As I sit in my living room sipping a glass of wine this may be a great time to chat about alcohol on the trip.
Habitat does not allow the consumption of alcohol on trips. If you read over the Medex insurance policy you would actually not be covered if you were consuming alcohol. If you wish to drink and party every night this is not your trip. We will be working in the hot sun during the day and if you are working hard you will not be able to party all night and then work the next day.

Shopping! Many people will be interested in bringing home souvenirs for themselves or friends and family...as long as you go forth with a few pointers ahead of time you will do fine.

1. If the shop keeper offers you a beverage and you think you may be shopping there accept it. You will get better pricing in the end. Ask for a coke and watch them take the top off the bottle. No straw--it may be recycled. You will not need to finish the coke but you should at least start to drink it. Chai is also acceptable to ask for and drink.
2. Be prepared to haggle and ask for a better price. In fact it is part of the way you shop in India--you ask for better prices always.
3. There are certain stores where you do not haggle. You will know you are in a no haggle store if there are prices on the items.
4. Be prepared to walk away. The sales people can be very pushy...VERY pushy. They will think you have a LOT of money because you are from Canada. We know this is not necessarily the case. If you find the shop keeper/sales people getting pushy and wanting to show you more than you want to buy or pressuring you to stay longer just leave. Its always ok to just leave. Do not worry about offending them.
5. Shop with a friend. Do not venture out alone.
6. Many shops will have a mat and shoes outside the door. If you are comfortable taking off your shoes and going in do so...if you are not then leave on your shoes. Your feet will be dirty regardless.
7. Know what your money is worth. I printed out a small cheat sheet of conversions. $1 CDN=45 rupees, $10 CDN=456 rupees...that kind of thing. It will help you keep your head when shopping and give you an idea of what it is worth.

If you are touring before or after India with a tour/driver/group beware of the shopping. More often than not--as in always, the tour guide/driver/etc gets a kick back from whatever you spend. It is in their best interest to take you lots of places and have you spend lots of money. Do not feel pressured. When I was in India in 2008 I got to the point where I was saying...no more shopping. Please no more stores. It was hard to say no and hard to get them to accept no as an answer. Remember--walk away if you need to.

Don't misunderstand what I am writing. The shopping is great--there is lots to select from, bring home, etc I myself brought home many wonderful items.

This weekend I will post some information about our meals.