When I first arrived in India I found myself fully immersed in the culture but lacking basic cultural knowledge.
Yes my outfits were perfectly color coordinated and yes my itinerary was flawless but I was missing some of the biggest ‘common knowledge’ when it came to India itself. Here are my top 5 tips that I wish I knew before going to India that I couldn’t find online
1. You Cannot Wear Shoes Inside Temples, Mosques, and Some Historic Sites
You’d think that I would have learned about this online considering that I ran into this at almost every site that I visited. Most mosques and temples that are considered “tourist spots” are still active and ask you to take off your shoes (and socks) and wash your feet before entering.
As someone who quite literally wears two layers of socks (no I’m not kidding) this became a bit of a struggle compared to my Grandma who only wears sandals. They of course have cubbies for you to put your shoes but definitely consider a comfortable sandal option when visiting Temples, Mosques etc.
2. Toilets (a Lie)
Like most countries in Asia, there are very few toilets in public places. Don’t get me wrong there are bathrooms BUT most of the time they are solely squat pans. I did find that most rest stops did have full toilets at the very back of the bathroom at the last stall. Also at rest stops, and even some monuments you have to pay for toilet paper and to use the bathroom itself. There isn’t a set rate but typically we gave around 200 – 400 INR, sometimes more.
3. Mosques are Closed on Fridays
Like I said earlier most “tourist spots” that are Mosques are still active and hold services on Fridays. This means that they are closed to the public so be mindful of when planning your visit. This also goes for Hindu and Buddhist temples, some of them run nonstop services during the day which you can take part in or watch.
4. Know Your Boundaries When it Comes to Photos – Especially as a Foreign Women
During my visit, I found that all kinds of people wanted to stop and take a picture with me and my grandmother. Of course, I wanted to say yes to everybody but for safety and I found quickly who I was comfortable with and who to avoid. For me my go-to was girls, boys, girlies, and elderly no men or women; so children, teenage girls, and old people no grown middle age adults or teen boys. This is simply what I was most comfortable with.
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5. Ask Local Tour Guides Where They Buy Their Goods NOT Where to Buy Goods
I found myself being brought to elaborate showrooms full of hand-woven cashmere and gem inlaid tables by tour guides. We quickly realized that these were popular tourist shops that had been set up in a more Western way so that tourists could shop for luxury products. Although these shops had some of the coolest stuff they were wayyy out of our budget. We found that asking our guides to take us to where they buy their items brought us to more local, affordable shops.
I’ll See you
