Bustling Bangalore & The Dreaded Delhi Belly

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Tuesday 29th November – Sunday 4th December

We left Goa for Bangalore on an afternoon flight, however that morning I started to feel ill. I hoped it was just tiredness, however by the time we arrived at our hotel in the city center I was feeling very sick and weak and couldn’t even eat dinner. From the taxi I could see it was immediately clear that Bangalore was a much bigger and more commercial city than any other we had been in in India. There were streets lined with shops, bill boards and fast food restaurants! It was a comforting sight, but the India we’d come to know was still also very much present – manic roads, people and tuk-tuks everywhere and a massive amount of noise!

After a very sleepless night it was very clear that the infamous Delhi Belly had struck me. We had been in India a week and I am pleased that I managed to get that far without getting ill. I have quite honestly never felt so sick. I ended up being too ill to move until the Thursday afternoon of that week, when I eventually managed to get to a doctor. I had hardly eaten or drunk anything for 3 full days and had visibly lost a lot of weight. We were lucky that Lauren’s family lived in Bangalore and they took me to their family doctor who diagnosed me with severe dehydration, gastritis and food poisoning. I was told that had I left it much longer I would have needed to be hospitalised. I was ordered to drink coconut water (this is meant to be the best remedy for all stomach problems) and to start eating biscuits. Armed with my prescription for 5 different antibiotics and 4 rehydration salts, I picked up 2 large coconuts on the way home and drank them as fast as I could. Although I personally didn’t particularly enjoy the taste, many people in Asia would swear by the goodness within the water – they believe that drinking one green coconut a day will keep you healthy. This is my tip for anyone who goes to India, drink coconut water and if you get very ill, get to a doctor as soon as possible. I was naive as to how bad Delhi Belly could be and kept thinking that as I wasn’t eating, I would get better, but this isn’t the case. I was completely weakened, my whole body ached and I had stomach cramps, on top of the standard sickness and diarrhoea. I think I was particularly unlucky in that I was hit badly with it, but I’m sad to say that this experience may well have put me off going back to India. It would take a while to rebuild my strength and I never regained full health until just after Christmas.

We went on one trip in Bangalore on the Saturday. Although I still wasn’t better, I was much improved, the antibiotics/coconuts had kicked in and I had regained some energy and was being sick much less frequently. We took a chance that I could get through the day so that I would at least have seen some of the City. The most interesting stop of the day was an Iskcon Temple – one of the oldest in India. You need to take your shoes off as a mark of respect in Temples in India, so we ended up walking down the main road to the Temple completely barefoot! The roads in India are not particularly clean to say the least and our feet ended up black after a 5 minute walk! The Temple itself was an experience. It was full of men praying, dancing around whilst singing/chanting who would then throw themselves on the floor on their fronts. The would pray laying down for a minute, then get up and start again. Most of the men were dressed similarly in pink robes and we stood watching, completely fascinated. I do not know how long the men worshipped for, it was time for us to move on before we saw any sign of them finishing. As strange as it seemed to us, it was clear that they were all completely dedicated to their God and although to an outsider, it quite simply looked like lots of crazy men running around, it was clear that there was a method to their madness and every movement they made was precise and purposeful. I will never forget watching the people of this Temple worship, it provided a true insight into a culture so very different from our own. The ‘toilets’ in India are far from ideal and we experienced some of the worst squats so far during this day. I had learnt from the start of the trip to never leave the hotel without some toilet paper in my bag!!! We also went on a safari in a safari park just outside Bangalore. This was good fun and we saw some amazing animals, the white tiger was without doubt my favourite.

Before leaving Bangalore we went to visit Lauren’s family on their farm. India is a country made up of the very poor and the very wealthy by it’s own standards. In Bangalore I felt I saw more poverty that the other cities we had visited so far, there were always women and children begging us for food or money, often missing limbs – something which I never got used to, however I felt that there was also more money in Bangalore than anywhere else. It is a city of great contrast in that respect. Lauren’s family have worked hard and now own a large farm, complete with kennels, dog training and orchards. It was fascinating to see their home on the outskirts of the City and to again spend time seeing the real India, their family life etc.

Our time in India had come to an end and what a way to start our trip. It was without doubt the biggest culture shock I can imagine. India is completely unlike anywhere else I have ever visited, and because we didn't stick to the tourist resorts I feel like I have truely experienced the real India. It's a country where there is always too much going on, it never seems to sleep and as such it was an exhausting start to the trip. I love India, it is a land of full of colour, sound, sights and smells and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to experience it all. However it is also a country of great diversity and poverty and at times can be very overwhelming and intimidating. I am unsure whether I will ever go back to India, however I will certainly hold the memories of the amazing country with me for a very long time!

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Photos

Coconuts
Their water is meant to keep your stomach healthy!