07 December Tour: Vaccinations - Japanese Encephalitis & Early Arrival

Pamela B.

Hello All,

While I am not scheduled for the Spotlight of India tour until 07 December, I'm wondering if anyone traveling on this tour (or on the China tour) has learned if the Japanese Encephalitis vaccination is required or a good safety measure?

Also, I am arriving two days early, on 05 December in the morning on British Airways. I will likely rest as needed, but will want to see some of Delhi soon enough. Is anyone else coming in a day or two early? If so, perhaps we can explore together! I am traveling solo and may also be open to a quick visit to Nepal unless the visa requirement is intense. In any case, I have the name of a good guide and will make contact with him soon to ask about the possibility of a one-day excursion --likely too much to take on, but fun to consider the possibility in any case!

I look forward to meeting all of you sharing the 07 December Spotlight of India tour!

My best,
Pam Blair

British

A day trip to Nepal, this tour is tiring and to attempt a day trip to Nepal before it starts, No. change your tour to the one that includes Northern India and Nepal if you really want to see it, or better still, do another trip another time.

Pamela B.

Thank you, British, for your reply; I appreciate it.

The Nepal leg is really a minor after-thought --and I will likely just enjoy relaxing and seeing a bit of Delhi that may not already be on Tauck's planned itinerary. The goal of my initial note in this forum was to ascertain thoughts on the Japanese Encephalitis vaccination --what folks have learned and whether their doctors deem it necessary.

Many thanks again,
Pam

British

Ah! The CDC spells it out very nicely if you look up Japanese Encephalitis in India, it is not recommended for travel lasting under a month and transmission is low for the time of year you will be visiting. We did not have that vaccine for our Spotlight tour, it has only been available in the US for a few years too. But you should seek advice from a travel dr, or your own physician that knows your health history, which is what Tauck recommends.
If you look on old forum posts, you will see there are huge discussions on vaccines. Some people don't want to protect themselves from diseases that the WHO and CDC recommend travelers say they should. Others, like myself, care about their health and attempt to ensure that they are protected by available and recommended vaccines both in the US and traveling to other countries. Tauck forum guidelines suggest we talk to our doctors rather than rely on information from strangers on this website. We research health informTion for countries we visit and keep records of our vaccine dates. We keep the yellow fever card with our passport always.

Pamela B.

Thanks again, British. Yes, we've explored all the written materials and plan to see our doctors --not relying on anyone else, just seeking a sense of what folks have done.

Pam

mel0849

Pamela.
Hi, I did this tour last Nov. 2016 is amazing. I did 2 pre and 1 post stay. The flights are pretty long but they won't kill you. A good route is thruw Dubai. 14 hours fly from US and than 2.50 to Delhi. not bad and shopping @ the Dubai airport is divine...

I can give you the tour company that I used is :

http://www.delhimagic.com/contact.htm

It was amazing!

Deepa Krisnan is the owner she is incredible. They are very nice, very professional and reliable, cars are in great condition. Prices are also good and drivers are excellent. The company is super good, it is run by mostly women and they do a lot for the community. I hire a guide with driver to see the temples and some markets 8 hours each day. $150.00 per day. I contacted Deepa via Email about 7month prior to my trip, so is never too early.

If you need anything else let me know.

Have fun

travelingteacher

Hi Pamela, I will be on your tour and am also traveling solo. I'll look forward to meeting you. How lucky we are to see such an interesting part of the world!

MGCGKC

Although we also chilled out by the pool some, we were active in Delhi before the actual tour started. We stayed at the Leela Palace and explored the large Sarojini Nagar outdoor market that is easily walk-able from the hotel, and we also wandered through the middle class neighborhoods that surround it. The market is much more a local place than a tourist place, and is a pleasing shot of reality to Delhi life. The merchant hawking was fairly mellow, and we felt completely safe. The layout is a bit of a labyrinth, so I would caution to stay alert to your walking route. (And resist temptation to try the tasty looking street foods!)

We also hired a cab (is not expensive) with assistance from the hotel bellman and went to the Lotus Temple, Lodi Gardens, The National Museum, and the excellent/huge government run craft store near the museum. None of these places were covered by the tour and we enjoyed them all. The driver was paid by the hour (rather than by the meter), and when he dropped us at each of these spots, we gave him a sense of how long we would need, and then he was waiting for us when we came out. We tipped the driver in local currency, but had the cab charge applied to our hotel bill--in part to ensure no surprises in the quoted price.

Some of our colleagues hired a cab and went to Swaminarayan Akshardham on the day before the tour began and spoke well of it.

During some Delhi free time after the tour started we also hired a cab from the hotel and went to one of the mega shopping malls in the suburbs. We didn't buy anything, we just wanted to soak up some current culture on how middle and upper middle class Indians lived. The mall was crowded and interesting.

We like to read ahead and didn't use guides for these excursions, and found that we didn't need them.

One cab driver spoke pretty good English, and the other did not, but we communicated fine. We also enjoyed getting an early look at the extended city during the drives. The hotel also hires out an upscale car with a guaranteed English speaking driver for a higher fee than a cab. A very sensible choice for some travelers.

Enjoy your trip!