Contracting in India

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I have a opportunity to go to India for 3 months. The money will be stupid good but it's all the critters and disease that freaks me out. I know only drink bottled anything and you'll end up with the runs anyway,expected.  If I'm laid up sick still get paid.  I'm thinking no women and no steak or fun like I'm use to but I would probably drop 20-30 unneeded lbs. I'm curios if anybody here would share there India experiences, I'd love to hear anything I can good or bad.
Reply:I have not been. However it is a big place and has about as many kinds of people in it as the US. Just a billion instead of 400 million. Anyway the risks of everything you describe depend entirely upon precisely where you will be living and working and what the setup is. You may even find it preferable to where you live now. I have always said the best way to visit a country is to work there, because then you get the full experience of what life is like... as a well paid third country national. Go. Have fun. Get your shots. Take the malaria prophylaxis if indicated. And be sure your health insurance covers repatriation in the event it is needed. There is good medical care available there for those who can pay, but you may wish to purchase coverage thru SOS International or a similar company who knows where the closest US standard health care is to where you will be, and how to get you there if you are injured or sick.
Reply:Have the job cover the travel health policy of course.
Reply:They will make fun of your accent.Bring your own work gloves. A pair a week and 4 pairs extra. Same thing with your hood lenses. And ear plugs.
Reply:Good thing is I won't be doing to much hands on just helping troubleshoot bad stainless welds.
Reply:Sometimes it's a car wreck on the way to the hotel that gets people. Appendicitis. You name it. Chance favors the prepared mind.
Reply:Originally Posted by Showdog75Good thing is I won't be doing to much hands on just helping troubleshoot bad stainless welds.
Reply:I contracted a lot when I used to visit Navy ports in India.  Thankfully a shot of Penicillin cleared me right up.
Reply:I had a retired friend who travelled all around as an Indian and stay at their ashrams.  First only drink hot tea.  If it is boiled then you are safe.  He ate an egg for breakfast that he personally boiled.  Any fruit he ate had to be pealed.  You do not eat anything else raw.     As others said have all your shots.  I worked in one shop with a cleaner who was Indian.  On his vacation he was going back to visit family.  I asked him if he was getting any shots or taking precautions.  He laughed at me.  When he came back and I asked him about his holiday he said that he was sick as a dog all the time he stayed.   There will be a cultural shock.  Don't get upset about the graft and corruption.  If you have to pay some official consider it much like a tip.  Once you pay the official or whomever he looks after you.   Find out as much as you can about customs.  Beckoning someone with your finger and they will take offence.  In Australia if you hitchike with your thumb out you will get run over.  You put your open hand out.  Smiling is almost universal but in some cultures showing your teeth while you smile will get you in trouble.   Years ago I met a young Australian and he told me that while in the Middle East he met two Germans at an airport.  One had lost an ear.  At a meal he farted then laughed.  The friend was taking him back to Germany.   If you are going with an upfront company they will give you some training.... it is important to observe these subtle customs.   Also eating or taking food from a common bowl you do with your right hand because everyone knows that you wipe your *** with your left.  I am remembering all these things... My neighbour twenty years ago was Indian.  He told me of an Indo -Canadian family that rented a van to travel while visiting.  There was an accident with a large truck and all the family was killed.  Passports and luggage was missing and no one saw anything.  I taught in a prison and I had one inmate who was Indian.  He told me over there if you want to kill someone first thing you do is bribe the local police.  They will be somewhere else and be slow coming to the scene of the crime.   He told me that the only problem you might run into is if the offended family had deeper pockets that you.  In that case the investigation would proceed full steam ahead.Last edited by lotechman; 05-16-2014 at 12:53 AM.Reason: additon
Reply:Guess I'm screwed as I love a good fart and laugh, lol. I'm also left handed, they'll not like that.
Reply:Go there with your eyes open and make sure you get proper information and advice before you leave.  I can't imagine a commercial operation not giving you some sort of workshop before you leave.  Likely you will have a guide assigned to you.   Keep in mind that the administrative language is English.  There are hundreds of languages with dialects.  The British solved the problem by making English the language of government.  That makes is a little easier than other countries.   You can survive 3 months .... I worked in a shipyard where several men had worked all around the world.  Their experiences showed in their abilities. When you come back you will have all kinds of tales to tell at lunch time LOL
Reply:You only live once I'd go for the experience
Reply:I spent 2 weeks over there about 2 years ago.  I loved it.  Ate everything in sight, but stuck with bottled water.  Got mildly sick one time in Calcutta, but I have been way worse off in any number of cities in the US.  A lot of professional people speak English, and most seemed to understand at least a bit.  I was in 8 different cities, so didn't get too much information on specific culture items in any one spot, but I never had a lick of trouble anywhere.  Damn sure get your shots and boosters loaded up to the max, it is plenty dirty and nasty in lots of places.  I was in 1 or 2 areas after dark which seemed to be good places to stay away from, but thats just like anywhere else.  I wasn't there on purpose, but the traffic situation held us up a couple of times and there we were.  Live as close as possible to where you work, as the traffic is ludicrous. In general, I felt that if you dont act like a $hithead, it would be just fine (like almost anywhere else in the world).  Take plenty of medicine in original packaging/prescription bottle, it can be hard to find even Pepto if you need it in a hurry.  You should be getting some sort of shipping allowance to take tools and stuff.  Load that sucker up with simple crap you never even think of over here.  Batteries, stuff like that.  It can be a pain to find good quality items like that.  If you buy things from street merchants, you gotta haggle to the death, they will see you are a westerner and gouge you pretty good.Last edited by Fred s; 05-16-2014 at 10:01 AM.Reason: spellingExperience is something you get right after you need it
Reply:You didnt mention where in India your going to.Get your shots. If your near a big city, the cuisine will be good if your with someone who knows how to order vegetarian and meat. They have English beer but dont let them see you drink straight from the bottle and cups can be dirty.Most importantly, power outs are more of a brown out than black out. The power slowly fades from 220 to zero and this will fry transformers.Dropping a duece will be a hole new experiance if you get a classy hotel and toilet.Men hold hands and are not gay  so dont be alarmed. Besides, ah, never mind.Last edited by Insaneride; 05-16-2014 at 10:34 AM.
Reply:I'd love to go to India for awhile.  30+ years ago, I lived in Thailand for 3 years and had a great time.  Visited a number of other countries in the area but didn't get to India ."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I'm will find out a lot more info tomorrow. It's way out in the middle of nowhere basically and my biggest concern is the compound where we will stay. I simply will not go if it's dirt floor open door kinda stuff as it's the snakes,lizards, monkey's and tiger's that concern me. I really hope this pans out and I'm able to go, I simply love adventure and travel.
Reply:My Dad worked and raised us (6 kids) in Pakistan and east Pakistan (Bangladesh now) on both sides of India for 8 years, moving from Ca.  We lived there in the community, not protected.  I would go, just be aware of surroundings, you don't make memories on the couch. We lived through 2 or 3 wars, and many of anti American riots. The potential for violence is higher now, but India it is more stable than surrounding countries. At least when 3 of my sons returned to the middle east as US Marines for many ugly deployments I was able to give them some insight into what the culture was like! Boil water, stay away from veggies, everything else is ok.  Expect huge crowds depending on where you are. If the streets aren't moving….. stat put.
Reply:Did you bring back a citar ? Bart? Music in Bangladesh would be awesome.I would follow Barts advice. And the part of veggies in a remote area makes me wonder about the fertalizer . Ewe fda.The place to obey is:_Singapore. Whenever I was there, they were getting ready to "cane" a_Snitch on the bottom of his feet 25 times and then imprison_him for being a snitch.. They treat criminals_worse.Muslim_Budha and_ Harikrishna.Yo will probly get shots on Friday and be sick on your own time SaturdayUgliest_hookrs I ever saw bet then; the White_House ran a Whore house where I live.Last edited by Insaneride; 05-17-2014 at 04:49 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Insaneride.....................The place to obey is:_Singapore. Whenever I was there, they were getting ready to "cane" a_Snitch on the bottom of his feet 25 times and then imprison_him for being a snitch.. They treat criminals_worse.....................................
Reply:Showdog75,I'd jump on that employment adventure in a heart beat.  If you exercise some reasonable caution and common sense you should be fine.   I always do some internet research before I travel so I'm more prepared.  Google Earth the place you're going so you've got some idea of the lay of the land.Check the State Department web site for any travel advisories.   There's plenty of other web sites that will give insight in to the local customs and travel tips.Here's the CDC web site that will give you some good info and what vaccinations you should have.http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinat...ler/none/india
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideDid you bring back a citar ? Bart? Music in Bangladesh would be awesome.I would follow Barts advice. And the part of veggies in a remote area makes me wonder about the fertalizer . Ewe fda.The place to obey is:_Singapore. Whenever I was there, they were getting ready to "cane" a_Snitch on the bottom of his feet 25 times and then imprison_him for being a snitch.. They treat criminals_worse.Muslim_Budha and_ Harikrishna.Yo will probly get shots on Friday and be sick on your own time SaturdayUgliest_hookrs I ever saw bet then; the White_House ran a Whore house where I live.
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideDid you bring back a citar ? Bart? Music in Bangladesh would be awesome.I would follow Barts advice. And the part of veggies in a remote area makes me wonder about the fertalizer . Ewe fda.The place to obey is:_Singapore. Whenever I was there, they were getting ready to "cane" a_Snitch on the bottom of his feet 25 times and then imprison_him for being a snitch.. They treat criminals_worse.Muslim_Budha and_ Harikrishna.Yo will probly get shots on Friday and be sick on your own time SaturdayUgliest_hookrs I ever saw bet then; the White_House ran a Whore house where I live.
Reply:Originally Posted by 4956It's pretty obvious to me you've never been to Singapore and are just talking sh!t.
Reply:Originally Posted by Showdog75I'm will find out a lot more info tomorrow. It's way out in the middle of nowhere basically
Reply:Originally Posted by 4956It's pretty obvious to me you've never been to Singapore and are just talking sh!t.My memory was that teenager was caned with a reduced number.  Bet he didn't Tag cars for a while after that. Originally Posted by InsanerideI had a two day layover in Singapore on my way to Bombay.  Cleanest place I ever saw. Even the trash was tidy. Everyone on the plane had to sign a waiver about laws before we landed. They will cane Americans or anyone if your guilty. During the Clinton era, an American teenager got busted tagging cars or setting off car alarms. His family was begging our US president to help stop the caning. I dont remember the outcome but theres not much the president  could do.  4956 Are you ok? DennisK, a sad thing but you are rite. About ten days ago, a man was stabbed less than 5 miles from me. He used a cell fon for help. Paramedics brought him back to life only to die a second time.
Reply:Many houses in the villages have tidy dirt floors, yours will probably be polished concrete (terrazzo) You won't see tigers, they are in Bangladesh's sundurban jungle/delta area and rare there. Snakes are common, but again usually in the jungle areas, although if you are inspecting outside welds in remote areas, keep your eyes open.  The vegi remark was because they use human fertilizer.  You can have steak, it's just water buffalo usually. Spare ribs were hard to find because they thought it was food for poverty stricken people, not wealthy Americans.  We always had to buy chickens alive and whack their heads off. Everyone will try to feed you, it is welcoming respect. Drink a cup of chai with them (tea), you should be OK. Many Americans go there for tourism or business. I think you will be safer there than most US cities. Government is corrupt, you may have to pay to get out of a pickle, like hitting a holy cow with your welding truck.  Welders may not use any safety gear, many times not even helmets, just a glass plate, no shoes. You will probably get the runs, other diseases are common, just get your shots. When I came back to the US, I never got sick again, pretty much became immune to everything I think. Many beggars in the marketplaces where I was.  It was common organized crime where kids are kidnapped, mamed, crippled and put out to raise money, at least in pakistan and Bangladesh. It's tough, but giving them money just supports their masters. Just because water might come in a bottle, it does not mean it's safe.  They rebottle everything,  It is very common to see orange soda in a coke bottle. Medical care in the cities is top notch nowadays.   I lost an eye over in Pakistan when I was ten, in the 60's, it took me a week to get to a doctor……..in London.
Reply:I'm headed out tomorrow on this journey. It's been a while in the making but it is here. I will be in Bahr, India about 50 miles from Patna. It's not stainless work but general quality control. I figure if I didn't take the offer to go I'd be doing the same ol crap I always do and two months would pass uneventful. This is definitely out of my comfort zone but this might be the pivotal point in my career. I'm sure it won't hurt my resume.I got my shots and meds so off we go. I'll be sure to take pics and hopefully in my free time I can post a few on this thread.
Reply:Sounds good! Keep us posted.
Reply:Originally Posted by blackbartI can't stand that music.  We did bring back a pump piano thing, kind of like an accordion, .
Reply:Originally Posted by blackbartMy memory was that teenager was caned with a reduced number.  Bet he didn't Tag cars for a while after that.
Reply:Many "caninings were not full force, still when you get slapped a hundred times, you remember it.  Some were brutal,even deadly.  But We better get off that subject before we end up on a gov watch list…..
Reply:Sitting in Frankfurt, six hour layover. Then to Delhi. Temps are gonna be high 90's with rain pretty much daily. Humidity out the roof along with the heat index. It's 60 in Frankfurt right now.
Reply:Originally Posted by Showdog75Temps are gonna be high 90's with rain pretty much daily. Humidity out the roof along with the heat index.
Reply:The only bad thing about visiting faraway places is getting there and back.  You rush around then sit around on a plane or in an airport for hours on end.  I've been to Thailand many times and it's about a 24 hour ordeal.  Getting to India from the east coast shouldn't be quite so bad."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Showdog75I have a opportunity to go to India for 3 months. The money will be stupid good but it's all the critters and disease that freaks me out. I know only drink bottled anything and you'll end up with the runs anyway,expected.  If I'm laid up sick still get paid.  I'm thinking no women and no steak or fun like I'm use to but I would probably drop 20-30 unneeded lbs. I'm curios if anybody here would share there India experiences, I'd love to hear anything I can good or bad.
Reply:Showdog75,Good to hear this worked out for you.   You lucky bugger, I wish I was headed out on an employment adventure.   Montana to Singapore is a 32 hour suffer-fest.  You start out going 2 hours in the wrong direction just so you can sit around the Minneapolis, St. Paul airport for 6 hours before boarding the plane to Tokyo.Safe travels.Last edited by HT2-4956; 07-04-2014 at 10:47 AM.
Reply:We flew into Delhi Friday night then onto Patna yesterday. From there we drove roughly 50 miles and it took approximately 4 hours. The poverty here is unreal and I've never seen anything in the US that comes close. The people have been very friendly and seem glad to have us. This ol Tennessee boy is definitely out of his comfort zone but I think I will come home with a new humble outlook on life. Anyone that thinks american driving is crazy you should come here for the car ride of your life!!! Those that have been here know exactly what I'm talking about'freaking insane is a huge understatement.
Reply:We flew into Delhi Friday night then onto Patna yesterday.
Reply:I forgot to add - when booking a train ticket, make sure it is an inside AC seat not an outside oneAlso - never ask for a seat at the front of the trainLast edited by RSD; 07-07-2014 at 02:03 AM.
Reply:Showdog75,Out of curiosity I tried to Google Earth "Patna" India yesterday to see what it looked like.   Turns out there's several Patna's (who knew?).  Which one (in which Provence) are you working near?   Is there any chance you could post (or PM me) some GPS coordinates closer to where you're working at?  As far as butt-puckering adventures in local land transportation goes I can sympathize.  In Nigeria for instance, the rules of the road as to which vehicle had the right of way in any particular situation pretty much boiled down to which vehicle had the most automatic weapons on board.
Reply:HT2, I got the impression that he is near Patna, capital city of Bihar state - it's in northern India, going off memory it is just over half way between Delhi and Calcutta - been a long time since I've been in that part of the world.
Reply:RSD,Thanks.  If that's the area he's actually in then he's around 200 miles due south of Mt. Everast.   At least the heat and humidity shouldn't be as intense there as it probably is in a lot of the rest of India.
Reply:Originally Posted by HT2-4956...At least the heat and humidity shouldn't be as intense there as it probably is in a lot of the rest of India.
Reply:A few years ago I was in Vadodara(Baroda), north of Mumbai, for a week.  A few pieces of advice based on my experience.Make certain you have a cell phone that works in country.Take or buy enough welding gear that your favorite set has time to dry out in the hotel room before you have to wear it again.Pack toilet paper.Patience is a virtue.  Everything will take longer than you think it should.Don't drink anything unless it comes from a factory sealed container.Don't sit near the bathroom on the flight home.  After 12 hours an airplane crapper smells like an outhouse.Don't drive yourself anywhere and make certain your cab driver knows how to drive.Watch out for cattle, camels, and on-coming steam rollers in traffic.The view from my hotel room, in a nice hotel in Vadodara(Baroda):Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:Sounds like a bucket-list experience.  Enjoy!Jerry30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press