At the moment the whole world is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. It is best to avoid all public transport if you can. It does not make sense to enter places that have large gathering of people. The metro can be very crowded with limited ventilation. Also the surfaces within the stations and trains are prone to being touched by hundreds of people which is a major source of infection.
If you are visiting Delhi, then my suggestion is that you avoid Delhi metro even when it reopens. If you must, then you should wear face masks that has at least 3 layers. These facemasks not only protect others but prevents air droplets getting through your mouth and nose and infecting you with the coronavirus.
In such a situation, the best is to use a car or a taxi. This will limit the number of people you will come in contact with. When renting a private hire car in Delhi, you must ensure that the vehicle is sanitized before you get into the car.
The best way to confirm this is over the phone with the cab-hire company and with the driver before you step in the car. This ensures that you are minimising the risk of infection.
When you reach your destination, make sure that you use a hand sanitiser to clean your hands if you can’t get hold of soap and water.
When travelling make sure:
That you carry a hand sanitiser Maintain appropriate social distancing Cover your mouth and nose Do not touch surfaces Do not touch your mouth and nose or try to adjust your mask
So remember there are plenty of car on rent in Delhi for outstation and in-city trips and using them reduces chances of exposure to coronavirus. Be safe.
India is a fun place but if your child is kidnapped all the fizz would just disappear from your life forever. If you happen to travel to India, you need to be careful with your children and keep an eye on them.
As a parent myself, I need to tell you about the child kidnapping industry in India. Tourists and Indian residents alike are venerable to child kidnapping. Although something like this can happen anywhere in the world as in the case of Madeleine Mccann. Madeleine Mccann was abducted by an unknown person on the evening of 3 May 2007 while holidaying with her parents in the Algarve of Portugal and has still not been found. Similarly, as a parent you too need to take utmost care of your child when holidaying in India.
Child kidnapping industry in India
Missing children in India
About 11 children are kidnapped in India every hour of the day of which half of them are never found. Child trafficking is the third largest profitable industry of the world and India seems to be in the thick of it. India is not only the source, but a destination and transit point for this heinous crime.
Your guess to what happens to these abducted children is as good as mine. Please read them to understand why kidnapping of children takes place.
Kidnapped children used as camel jockeys in Middle East
Why children are abducted
To be used as prostitutes; the biggest reasons for child abduction,
Child abuse and sexual exploitation,
Used as light weight camel jockeys in Arabic nations,
Organ trade and harvesting,
Ransom, as the Indian economy booms so does rise in child abduction,
A case of cannibalism has also been reported,
Human sacrifice to please the gods,
Used as forced labour, domestic servants, work in factories
Used as beggers by gangs after hands and legs are chopped off (read about beggars in India),
Child trafficking to international borders,
Forced into marriages,
Illegal adoption,
Medical trials; yes it does happen
Shipped and used as child soldiers in other countries to fight.
Kidnapping of your child is something that you must be careful of when travelling in India. The worst places for child kidnapping include;
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have the largest number of people trafficked. Trafficking is also high in Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Some child safety tips while in holidaying in India
Tell your children not to wander off,
Ask them not to talk to strangers,
Carry your child’s hair for DNA identification,
Don’t make them wear provocative clothing that may appear attractive older men,
Make sure your child knows their name and address, contacts in India,
Always keep an eye on your child,
If you are on the Indian Railways, make sure you don’t completely go to sleep. Many children are
kidnapped while both parents are sleeping. Watch the video below.
Instruct your child to “yell” when they think that they are being abducted. The Indian general public is very respondent in such matters. A crowd will quickly accumulate and might even beat the abductor.
Child abduction – Real story with English subtitles
A personal story
When I was a child of three years, me and my parents had gone to Kathmandu in neighbouring country of Nepal. Nepal is a beautiful country with identical culture and language. Indians often travel to Nepal for shopping and site seeing.
While my mum was shopping in a “saree shop”, I wandered out of the shop several meters away. I quickly realised that I was lost and did not know where my mum was. I started crying and some Nepalese students took me and started to take me to the police station. En route, I saw my dad in a road side garage getting his car fixed. I shouted out to him and came immediately. He asked the boys to give his child to him which they refused and took us all to the police station. There the matter was sorted and I was returned.
Now if I had been in the wrong hands of child kidnappers, I would have been easily been kidnapped and god knows what would have happened.
Moral of the story is, keep an eye on your child, and instruct them not to walk away from you, hold their hands all the time. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
A child being abducted on CCTV of Mumbai station
A man was caught abducting a small girl seen in a series of CCTV footages. You can see in this video that a man sits close to a sleeping family on the railway platform and then in a flash gets up and walks away with the child. It’s that easy. That is why you need to alert and cautious when travelling in India.
Beware of child abduction in India
This article is not to frighten or scare you away from India but to alert you that kidnapping and abduction of children do happen. Just be safe, child abduction does happen.
While the majority of us are currently being forced to stay at home in lockdown, and many of us have had to cancel our vacations and/or reschedule, so it’s no surprise that we’re feeling a bit blue. However, it’s been proven that planning for the future can boost your mood by a significant amount. What’s more, a recent study found that almost one-quarter of people are currently looking for places to travel to once the restrictions have been lifted. We think this sounds like a grand idea, so have put together of things to keep in mind as you plan for your next travel adventure after Covid-19.
Assess Your Risk Tolerance
Speak to any travel experts, and they’ll tell you that the travel industry will rebound from the pandemic quickly; certainly far quicker than most people currently expect. Despite the challenges currently faced by airlines and cruise companies, it won’t be this way forever. Industry experts like John Lovell, president of the Travel Leaders Group, have pointed out that the travel industry has rebounded quickly from other pandemics, and also from national disasters. While assessing your risk tolerance level is important before booking a trip, we should see some amazing deals to destinations all over the world once this is over. Just make sure to plan smart and take reasonable precautions.
Consider Where to Visit
Covid-19 has impacted countries across the globe, with some reaching the peak earlier than others. It’s fair to assume that the countries that have already seen a peak in cases will be the ones to see restrictions listed first. So, rather than looking at a trip to Southeast Africa, or Asia, for example, it may be better to consider traveling to somewhere in Europe, or even somewhere in your own country. Many travelers may prefer to enjoy the safety of home, with road trips and staycations a great option for many. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a warmer climate, though. There’s no reason those living in Seattle, Washington can’t take a long, leisurely road trip down to Florida or Tucson AZ. Just make sure to factor in the time change to your sleeping schedule and have a plan for if you need to return home early.
Focus on Value
It’s likely that there will be a lot of tempting travel deals available once the pandemic is over, but experts suggest looking for those that offer value as opposed to cheap prices. Deals that come with packaged flights and meals included are going to offer much more than a cheap airline ticket. It’s also best to opt for packages with travel operators that you know and trust. Sales that sound too-good-to-be-true could be coming from those trying to stave off bankruptcy, which could lead to more problems in your future. Financially stable, well-known brands are those you want to travel with.
Purchase Travel Insurance
Finally, travel insurance is important anyway, but it’s going to be even more critical in the aftermath of Covid-19. A reputable travel insurance policy will cover you if the provider you purchase a trip from goes out of business, or if you need to return home due to something outside of your control. It’s recommended to purchase both your travel insurance and your trip on a credit card, too, if you have one for an added level of protection.
While nobody can travel currently, that doesn’t mean you can’t begin to plan your next adventure. Just be smart and take precautions, and you’ll soon be jetting off on the trip of a lifetime.
Sampling food around the world can be quite fun. Your may be the adventurer in your heart and not afraid of experimenting with food but remember your stomach may not be in synch with what your heart wants. While travelling it is important to make sure you take in only what suits your metabolism and which doesn’t result in you ending up being sick. Nobody wants that! It’s not that the food at home is always better and healthier than the food you get abroad. It’s just that you are not used to the preparation, the spices and moreover weather too plays its part. Hence to prevent any sort of distress like the commonly known ‘Traveller’s Tummy’ you need to have some background on the food that you are eating and of course common-sense to realize what to eat and what to avoid.
India is diverse not only in its culture but in its cuisines too. From Kashmir to Kanya kumari and Arunachal to Gujarat, there are thousands and thousands of cuisines and varieties available to amuse your taste buds. Take the Indian Breakfast for example; there are abundant options at your disposal. Come walk with me taking in the aromas of a few of the Typical Indian Breakfasts.
Typical Indian Breakfast
Depending on the part of the country you are visiting, the dishes available vary too. If you are on a tour of Northern India you would as a rule find poori sabji, poha and paranthas on the breakfast table among a hoard of others. Paranthas are Indian breads made up of pan frying whole wheat dough and are usually stuffed with boiled, mashed and flavoured potatoes, cauliflower, leafy vegetables or cheese. It is usually served with curd or butter or pickles. Poori, on the other hand, is made up of whole wheat flour or refined whole wheat flour dough rolled in small circles and deep fried in vegetable oil or clarified butter; generally served with potato based curries. Parantha and poori are slightly on the higher end of the calorie scale being oily in nature but are otherwise perfect for chilly mornings of the north accompanied with a hot cup of tea. Poha on the other hand is made up of flattened or beaten rice and good for digestion. For the calorie conscious Poha is definitely a great option. It is also a popular breakfast dish all around India often called by different names. It is healthy and will certainly not be a burden to your weight or digestion.
If it’s the south of India that is your destination then the morning aromas will be that of Idlis, Dosas, among other. The south Indian breakfast in general is healthy and of low calorie. Idlis are savoury cakes made up of steamed fermented black lentils and rice and usually two or three inches in diameter. Teamed with chutney or vegetable stew this is an ideal breakfast on the table. Dosas, on the other hand, are fermented pancakes made from rice batter and black lentils served with Vegetable stew again. It is rich in carbohydrates, contains no sugar or saturated fats and good on the body.
Apart from the dishes staple to the part of India you are visiting, you would also find bread and omelettes as a must on the breakfast table. Various Hotels also serve English breakfast along with Indian. In fact you could even find Italian and other Continental delicacies for breakfast depending on the city you are in and the hotel you are staying in.
Hence, breakfast in India wouldn’t be much of a problem in India. However, keep in mind there would be some dishes which would be high on oil and fat content. Considering it may be hot and humid in India, it is best to avoid those options unless your metabolism is trained for spicy breakfasts. Enjoy your Indian breakfast.
I am excited for my new children’s book about India. It is called “Namaste World. I am Diya. My life in India.” This book is about a 6-year-old little girl called Diya who lives in Delhi with her mummy and daddy.
She narrates her life in India to other children. She talks about going to school in an auto rickshaw, going to temples, celebrating festivals and general life in India.
This book introduces Indian culture, religion, animals and other various things about India. Kids learn more when other kids tell them things.
This book is ideal for those who will be travelling to India with their children. It’s also ideal for those parents who wants to introduce multiculturalism to their children.
This book introduces India and Indian way of life to children. Children will begin to appreciate that there are kids just like them in other parts of the world.
Watch my video to learn more.
You can buy my book on all Amazon stores. Just search Amazon for – Namaste World. I am Diya.
