Water is the elixir of life

How much water do you drink during the day? Do you drink your 8 glasses, like you know you should?  Drinking 8 glasses of water each day is no small task. It feels more like an assignment.

In India, it is super HOT and HUMID. Your required 8 glasses of H2O will be a mere drop in the bucket. You WILL drink a lot more water. 

Here are a few common-sense safety-tips:

• Be sure to drink only bottled water. 
• Make sure the safety seal is intact. If the seal is broken, ask for another bottle.
• Insist that you open your own bottled water.
• Avoid drinking anything with ice-cubes.
• Save some bottled water for the hotel room. You want to use it when brushing your teeth.

One final caveat: As you busily drink all that water, keep in mind when and where you can use the bathroom! Timing is everything, if you get my drift...

In my next post, I will discuss (ahem) bathroom duty.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Namaste!

To sun or not to sun?

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I worshiped the sun. I soaked up as much sun as I could, forever chasing that Golden Tan.
Well those days are over. I'm older and wiser now (no wise cracks please), and I've been slathering SPF 30+ sunscreen for the past 15 years. I just hate that gooey smelly stuff, but I don't want to look like a raisin.

Okay. Can we all agree that SPF is a requirement?  
Now it's time to talk about  head gear. 

Here in the States, a woman can wear just about anything on her head.  I like to wear fun baseball caps to keep that hot sun off my face. Here is my current favorite:

It's one of those cute caps from  Life is Good. 

But in India, women generally don't wear hats. They instead wear gorgeous scarves. I plan to buy some scarves there. But in the meantime, I will pack TWO caps. Why two? Because in 2007 when I went to India, I brought only ONE cap which I promptly lost at the airport here in New York. When I arrived in India, it was impossible to find a baseball cap to purchase. My brains FRIED SIZZLED in that sun. 

When traveling, I think it's a good idea to not stand out too much. So when it comes to headgear, I suggest moderation. Consider the following:

Nope.

Nope.

For heaven's sake, no.

Um, okay. This Yankee baseball cap has some potential value. You know why? You can barter it for something else, especially when you are short on cash. 

Oh, by the way. When traveling to India, I advise women to be prepared to cover the head, as it's required when entering some temples. 

In my next post, I will discuss further the importance of modesty in your attire.

Thanks for stopping by.

Namaste!

A Crash Course on Heat and Humidity

India in July is all about some serious heat and humidity. July also marks the beginning of the monsoon. The monsoon rains bring  sudden, heavy downpours. 


When it comes to monsoon rains, there are only two ways to deal with them. You can either welcome the rains as a brief respite from the sweltering heat, or you can grumble and still get wet.


To keep cool and comfortable in the heat, I highly recommend you wear moisture-wicking fabrics. I'm referring to the array of synthetic fabrics that athletes wear to stay cool and dry. Avoid cotton because cotton stays wet as you perspire (think wet diaper)...ewwww. 

I love tropic-weight pants and shirts from LLBean. I can wear these pants and shirts (pictured below) all day and feel comfortable. Then at night, I can hand wash them, hang them to dry, and presto! The clothing will be completely dry by morning. You can't do that with cotton. 

 

There's nothing glamorous about these pants and shirts. Come to think of it, I can look downright frumpy. Frumpy, but cool.

In my next post, I will discuss how to cover your head without looking more frumpy. 

Thanks for visiting.
Namaste!