When traveling India, entirely too much time will be spent pissing out of your ass. When not pissing out of your ass, you will be swapping stories about how you got sick, where you got sick, or how terrible your ailments were with other travelers while sitting at a hostel or restaurant. I know not the best table talk…but it definitely is a shared experience. Chances are if there are 4 travelers sitting together 1 of them is feeling some grumbling in their tum-tum.
Somethings I’ve discovered:
- Many have heard of Delhi Belly, but let it be known if Delhi doesn’t get you Varanasi will. I’ve only met 1 person on my trip thus far that has made it out of Varanasi without getting sick. Most people end up staying in Varanasi for a week or more and not by choice…but because they were sick for half of it. Figures with the level of or extreme lack of sanitation in Varanasi.
- Don’t eat fresh fruit supplied at restaurants. It may be fresh but you don’t know if they washed it or not. Also even if they washed it you don’t know what kind of water they washed it with.
- Only eat at places where lots of people are eating, preferably families. I’m going with the assumption that parents won’t let their kids eat potentially unsanitary food.
I’ve been out of Varanasi for 4 or 5 days now and I’ve finally just started feeling normal again. Varanasi you’re amazing, but I’m glad to be away from you!