My husband will be traveling there for work next spring for about 2.5 months. Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do or not do? Items to bring? Any recommendations for books to read before traveling there? He likely won't be able to travel too far outside the area because it has to be approved beforehand since he'll have a driver. He will be staying at a hotel.
I am trying to get as much info as possible for him because I know he's nervous since he's never really been outside of the country.
Paging brit because I think she's been there before..?.
Post by alleinesein on Sept 7, 2013 17:36:53 GMT -5
Make sure that he is up to date on his travel shots. I had to get the Hep series, Polio booster, T-DAP, MMR booster and Typhoid when I traveled to Mumbai.
If he plans on taking the anti-malarial he will need a prescription for it. I was given doxycycline for mine and found that if I took it at night I had no side effects.
He is definitely going to be in for some culture shock if its his first time outside of the US.
If he is there during Holi tell him that he NEEDS to participate in it; I missed it this year and im still upset about that.
You might want to cross post to the IL board for more info.
He is definitely going to be in for some culture shock if its his first time outside of the US.
This, but the upside of that is that pretty much nothing will be intimidating as far as international travel after India!
I actually found Chennai to be much more pleasant than Mumbai or Delhi. The air was cleaner, it didn't seem quite so crowded, and you don't have to go too far to find some really nice beach areas and resorts.
The basics still apply, though. Like alleinesein said he'll probably want to visit a travel medicine specialist for shots and to see if he should be taking antimalarials. He should never consume tap water, including brushing his teeth. I also try to stick to very cooked foods (no chutney).
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
Make sure that he is up to date on his travel shots. I had to get the Hep series, Polio booster, T-DAP, MMR booster and Typhoid when I traveled to Mumbai.
If he plans on taking the anti-malarial he will need a prescription for it. I was given doxycycline for mine and found that if I took it at night I had no side effects.
He is definitely going to be in for some culture shock if its his first time outside of the US.
If he is there during Holi tell him that he NEEDS to participate in it; I missed it this year and im still upset about that.
You might want to cross post to the IL board for more info.
Thank you, I just looked it up and he will be there for Holi. He also has a list of vaccinations that his employer is requiring for him to get beforehand.
I think it will take him a few weeks to adjust and get situated before he ventures out but hopefully since he'll be there so long he will use the opportunity to learn about the culture.
He should check what festivals he will be there during and make sure that he has a friend or co-worker help him participate - that was one of the best things that we did.
He can hire his own driver for pretty cheap if he wants to do his own weekend trips without company approval. We always used Sixt. I can send you the name of our driver who I trust a lot if you are interested. My H always requests that specific guy when he goes back and he always gets him.
There isn't a ton to see in Chennai, but there are some cool places nearby like Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Auroville, the temple in Kanchipuram. There are also the hill stations.
If he is willing to pay for domestic flights, he can see a ton of other stuff in India, they are usually fairly inexpensive.
My favorite restaurant in Chennai is Kefi at the Taj Clubhouse (Moroccan food). I also really like Hip Asia at the Taj Connemara.
If/when he breaks down and wants pizza: Tuscana Pizzeria.
If fancy (day drinking) brunch is his thing, my favorite is the Hyatt. I can't speak to the alcohol because I was pregnant, but both the western and Indian food is fantastic!
Another good thing to do is to see a movie at an Indian movie theatre. It is a full on dinner affair. They will have certain titles in English or in Tamil with English subtitles. It is quite an experience. I recommend the one on the top floor of the Express Mall.
DH grew up in Chennai & I've been there several times. To bring: bug spray. The mosquitoes LOVED me & I was thankful I can't get malaria since I have a blood d/o.
To do: if you want to get out of the city I'd rec Mahabalipuram (UNESCO world heritage site) about an hour south. Pondicherry (former French colony) is about another hour south of that.
In Chennai, go shopping! I am a fabric wh0re. I love Nalli for sarees & salwar materials. There are other shops too all in the Panagal Park & Pondy Bazaar areas. If you're Catholic or just like history St. Thomas Mount & the church are pretty cool. Supposedly where St. Thomas the disciple was killed & buried. Lots of Hindu temples too, many very old, some you can't get into if you aren't Hindu.
Food: I'm a vegetarian so I love India. In Chennai there are multiple locations of Saravana Bhavan, which is a chain veg restaurant specializing in South Indian food, though they serve other things too. Geetha Cafe in T. Nagar is also good, cheap veg food & has been around for over 80 years.
There seems to be a new shopping mall built every minute in Chennai where you can get Western food & shops too. A/C is a blessing @ times. Or you can go to the beach (Elliots or Marina) like the locals to escape the heat, but not the crowds. Still, it is an experience!
Thank you all for the responses. I am going to print them out and give them to him and go to the bookstore this weekend to pick up some books that a co-worker recommended.
He is going to be staying at the Westin which has really great reviews online. I'll know more in the next few weeks about his travel arrangements. I know that he'll be flying business class but that's about it. I am thinking when he is done with his work I might meet him in Greece or something and we can go on a vacation together since he's already half way across the planet
Yes! What sunny said! The Wharf at Radison Blu in Mahabalipuram. They have the most amazing black dal that I have ever had. H and I still compare others using that baseline? 'Yeah, but is it is good as The Wharf's black dal?'
I agree, meet him in India. Greece is still going to be pretty far for him, and who knows when you'll have the chance again. Plus if he's not going to have much of a chance for travel while he's there it will be a way for him to see the sights that he'll need to fly to.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
I currently live in India and spend about 1/3 of my time in Chennai (Madras). The Westin is a newish property in an area close to other 5-star hotels (choice of meals is always a plus) and close to the new Phoenix Mall (there's a California Pizza Kitchen and a Hard Rock Cafe opening up shortly there). I'd second getting (and using religiously) the bug spray. You can get some pretty effective ones here (Odomos is the brand we use); and maybe one of those bug-killing-bats (they sell those everywhere here).
With regard to food and drink, I'd definitely only drink bottled water (you should be ok to use the hotel tap water for brushing your teeth, since it is a 5-star-hotel). And if your DH likes to try various types of food, Chennai is a good place for a little bit of everything: Korean at InSeoul Restaurant on TTK road Sushi and/or Thai food at Benjarong also on TTK road Italian at Tuscana on Chamiers Road or at Khader NawazKhan Road, Tapas at Zara on RK Salai (Salai means "road" in Tamil - the local language) Mediterranean food at the GRT hotel (I forget the name of the restaurant) If he's interested in eating out of the 5-star hotels, he could try Cascade for Chinese (they have multiple outlets), Bayleaf for Indian (North Indian cuisine, and they also have multiple outlets in the city), Marina for seafood (off College Road in Nungambakkam - next to Pink Fitness) and Kryptos for Greek (also on Khader NawazKhan road).
If he's particular about certain things, like a specific brand of soap or shaving cream or whatnot, I'd bring a few with. You can generally find most things here in India, but you'd pay 2-4x the amount here.
If he's thinking of taking weekend getaways, we use a local travel agency called Travel Tours and they've been awesome to work with. Quick trips would include Mahabilpuram, Ponicherry, Bangalore, Mysore and maybe Hyderabad. You could always sneak in a trip to the Taj Mahal when there's a long weekend (we get a lot of holidays thanks to the many festivals!)
Hope this helps and hopefully he has a great time! The expat community in India (specifically Chennai) has been really awesome and I'm sure he'd be able to make a few friends in the short time he's here