March 30, 2025 — 5.00am
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“You’ll get the runs or malaria, there are swarms of rabid street dogs, and you’ll be clawed at by sleeve-tugging beggars.”
Tell some people you’re off to India, and they’ll come up with a litany of the horrors that await, usually without ever having been there themselves. I’ve just completed another three-week trip and in more than 20 visits, only twice have I been unwell.
Yet nothing inspires fear and loathing among armchair travellers quite like the news you’re travelling to the subcontinent.
“Don’t put your face in the water in hotel swimming pools.”
I’ve just swum in five different hotel pools in Delhi and Rajasthan and yes, I put my face in the water. I even opened my eyes and I can still see just fine.
“Keep your mouth closed in the shower and don’t let water run into your eyes.”
True confession, I wouldn’t drink it, nor would most Indians, yet I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth afterwards with whatever comes from the tap. I also use tap water in my room kettle for my morning cup of Darjeeling’s finest.
“Don’t touch street food.” I have a rule that anything I eat on the street must be cooked in front of me. Provided that samosa or aloo tikki is hot and fresh, I’m in. Chai boiled up while I wait and served in a disposable clay cup? Yes, please.
Also, I look for a crowded food...
Merrick Garland turned the United States Department of Justice into a left-wing blog, more interested in culture war than in law enforcement. That included launching a completely unwarranted legal ...