Thursday, October 9, 2008

Cultural Considerations



1. Bartering is important. Negotiating prices on things from taxi's to fruit is a must. It is the buyer's responsibility to pay a fair price...

2. At airport go to government registered taxis. Hold onto receipt till you get to destination. Once they have the receipt they have their pay and can then find a way to work more money out of you.

3. Internet Cafe's are everywhere...

4. Can get a cheap cell phone, and a calling card to call home...

5. If you are a woman, getting traditional garb will make you're visit more comfortable, otherwise you're just an American floozy. It's called a Punjabi Suit...Costs about $3 there, it takes about 3 days to get made. You could have one made here, costs a bunch more..

2 comments:

rhino said...

Harlan...those $3 suits are awesome.

Lin said...

Any loose, conservative clothing covering the shoulders and knees is okay. I like to think a person looks like a tourist as opposed to a "floosy."
I recommend a "kurta" which you can buy ready-made. They may cost more but they can be pretty cute for wearing around at home too.
For $10 you can go to "Fab-India" and there will be friendly salespeople, a dressing room, and fixed prices. And they take credit cards. It is a nice way to start.
A scarf draped over the shoulders is nice too. Don't worry!

http://www.fabindia.com/tablecatindia.asp?catid=15&catname=Tunic%20/%20Kurta