The Curse of the Delhi Belly: or being Sick in India

Sitting in my bed for the 3rd day in a row and dreadfully missing the beautiful caves of Ellora and Ajanta (and my beloved fellow FSPers) I thought I’d take the chance to blog a bit about being sick in India. Because let’s face it… no one is immune to the Delhi Belly. Before our departure, Dick’s house gave us an intense rundown on medical does and don’ts, a lot of which I found roll my eyes self obvious. Oh, poor innocent Meg. Following this “easy” advice has gotten harder and harder as the weeks go on. It gets annoying to carry a bottle of water into the bathroom every time you want to brush your teeth. You start craving salads. That fresh pineapple being cut by a street vendor in the old city looks too good to resist, or you forget to tell the waiter to hold the ice in your coke and you just decide to go with it. Regardless, you wind up spending two terrible nights camped on the Tagore bathroom floor with your blanket and a trashy romance novel, and another two days curled in bed feeling exhausted and trying to force down glass after glass of rehydration salts. But although this blog is partially an outlet for a “meg’s sick pity trip” (I really miss you guys!) what I really wanted to write about are the resources available. Being sick sucks, and when you’re sick it’s hard to figure out what to do, or who to go to, especially in a new environment. The campus health center is the obvious place to go, located right on campus with free treatment, but it’s nearly an hours walk from Tagore, definitely not an excursion I was capable of at the time. So enter my heroic roommate Mia, who suggested talking to Mr. Daas our house supervisor, who immediately called me a campus shuttle to take me directly to the health center. Once at the health center and accompanied by the wonderful Jyotsna, I checked in with a receptionist and waited for a doctor. After being bypassed by nearly three patients who came in after me, I learned quickly that waiting patiently was not going to cut it. With the help of my advocate Jyotsna, I really had to push my way into a doctor’s office. Once there, after a bit of trouble communicating (who knew “vomiting” could sound so much like “warm things”?) I was given a prescription for multiple medications, which were filled immediately at the prescription counter in the front. The whole trip was relatively easy, but did feel a bit unnerving as compared to my usual medical experiences. The doctor didn’t check me out, take my temperature, or ask more than a few cursory questions. My prescriptions were snipped off of a larger disposal of pills, and I was given no clear directions about what they were, or when/how I should take them, least of all potential side effects. Luckily, I’m into my second days of meds and feeling better, so all seems to have turned out well! Last but not least, I highly suggest the healing powers of Mulan and a skype call to your mom. They do wonders!

Goin' to Goa

Getting around India was a lot easier than I thought! A few of us took a 14-hour bus ride from Hyderabad to the beautiful beaches of Goa. Sleeper buses are another option (where there are bunk beds in the bus). There are also a lot of options in flying, as most major cities (and more minor cities) have airports.

It was such a relief to get a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The area of Goa we stayed in was Anjuna, also known as "Hippie's Paradise." LOL Anjuna is very friendly toward ex-pats and tourists: lots of English-speakers, lovely guesthouses/hostels, and diverse restaurants. There also wasn't any expectation for tourists to dress conservatively, so I felt pretty comfortable wearing whatever I would wear at a beach back in the states. And lots of bikini's and speedo's on the beach! (But I think this might also depend on the beach you go to. We were at Anjuna beach, which is a very Western touristy beach area. A more Indian-tourist beach area might have been different.)

This was the guesthouse we stayed at. It's called Anjunapalms Guesthouse. It had a lot of great reviews on hostelworld. Though the rooms were pretty basic, we requested a room with a/c and a private bath. And the Goan family who owned the guesthouse were WONDERFUL. They gave us a lot of tips on what to do, where to eat, and they even arranged transportation for us. The guesthouse was only a 10-minute walk from the beach!

Cows on the beach! What a life!

What was unique about the beach in Goa from other beaches I've been to are the ladies who carried baskets of fruit on their head. They sold you fresh fruit and cut it up for you, so it's ready to eat. There's nothing like eating fresh mangoes and pineapple while sunbathing next to the Arabian Sea!

- Amy '12

Pets!

Buffalo, monkeys and other wild animals can be spotted roaming our campus in Hyderabad; but dogs dominate the wild-animal scene throughout India. Most are scraggly looking pups who have likely never had a home, but a recent visit to Kolkata introduced me to a few canines who are living the luxurious life of a house-dog.

The emergence of a pet market is a sign of the new middle class in India. This group has money to spend not only on the appetites of their family members, but on their animals as well, and boy does it show! I'm no stranger to chubby pets, but these dogs surpassed most that I have ever seen in the states!
-RS

Art Summit In New Delhi

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/01/31/arts/design/20110131-summit.html

I thought this art summit in New Delhi was an interesting news-making affair. The event was geared not only for contemporary Indian art presentation but also as a massive sales event (amounting in more than $2 million of transactions). I thought this was indicative of a growing middle and upper class with dispensable income as well as education to appreciate the arts. The New York Times caries stories about India frequently, but is is more uncommon to see ones about art instead of travel and politics. - EH

Informal Blog on Food and Drinks

I thought I’d blog about food this time.

A lot of the food here is saucy, full of curry and spicy. At every meal at the Tagore International House they serve:
naan bread which I like to eat with

red/black/yellow dahl (dal). It’s made with lentil beans and the color depends on the type of curry you use. I love using the naan to swipe up the dahl and eat it together.

They also serve white rice or maybe fried rice.(The best rice I had here was a tomato rice in Jaiper). They also offer us tea/coffee/water/fanta or an Indian version of Coke called Thumbs Up! with every meal. We were warned NOT to drink any water unless it’s bottled and sealed, otherwise we would get really sick. We aren’t even supposed to brush our teeth with sink water (which I didn’t know until a week after we got here. I was using sink water to rinse my mouth but stopped when I found out this advice. I never felt sick though). We can’t even have ice in our pops!

 I’m usually a VERY picky eater when it comes to ingredients in my food, but here I’m forcing myself to try new things, not ask too many questions about the ingredients, and (if it’s good) to JUST EAT IT. The Int’l Students have special cooked meals served in our dorm where we can actually eat raw veggies/fruit without worrying about contaminated water! Otherwise, there are a few student hang outs where all the Indian students eat which are very small, roadside canteen-type “kitchens” where you pay 3 rupee for a chai and 5 rupee for a samosa (which I tried for the first time. DELICIOUS, see below). The canteen-type businesses are really just a stove/oven/frier under a tarp or in a wooden enclosure with plastic chairs to sit so we have to make sure everything we eat OUTSIDE the Tagore House is fully-cooked.


To get an idea of how cheap the food can be, 45 rupee = roughly $1 US! However, India serves their tea in tiny thimble-sized cups you commonly use to put ketchup in. They are tiny servings because Indians drink lots of tea throughout the day so they don’t want to overdose on tea. I also really love Frooti’s Mango Juice Boxes! Mmmm
                 (baby chai)

Another interesting thing I’ve noticed about India is the different flavors of chips they serve! The Lay’s chips aren’t flat and thin like in the States, but they’re all wavy. So far I’ve tried Lay’s “Spanish Tomato Tango” which reminded me of ketchup and I didn’t like them very much but they are very popular here. I also tried Lay’s “American-Style Cream & Onion” which tasted just like home, nomnom. Today I bought Lay’s “Caribbean Hot & Sweet Chilli” and Cheeto’s Whoosh “Fundoo Cheez” so I hope they taste good. I like that the food comes in different flavors unique to India’s taste/people.

The other night I had a traditional dessert which is a specialty to Hyderabad called Khubani Ka Meetha (see below). It had apricots in a VERY sweet, sugary sauce with ice cream. It was good but not my fave. All Indian desserts are way more sugary than American desserts and are usually covered in a sugar sauce. The cakes are also more dry and crumbly, not as moist as Western desserts.



I absolutely LOVE spicy food (at home I put hot sauce on everything) so the hotness hasn’t gotten old for me, but I am getting a little tired of curry! Yesterday we went to the InOrbit Mall which is very Westernized where I ordered a personal size PizzaHut pizza. A couple days before that, I ordered popcorn chicken from KFC (for about 50 rupee or $1 US) which was yummy and way more spicy than at home. It was very refreshing to have American food that didn’t involve curry! Tonight the Tagore Int’l House served us tomato soup (which was spicy unlike in the States and more water-y) with grilled cheese. My friend was in heaven having a more Westernized meal. For dessert after every dinner, the Tagore Int’l House kitchen serves us ice cream. Until recent years it was rare to find ice cream in India because there was a problem of transporting the ice cream before it melted. However, with modernization ice cream is more readily available (thank goodness)!

I could go on and on about the food differences between USA and India but this is long enough!
--SMG '12

Golconda Fort in Hyderabad

India is known for its incredible monuments like the Taj Mahal, but Hyderabad also has some beautiful architectural masterpieces. Like Golconda Fort, which was only about 20-30 minutes away from the University of Hyderbad! Before coming here, I never really thought of Hyderabad's historic past, but you can't miss it once you get here. Golconda Fort has been one of my favorite places that we have visited so far!

This is one of the exterior protective walls of the fort.

A picture of the golf course they're building inside the fort. I asked our tour guide what he thought of the golf course and he said that it was a good thing because more money was being funneled into preserving the green wetlands within the fort walls and providing better roads to access the site. I'm not a huge fan of golf and definitely did not like the idea of golfers putting around this beautiful landscape.

 After viewing the exterior walls of the fort, we went to the inner citadel of the fort, known as the Bala Hisar Complex, where we saw palaces, elephant corrals, and beautiful temples.

 This was a painting of the goddess Kali on one of the large rocks by the temples near the top of the Bala Hisar Complex.

There are two functioning temples at the top of the Bala Hisar complex, which requires climbing what seemed like thousands of steps to reach. We saw one devoted older man with a crutch who made the climb to worship Durga. It was incredible to see the faith in practice.

A painting of the goddess Kali.

Thanks to our tour guide's great timing, we made it to the top of the Bala Hisar complex for the beautiful sunset over Hyderabad.

 I snapped this picture of a woman wearing a white sari looking out at the city. In India, widows generally wear white, so I wonder if she was a widow.

A view of the Bala Hisar complex from above.

-Amy '12

Information on Travel Around Hyderabad

Let's fill this up as we learn about public transportation in the city.

Things we've learned so far:

To get to most places in the city (charminar, etc):
Cross the street from Main Gate to get to the bus stop. Catch bus 216 to Koti.

If you have a specific destination in mind, look up the spot on google maps and pan out or in until you see a bus station on the map. Each bus stop should have a name listed. Look up the name Here and find the bus from Koti to where you are going.

People on the street and at the bus stops very willing to help direct you. It's also nice that no matter where you are you can grab a rickshaw if you need.

Each bus ride costs between 10 and 15 Rs. when you get on the bus, the man with a messenger bag/satchel and tickets will come by your seat and collect your money. Women sit in the front, men tend to sit in the back, although the middle part is kind of up for anyone and it seems like women can sit in the back if they like. Men will sit in the front if they are traveling with women or small children.

It is also very normal at a busy bus stop to walk up to a bus and yell up to the passengers to ask where the bus is going.