Here's a list of 20 things foreigners will face when arriving to India.
- Depending on the city (most of them actually), you WILL get ripped off by rickshaw drivers. Even if they go by the city-mandated meter, expect to pay double or triple.
- Smells, oh the smells. I've never been in an area where one second you smell fresh mangoes, and the next raw sewage.
- Drink bottled water only, please. Consumption of bottled water has become so widespread that they're available everywhere. And they're cheap - 1L bottles are around 20 rupees, or 33 US cents.
- Eat mangoes.
- Eat some jackfruit as well, since they are pretty much unavailable in the States. They taste like those striped zebra-gum that we used to get as a child.
- While city to city flights are cheap (as low as $24!), consider taking a train to your next destination. There's nothing like seeing the scenery change on a peaceful train ride.
- Learn to live without toilet paper. Use the water hose, and use it well.
- Take your anti-malarials, and bring any other kind of medicine - Aleve, Pepto Bismol, etc. Seriously, because finding the equivalent here is actually quite hard.
- Eat more mangoes.
- Be prepared to get sick. It will happen, it's just a matter of time.
- Get used to cold showers. Only a select few places will have access to hot water. But in some cities, that will be fine as the temperature is scorching hot.
- Get used to living without internet. Reliable internet is not a common trait - you'll have slow speeds in most of the areas you go.
- Power cuts are normal - it's a way of life.
- Bring mosquito repellent. It doesn't matter if you never get bit in the states. Here, mosquito love diversity.
- Pack half the amount of things, bring double the money. Lugging around a lot of weight isn't fun, nor is it smart. You don't need 5 pairs of shoes.
- Bring things only that you are willing to lose, meaning don't bring expensive items.
- Watch some Bollywood films, and learn to dance.
- The traffic is insane. Seriously, watch out when crossing the street. One ways are optional, drivers will disregard this fact.
- Haggle in the marketplace. No, don't do it when you're at a grocery store.
- There are a lot of different kinds of bananas. Try all of them!