegetables -- cucumbers, carrots, apples, papayas, the list goes on and on. These foods are ok to eat raw.

LETTUCE is the biggest problem. All the little ridges in lettuce cannot be scrubbed adequately and of course lettuce cannot be pealed. Do yourself a favor and Forget that Lettuce even exists!! And I am not exaggerating. The fanciest and cleanest restaurants will offer you lettuce -- do NOT take it. Recent problems with santitation in the US should already have you convinced about this.

BANANAS offer the perfect fruit. Easy to peal and eat. Plus there are so many unusual and different varieties to try as we travel along. Also we will have the opportunity to drink fresh coconut milk out of the coconut and then eat the "gel" inside. What a treat!

Travel Tip Number 6 - Showers

In order to consider your health and safety in India, we recommend you take showers and Not sit in a bathtub. I will leave the reasons why up to your imagination.

Having said that, I must also say that the shower system in India is one of my favorite things. There are these big walk-in marble showers that I just love. If I was going to re-model the bathroom in my home, I would try to design a shower like they have in India. There is so much room to stretch around in the water. Maybe it sounds a bit silly to say all this. But one last thing -- after 2 weeks in India my skin takes on a robust hardiness that feels very healthy. I don't know what causes that. I can guess that it is the lack of chlorine in the water, but I don't really know.

Anyway, showers are healthy and safe and enjoyable!