Oct. 3 - Traveling to Kolkata, West Bengal, India...to-do & to-don'ts

*********This will be the first of a couple notes meant for folks who may be traveling to Kolkata or have expressed interest in staying in my flat during the time my tourist visa requires leaving India. I hope these items help make preparations as easy as possible!

To Do Before You Travel -
*Obtain Indian visa - application online, then you send in your passport for visa. Feel free to use my address as your local address or select a hotel address...it's a formality for the visa.
* Register your travel itinerary with the US Consulate General at the nearest city. You will need a local address; write to me and I'll send you my flat information. (For Kolkata - http://kolkata.us consulate.gov)
*Talk to your bank about using plastic internationally - there's usually about a five day turn around time & a nominal fee.
*There are currency exchange offices at all airports, so it's not necessary to get anything changed in the US. Traveler's checks are difficult to use and require you to carry around your passport, using it in public, so try to use ATMS - which are everywhere - or use debit/credit when purchasing items...most retailers take Visa/MC, few market stalls do.
*Immunizations can take up to six months to complete - I do have dogs in my neighborhood if you worry about rabies, though they usually steer clear of people. The doctor will probably also recommend bug lotion and sun screen. I'd buy those in the US...they are available here, but they don't detail quite as much on the label, so it's tough to know if its just what you want. (Re: rabies - Monkeys will be possible, too, especially if you're planning on traveling outside of the urban areas.)
* You may need copies of your passport, visa & passport photos more often than the standard guidebook recommends. I carry copies in my carry on, purse & luggage + will from now on travel with at least four extra passport photos.
* Kolkata city and Metro maps seem non-existent so far...friends are doing what they can to lay their hands on them for me. Print & laminate a set if you happen to have a decent color printer.
* Most Indian electrical outlets are either round two or three prong plugs, so you'll need an adaptor for voltage. Consider borrowing one or buying two if you're tech heavy - the currency draws slower than at home & charging multiple items can be tough in a one night time rotation.

Overall Travel Arrangements -
* About half the flights into India arrive very late at night or early morning. Try to schedule arriving at your final destination before it's too late - 5:30 pm...it's much nicer to arrive in daylight plus finding drivers, taxis, etc is more difficult in the middle of the night.
* I've not been offered "continental" choices for meals during my flights here...so if you want to delay Indian food until the last minute pack US goodies...though if you enjoy Indian I can assure you that even airline food is better than most in US

Specifics to Travel in Kolkata -
• If you want to take any kind of formal tour - it's an efficient way to see the expanse of the city - please give me about a 20 day notice so I can make sure to get someone good + a vehicle with AC, etc.
Prices are about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost in the US, except fresh fruit which is very cheap. Most items are available for purchase here, and I have stocked the flat, too, so unless there are specific brands you really want, don't waste valuable luggage space or weight with shampoo, etc.
* You probably won't take a taxi solo for the first time, but should the need arise it's important to not negotiate with a taxi driver...the rate should be the same for everyone - the metered amount, multiply by two & add two rupees. (It's their way of keeping up with inflation without having to reprogram thousands of meters all the time.) Most drivers will understand major landmarks, some know specific British street names and about 25% basic English. Tariffs should be less than 100 INR...don't let them "stay off the meter", telling you its going to be 200 rupee...just get out of the cab...there are plenty more! (One small caveat. You may need to go just a short distance, then they lose money for to take you as a fare due to the time to sit in traffic, period, so they may jack up the price...locals use the auto rickshaws for these types of puddle jumps...they are about 20% of the cab fare...the thrill ride is an added bonus....here's where a map comes in very handy...if you have less than eight block or so to travel, walk. Anything over 2 or 3 km, cab.)
* Tip restaurants 10-15%. Do not tip taxi drivers.

Packing/Personal Notes -
*. I'd recommend considering things you really know you can't live without that may seem quite trivial...despite my above statement about most things being available, it's often a bit of a chore to know which micro merchant carries what you want...I struggled to find safety pins, for example. So, if you know you need three green pens to journal, or bobby pins to keep back your bangs, pack them.
* Western clothing is much more common here than my previous trips...especially for men. Light weight pants & a longer top is fine for women, men usually wear pants & a button up shirt. (Shorts are worn in my neighborhood, too, though only men and small children) The weight, i.e. thinness or thickness, is rather important. I line dry all my clothes, so thick t-shirts, which of course we buy as a good value, knowing they won't shred on the first washing, are not ideal...they hold sweat much longer, take longer to dry & are tough to get completely wrinkle free. Same goes for jeans...many folks wear them here...don't know how they tolerate the heat...but the thinner the better.
* Should you plan on visiting schools with me, please pack shirts with ties & either a skirt below the knee or pants. We can buy a scarf or two to wear over shirts if we are going to a rural school. (I've used up all the US thank you cards - eight - already. See if you can squeeze in a set or two if you like to leave a token of thanks.)
* 50-85% of the menu items will be 100% vegetarian or vegan. Chicken, seafood & mutton are meat eater options...fill up on beef before you leave...it is not on any menus, even those who have "continental" options. (Most spots, though, do have lamb derivations - Subway salami is lamb, for example, and burgers are usually lamb at McDonalds.)
* Pack a compact umbrella. I use mine at least half the time I go walking as portable shade.
* Windows don't have screens usually, so whatever is flying around in the air may end up in the apartment. I'd pack slippers or flips flops & a tooth brush cover just in case.
* Consider a small package of Exlax - dealing with constipation will probably be more likely than food poisoning, unless you go really crazy and eat at food carts often. (There is more dairy in the sauces than we usually eat, plus Indian cottage cheese, paneer, is used often as a binder, & yes, it binds people up then, too.)
* Do you wear contacts? Perhaps I'm a bit too germ vigilant, but remember that washing your hands here doesn't necessarily promise super clean (wonder if it does as much as we think in the US, either?). Of course, there's hand sanitizer to use...yet, I'm guessing that would hurt to put in contacts after putting alcohol on your hands. We can clean water at the flat...so not a huge issue - just wanted to have folks think about it.
* If you are only staying in Kolkata you won't need this, but if you're thinking about traveling I'd make a little sheet set by sewing up the bottom of a double sheet & bring the pillow case...I've always had clean linens at hotels, but the water can make whites dingy, so if you want to know you're sleeping in cleanness, it's nice to know you have your own little sleep sack. (I pack a mini-travel pillow, too...Indian pillows are extremely firm...think of sleeping on a sofa cushion.)



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