milk does not taste like American milk, and that eggs should be ordered hard-boiled, well scrambled or in an "omelet" to ensure they are safe to eat. If you order an omelet, make sure to say you want a plain one if you don't like spicy food. Otherwise, you may get a "masala omelet", which will contain bits of onion, tomato and green chili.

Toast is served crisp and cold in British style, so don't expect it to be warm. Indian butter is delicious and tastes much like what we have at home. Orange marmalade and mixed-fruit jam are almost always available. Juice is safe as long as it comes from a can, so make sure to ask if it is "tinned", and avoid it if it is fresh squeezed. Bananas or citrus fruit (washed with bottled water or antiseptic wipes before peeling) may round out your breakfast, but avoid cut fruit like mango or papaya even in the best hotels.

Indians typically have a late-morning snack to tide them over to early afternoon, when a hearty lunch is taken. There are lots of delicious sweets and snack foods available. For refreshment, you may enjoy a cup of tea or a cold soda (have fun with the "collapsing straws" typically available in India!)

Lunch and dinner usually consists of rice, Indian bread, and vegetarian or non-vegetarian accompaniments. One fun thing to try is a "thali", which is a set meal served in a stainless steel tray. On the tray will be rice, bread, and several small bowls or "katoris" containing different curries. In Rajasthan, the traditional Rajasthani thali will contain dishes not available elsewhere. Similarly, a traditional south Indian thali will offer special dishes only eaten in that part of the country.

Most restaurants will give western visitors a spoon or fork to eat with, but Indian food is traditionally eaten with the right hand. When eating rice, you scoop up a little bit with the tips of your fingers, mix in a little curry, and pop it in your mouth. When eating bread, you tear off a piece with your fingertips (this may take some practice), wrap a little meat or vegetable in it, and bring it to your mouth. In south India, very liquid curries are eaten with the hand, using a circular motion to scoop up the liquid and a lot of slurping. This is considered bad manners in north India. If you need a spoon to eat with, don't hesitate to ask for one. Indians understand that we are not used to eating with our hand.

Many hotels and restaurants patronized by tourists will offer a handful of "Continental" dishes, which may include spaghetti with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese, baked chicken, fish and chips, and similar items. These may not be prepared the way you are accustomed to seeing them, but they do provide you with an option if you don't enjoy Indian food. Chinese dishes are also widely available, and you can ask for them to be prepared without chilies if you don't like hot food. Simple soups like cream of tomato are often available and go down well. Indian breads (pooris, chapatis, rotis, parathas, naan) are yummy and available everywhere. Almost any restaurant can fry up some french fries for you (ask for "chips"), and you will be delighted to find that Indian ketchup ("tomato sauce") tastes like the ones we have at home. If you don't mind bland-tasting food, plain rice can help to keep you going if there's nothing else you like.

For dessert, you may enjoy sampling different Indian sweets. Otherwise, you'll find that Indian ice cream is rich and delicious. Some restaurants offer western-style pastries and cakes, but you won't find anything as moist and tempting as what you find at home. In general, chocolate flavors are light and mild rather than deep and strong.

Pizzas are increasingly available in India, with stretchy mozzarella cheese and a choice of other toppings. If you order a standard pizza with cheese and tomato sauce, it will probably taste pretty close to what you are used to. If you are a little more adventuresome, you can order pizza with spicy vegetables or meats on top … truly delicious!

There are many safe beverages to choose from in India. Coke or Pepsi is widely available, along with Fanta or Mirinda (both orange-flavored sodas). If you are an inveterate coffee drinker, you may want to try Indian coffee (boiled thoroughly with milk), but tea ("chai") is probably a better bet. If you want spiced tea, ask for "masala chai". Plain soda water is available in many restaurants, but even better is a concoction known as "fresh lime soda". This consists of an inch or two of freshly squeezed lime juice in a glass, along with a cold bottle of soda water and some sugar or sugar syrup to be used for sweetening. It is incredibly refreshing and due to the acidity of the lime juice, fairly safe to enjoy.

You may see street vendors serving freshly squeezed sugar cane juice (often combined with lime juice for a more refreshing taste), served in little clay cups. While this can look very tempting, you will probably see quite a few flies and you would be foolish to take a chance on it. On the other hand, when traveling in south India you can enjoy fresh green coconut water at any time. This beverage is naturally antiseptic and very helpful for the digestion. It is served by boring a hole in a green coconut and drinking the water through a straw. The taste is unusual, a tiny bit sweet and slightly astringent, with a very delicate coconut flavor. In terms of electrolytes, it acts as a natural Gatorade, rehydrating your body while slaking your thirst. It's definitely worth a try.

Although Indian ice cream is safe, and milk is usually well boiled, you should avoid milkshakes when traveling in India. Those that contain fruit purees are definitely risky, and even plain ones may be mixed with machines that aren't washed as often or as well as you would like. The same goes for slush or other frozen treats.

With lunch served in the mid-afternoon, Indian people typically don't eat dinner until 8:00 at the earliest, and often at 10:00 or later. Most restaurants won't even open for dinner until 7:30 p.m. This means that you'll need to plan a snack around 5 or 6:00, known as "teatime" in India. Since you will probably be going to bed shortly after eating dinner, you should eat less and more conservatively in the evening than you do during the daytime, to ensure that your sleep is restful.

If you or someone in your family is a very picky eater, eating well in India can be a pretty big challenge. The first thing to remember is that any calories are better than no calories. This is no time to worry about getting the right balance of foods and nutrients. If you can survive on bananas, Indian bread, french fries and ice cream, you'll do just fine. You may also wish to bring some food with you to help you stay strong and healthy during your trip. Here are some suggestions:

· A plastic jar of peanut butter, which can be smeared on Indian biscuits or breads to add protein to your diet

· Instant oatmeal packets, to which you can add boiled water for a healthy breakfast or snack

· Dried fruit such as apricots, apple pieces or raisins, or fruit leather made from real fruit

· Granola or cereal bars (bring firmer ones, as moist ones won't travel well in a hot country like India)

· Kraft's Easy Mac, an instant macaroni and cheese which is tolerable when all else fails (put it in a ziploc bag with preparation instructions to save space in your luggage)

· Cup a Soup packets (choose ones that are heartier with lots of noodles)

· Ramen noodles and seasoning (again, put in ziploc bags with preparation instructions)

· Kraft's Handi-Snacks with cheese and crackers or cheese and breadsticks

· Instant Breakfast powder to be combined with cold milk

· Hot cocoa mix to be combined with hot milk

· Tang powder for fruit juice on-the-go

· Dried food pouches designed for backpackers, which can be reconstituted with boiling water

You may be able to come up with some other lightweight and easy-to-prepare foods to bring along with you by cruising the aisles of your grocery store looking for suitable items. Keep your eyes especially well peeled for foods containing protein. If you feel uncomfortable about asking for a special bowl and hot water to prepare your food when you are in India, you can always put your hand on your stomach and say, "Not feeling well". This will usually engender sympathy and get the desired cooperation.

Hotel Expectations

Modest (two-star or three-star) hotels in India cost about $40 per night for two, more in bigger cities and closer to major airports. For this price, you will get a decent room with a double bed or twin beds. An additional cot can usually be brought in if you are traveling in a group of three, but it will be more suitable for a child than an adult.

The room is likely to have a tall armoire ("almirah", pronounced "all-MEE-ruh") which will come with its own key, or which you can lock with your cable lock after putting your valuables inside. (Note: Don't give your valuables to the desk clerk to place in the hotel's safe. These are notoriously un-safe). You will undoubtedly have a ceiling fan that can be adjusted to various speeds, and if you are lucky the fan won't be too noisy. You will probably have an air conditioner with similar attributes. The windows should lock, but may not always lock tightly (hence the need for insect repellent at night in some places). Curtains may be somewhat dingy, but they will block the light reasonably well.

There will probably be a small color TV set which will play innumerable channels of Indian music videos, plus CNN, Cartoon Network, occasional Indian movies and soap operas, Indian news programs, and religious fare (mostly Hindu, some Muslim). Channel surfing can be fun and will teach you lots about modern popular culture (especially the commercials!) At this price, you should also have a phone in your room, though you may have to ring the front desk to place a long-distance call. There may be room service available if you need tea or a snack, though you may not have a lot of choice.

Most parts of India are fairly humid year-round, so don't be surprised by a lingering (or even pungent) air of mildew even in better hotels. (You'll also notice this in some motels in Florida, for the same reasons). Bed pillows are particularly prone to mildew, so you may want to bring a pillowcase from home to put an additional layer between yourself and the mildew. Bedding should be clean, though it may be thin in spots or even neatly patched. If you are lucky, your room will not have wall-to-wall carpeting, as this tends to hold odors. Clean, dry floors with small bedside rugs are much more pleasant in this environment.

Rooms in this price range will all come with a private bathroom, with hot and cold water. Occasionally, the advertised hot water will turn out to be buckets fetched by your porter, which should be requested 10 or 15 minutes ahead of when you need them. This will need to be mixed with appropriate amounts of cold water so you can give yourself a bucket bath (not terribly difficult, albeit different). Bathtubs are typically old-fashioned ones on legs, and showers are often handheld ones which, if they are hung, may be hung too low for the typical American.

Soap is usually provided, but not in large quantities. You should bring a small bar of soap or two in ziploc bags in case you run out, or if you prefer to have your own brand. Other amenities should not be expected, so bring your own shampoo, conditioner, etc. Towels may vary greatly, from decent if well-worn to profoundly nasty (stained, mildewed and crunchy). Usually they fall somewhere in between, and are minimally useable.

Just in case, it makes sense to bring a towel of your own to supplement those in your hotels. Ultra-lightweight and absorbent travel towels are available from Magellan's, Travelsmith and camping supply stores. You don't need an extremely large one, because they have great drying power. More importantly, they dry very quickly and resist mildew. These can be fairly expensive, so you may wish to purchase a length of cotton of the type used for dish towels and hem the raw edges to make a lightweight bath-size towel to bring with you. Do not bring terrycloth towels, because these will never dry in most parts of India and will get smelly very quickly. The same goes for washcloths, which won't be available in most hotel rooms in India. If you must have one, make one from fast-drying cotton, or use a cotton handkerchief or bandanna instead.

In most hotel rooms of this class, hot water is produced by a geyser (pronounced "geezer") which hangs high on the wall near the tub or shower. The geyser needs to be turned on ten minutes or so before you need hot water. Usually, the supply is sufficient for a couple of consecutive showers, though you might want to wait 5 minutes in between to be sure. To save power, please remember to turn the geyser off when you are finished using the hot water.

Your bathroom will have a decent western-style toilet, and some toilet paper should be provided. Typically, Indian toilet paper rolls run out really quickly, so you should definitely bring lots of tissue packets to supplement whatever your hotel supplies (see section on Personal Hygiene, below). The toilet and sink in your bathroom may gurgle a bit and you may have to jiggle the handle on your toilet to stop it from running all the time. You may find mothballs in your bathroom drains to keep the creepy-crawlies at bay.

Trashcans are often in short supply in India. There should be at least one (probably a tiny one) in your hotel room, but don't expect to find much more than that. Outside your hotel, you will rarely find any container for trash. Most Indians simply drop their trash wherever they happen to be, in the expectation that someone from the poorer classes will pick it up for them. Most Americans find this practice difficult to swallow, so plan on bringing your trash back to your hotel room and disposing of it there. Any plastic bags you get while shopping can be used for this purpose. Women should wrap used tampons or sanitary napkins in paper or plastic and put them in a trashcan rather than attempting to flush them down the toilet.

Leaving your shoes near the door to your room will help to keep your hotel room clean while you are occupying it. Though your room will be cleaned daily while you are away, vacuum cleaners aren't typically available. Instead, rugs and floors will be swept with twig brooms and then floors will be mopped with a bucket of water and a rag. The result is clean enough for most people, but if you're a stickler for perfect cleanliness, be prepared to "go with the flow". You may see a bug or two and the occasional lizard in your bathroom, but if there are many bugs, you should definitely complain to the management.

When you arrive at an Indian hotel you will need to check in at the front desk (this may require inscribing entries in enormous ledgers and the making out of elaborate receipts, so be patient). Your key may be of the old-fashioned variety, but it will work just fine. A porter will follow with your baggage, and he will expect a tip of Rs.10 per bag. You can save money by carrying some items yourself, but please respect the poor fellow's need to earn a living in light of the vast disparities in your levels of wealth.

You should be able to call the front desk to summon your porter at any time. Your porter can bring you bottled water to replenish your supply every evening, saving you the trouble of buying it while you are out and about and lugging it home with you. This will be added to your bill, to be settled before you leave. Your porter may also be able to run errands for you, though he will probably not speak English. If you need something and can't make yourself understood, ring the front desk for assistance. Porters should be tipped Rs.10 or Rs.20 for simple tasks like bringing water, but more for other types of assistance. However, Rs.50 would be a very generous tip, so try not to overdo it.

Most hotels in this category also offer 24-hour laundry service. Sometimes bags are provided for your dirty clothes. Other times, you may need to leave in a pile somewhere for pickup. In the latter case, make sure the front desk knows that you are expecting to have your laundry picked up and tell them it is on your bed (or in a corner of the bathroom, or wherever). Make sure to ask when the laundry will be picked up, and when it will be returned. The laundry man will typically count the number of pieces very carefully, since you will be charged based on the number of items to be washed. The cost will usually be added to your hotel room, though some laundry men work independently and need to be paid directly. Ask your hotel staff for guidance, and if you pay directly, offer a small tip in the range of 10% of the total bill.

In case you haven't heard, India uses 240-volt direct current (DC) instead of the 120-volt alternating current (AC) used in America. If you have appliances that you can't live without, you will need to purchase voltage converters from a reputable travel store or catalog. A simple plug adapter won't be sufficient. Please remember that the power may go on and off from time to time, and if your hotel uses a generator during outages, there won't be enough current to run your fan, air conditioner, TV, lights and other appliances simultaneously.

You should definitely plan to tip the room cleaners upon your departure. Rs.50 per night is a standard tip for this class of hotel. If you were very messy, you might want to offer more. You aren't usually expected to tip the other hotel staff, but if someone has gone out of their way to help you, it would be a nice thing to do. Rs.100 would make a very nice tip for an especially obliging desk clerk.

Personal Hygiene

Due to the ambient grime and your constant sweating, you should plan on showering or bathing at least once each day, even if this isn't your practice back at home. Clothes should be worn once and then washed. Don't plan on bringing a blow dryer or curling iron to India to style your hair every morning. Time will be short, the air will be humid, and you'd need a special voltage converter anyway. Better to put your hair up in a ponytail or clip, or get it cut short before you leave for India. Men can use straight razors and shaving cream, or bring a battery-operated shaver (remember to bring spare batteries with you, so you don't have to go hunting for them in India). Everyone should bring plenty of deodorant.

There are western style sit-down toilets in more and more places in India these days. However, you will still need to use a squat toilet from time to time. If your squat muscles are underdeveloped, plan on using a fellow traveler or family member for support. Most squat toilets in India are fairly clean, consisting of a cubicle with a porcelain-clad hole in the floor, grooved pads for your feet, and a water tap and cup to cleanse yourself afterwards. If you "miss" while squatting, draw some water into the cup and wash the unwanted material into the hole. In general, it's a good idea to put a few cupfuls of water into the toilet to wash down your toilet paper and anything else that may be in sight when you're done.

Don't expect to find toilet paper in any bathroom, regardless of the type of toilet. To be safe, bring at least two small tissue packets per person per day, more if you blow your nose a lot, are traveling with a child, or are prone to diarrhea. If toilet paper is available, use it. Otherwise, use one or two of your tissues as needed. It may seem strange to you, but many Indian people think that the use of toilet paper is rather nasty, as it just "smears the stuff around" rather than washing it off as they do.

If you want to experiment with Indian-style toilet habits, use your left hand to splash water where it is needed. Any moisture remaining will dry quickly in the Indian climate, unless you are traveling in the far north during wintertime. Remember not to touch people or food with your left hand, even if you don't use it for toileting purposes. People will assume that your left hand is unclean, and will be offended if you use it.

Most Indian bathrooms you'll encounter will not offer any way of drying your wet hands. This is a good reason to bring several cotton hankies or kerchiefs that you can wash and dry in your hotel room. Soap may or may not be available in public facilities, and many offer only cold water. This is why you will want to carry lots of antiseptic wipes with you.