Page 43 - india

The authors trying to keep their balance after a
ride on a cute elephant at Amber Fort in Jaipur.
Opposite An amazing outdoor feast at the Na-
hargarht in Ranthambohr..

dia. We found wine to be very expensive and often undrink- them in silence and walk on.
able. A local wine like Sula, for example, tasted like Two Buck Rapes and worse in India have grabbed headlines recently.
Chuck, but cost around $40 a bottle ( due to high-government While we found India to be safe, we had a driver and guide to
tarrifs). Buying wine in small beverage shops is problematic, help keep us out of trouble. Use common sense while travel-
since most don’t have air conditioning and wine suffers in the ing anywhere. Avoid walking alone and keep valuables secure
extreme heat. That’s why our wine time turned into martini in the hotel safe.
time in India.
End of the road:
Traffic:
The advice and observations in this feature come from not
Traffic is a disaster in most Indian cities, with Mumbai taking only our India experiences but our many other travels around
the prize for road insanity. Indian drivers communicate with the globe. We hope they are helpful. As we noted in the begin-
their horns – all the time. Stop signs, traffic lanes and stop ning, India is not for the faint of heart. But despite the chal-
lights are mere suggestions unless there’s a policeman in view. lenges and deep emotions travel here will engender, the trip is
Indians drive on the right side of the road and don’t stop for worth it. If you plan your trip and know what to expect, a visit
pedestrians as much as weave around them. If you’re going
to cross the street a good tip is to look for locals crossing the to this crazy, exotic land will be the highlight of your travels as
well. Namaste, my friend.
road and walk with them.
Beggars and Cons:
Namaste: an ancient Sanskrit greeting still in everyday
People hustling or begging for money are unfortunate facts of use in India and Nepal. Roughly, it means “I bow to the
life in this country with its extreme poverty. In Mumbai, they God within you”, or “The Spirit within me salutes the Spir-
were especially prevalent around the tourist-favorite Gateway it in you” - a knowing that we are all made from the same
of India. In general, don’t give in, even if a beggar with infant One Divine Consciousness.
in arms follows you for blocks. The best strategy is to ignore

Wine Dine & Travel Spring 2014 43