India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [62]
The Canadian website GayTraveler (www.gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.
TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES
Most disabilities shouldn’t stop anyone from traveling. There are more options and resources out there than ever before. However, it must be noted that India—despite the fact that it has such a high population of people with disabilities—is not well geared for travelers with disabilities. Destinations are far from wheelchair friendly, and it is hard enough for an able-bodied person to negotiate the crowded, filth-strewn, and potholed streets, where cars, animals, and rickshaws drive at will. Access to historical monuments is also difficult (though you will have the small reward of free access). Certainly you would need to be accompanied by a traveler familiar with the destination, and you must carefully sift through the accommodations options, only a handful of which have facilities specifically geared to travelers with disabilities.
Organizations that offer a range of resources and assistance to disabled travelers include MossRehab ( 800/CALL-MOSS [2255-6677];www.mossresourcenet.org); the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB; 800/232-5463;www.afb.org); and SATH (Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality; 212/447-7284; www.sath.org).
WOMEN TRAVELERS
Foreign women will almost certainly experience India as sexist, but if you are confident, relaxed, and assertive, you are unlikely to experience any serious hassles. However, traveling solo is only for the very brave and thick-skinned, unless of course you’re traveling in comfort (using the accommodations selected in this book) and have hired a car and driver for the duration (you are at your most vulnerable when using public transport). At best, you will experience being stared at intensely for an unbearable length of time; at worst you may be groped—some men are convinced that all Western women are loose and slutty. To a great extent, Western cinema and fashion trends have helped fuel the legend that women from abroad welcome this attention, and you’d do well to take precautions, like wearing appropriate (modest) attire. On trains, buses, and in other public places, you are best off ignoring advances or questions from suspicious-looking men. Another strategy that often helps single women travelers ward off unwanted male attention is to wear a ring and invent a husband; if you’re approached, say that you are meeting your “husband” at the next station/destination. You should have little difficulty determining when a line of questioning is likely to lead to problems. In particular, steer clear of men who have been drinking alcohol. “Eve-teasing” (the word denoting unwanted attention and public harassment by men) is an offense in certain parts of India, and you are within your rights to report inappropriate advances or remarks to the police—the easiest response, however, is to loudly tell the offender off, and even strike him—you will almost certainly be supported by those around you. You may want to ask whether or not your hotel offers a special room for solo women travelers; these are now offered in a few upmarket hotels in the larger cities, and include special privacy/security features.
Note that women are excluded from entering certain religious sites and attractions (which we have pointed out wherever relevant), but this is unlikely to impact too strongly on your plans. Menstruating women are, technically, not entitled to enter Jain temples or mosques.
A few Indian travel outfits specialize in women-only itineraries. Travel writer Sumitra Senapaty’s Women on Wanderlust (www.wowsumitra.com) is aimed primarily at Indian women, and includes tours to non-Indian destinations; however there are a few excursions, including treks and river-rafting expeditions, that you may wish to consider. Adventure specialists 18 Days (www.18days.in; see “Adventure & Wellness Trips,” below) also offer several