Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WWOOF
WWOOF India has been growing steadily. From just a few hosts at the start, it now has more than 150 hosts.
If you are going to WWOOF, do your research and pay very special attention to the climate at the time you
plan to go. During the heavy monsoon rains or when temperatures are over 40°C (104°F), it's not going to
be a very comfortable experience.
FOOD
Indian food is delicious, spicy, flavorful, and incredibly diverse. I love Indian food, so much so I can never
figure out what to get. Every time I walk into an Indian restaurant, I scratch my head in confusion from all
the options. I always end up getting ten dishes and having leftovers that can last for days. From mouthwater-
ing naan bread, to fire-inducing chili-enhanced curries, to the soothing flavor of a lassi, Indian food blows
my mind and there's nothing like getting the food right from the source.
Keep in mind Indian cuisine varies quite a lot by region. North Indian food uses a variety of lentils,
gravies, chilies, vegetables, and bread. They also use a lot of dairy in their food. Most Indian food in Amer-
ica is from northern India so this will be familiar to many travelers. By contrast, south Indian cuisine is
much more rice based and often consists of large dosas (big rice pancakes with filling) and nuts as well as
traditional curries.
Moreover, food in India is plentiful! You'll always find a place to eat. As Derek describes his experience,
“You can barely walk two meters without facing another street stall or restaurant serving up some kind of
snack or dish that you suddenly want to devour. Whether it be samosas, pakoras, lassis or momos, whether
it be North Indian or South Indian cuisine . . . it is all so very tempting.”
Restaurant meals cost between $1 USD and $6 USD for most main courses. At most restaurants in north
India, you choose from a long list of dishes (like the ones I just listed) and then you order either rice or naan/
chapati to go with it. For those who get easily overwhelmed like me (I can never decide what to get!), there
is always a thali, which means “plate” and usually comes with two or three curries, a lentil dish, rice, bread,
a few other accompaniments, and often a dessert, making it a great overall value.
Oftentimes a particular restaurant might be known for a specific dish, whether it be their thali or biryani
(rice mixed with vegetables and spices), a particular curry, or their massive masala dosas, so it often pays to
ask what the specialty is before ordering.
If you're traveling with a friend or another traveler you just met, sharing dishes is the way to go. Order a
couple of curries, some rice, and bread and just split it all so that you get to taste even more. Sharing Indian
food is by far the best method of trying a variety of dishes.
You'll generally find street stalls selling food on the cheaper end (even less than that) and sit-down res-
taurants in bigger cities on the higher end. Here is an example of food costs in 2014 (USD):
Samosas or pakoras from a street vendor:
20-50 cents
Sweet lassi from a stall:
35 cents
Plate of four Tibetan momos:
20 cents
Bananas
(
1
/
2
kilogram): 45 cents
Thali
(meal consisting of vegetable dishes, dhal, rice, roti, and more): $1-3
