Packing for India, why less is more
The first thing I always ask when I go somewhere is What will I wear?
This is especially important in India where you are treated how you dress.
- Empty your wardrobe: So first you will get everything from your wardrobe that seems to cover the Indian requirements of being covered and modest and non sexy. Throw them on your bed and then think about the weather. If you are coming to India during The Hot, then throw aside every item of fabric that isn’t cotton. This includes underwear as I have discovered that there is nothing more uncomfortable than hot breasts clamped inside a bra made of on natural material.
- You do’t have to wear a Salwaar Kamez as long as you Dress Rich: A lot of women wear a salwaar kameez for comfort and respect but you needn’t bother with that. Indians respect wealth as much as they respect respect so as long as you dress rich, you will be respected. Instead of dressing down on holiday, Indians dress up and they find it very difficult to understand why Westerners want to go ‘Casual’ on their holidays. It’s no way to get respect, they say. In any case the cheap cotton salwaar that most tourist seem to favour give your budget status away immediately and you will be treated as such.I wear a fake rolex watch and a couple of fake gold bracelets that have even fooled the most expert Indian eye and just for those reasons, I am treated differently.
- Throw all your toiletries away. Now take a look at your toiletries. Throw them out as well, don’t let beauty weight you down. India has a wealth of wonderful Ayurvedic skin products at great prices. Biotique and Himalaya do a great range as well as the gorgeous Shahnaz Husain range of products. As well little packets of shampoo are available for three rupees and save tons of room and weight in your bag. Rose water in a spritzer bottle is better than chemical wet wipes and great for the skin.
- Compromises can be made. Back in the good old days I lived in India with 8kg of luggage, which allowed me three changes of clothes, a few toiletries and a book or two. Now that I am full time on the road and working as well, my office weighs that much at least. I carry that in an oversized hand bag and drag my wardrobe in a “carry on” bag. My friend Susie compromises space for her hair straightener, which she says she needs because she sings for her supper in India and wants to look glamorous at least some of the time. My compromise is my coffee plunger because coffee is fuel for me, it saves me money and it makes me friends so it has to come everywhere with me.
- Humping you own load: You will notice this when you get off a bus or a train or any public transport. The people weighed down with luggage are sitting ducks for rampant rickshaw wallahs charging ridiculous prices to transport you. Once on a weekend jaunt to Jaipur, I stepped off the bus into the waiting hordes of rickshaw drivers with my tiny bag and was amazed to see that they all stepped back and allowed me room. None of them tried to sell me a rickshaw and I heard some comment that I was “Long Time India” and therefore not worth hassling.
- Know your colors: The French Toy boy was the first man to teach me how to shop for clothes on the road. He bought all his clothes from within the same color range. I hate shopping and usually buy the first thing that fits and will do but the Toy Boy showed me another way of shopping. I call it precision shopping. Now I buy stuff that all works in with what I have, so I can mix and match. I was absolutely delighted to overhear one of my friends say “How does she manage to look so good every day from that little bag?” when we were in the far reaches of the Rajasthan desert.
- If you get bored with your clothes then throw them out and start again: India is also a good place to shop for Big Brands. Labels we know from home are available here and usually much cheaper than at home. So buy yourself some new Levis, top it with a lovely cotton Kurti and throw on a scarf, wear your best shoes, your fake gold and start blending with the crowd.
