I have finally started to make some real progress with my health and life in general the past month or so and a big part of that has been mapping out not only my current goals - but goals a little further down the road (3 months, 6 months, a year).

Well low and behold - I have most of my fitness stuff pretty clearly defined for my plans for the next 8 months when my manager decides we're going to take part in a "technical exchange" program of sorts and I get to have the privlege of traveling to Bangalore India in May of 2007.

I've never set foot out of the continental US so this will be my first trek abroad so to speak and the information on the web about importing and exporting is off the charts confusing. SO if anyone is familiar with India's import laws (specifically the kinds of things I won't get harrassed about bringing into the country on a plane with my person) I would love to have some dialogue with you.

The people I work with are little to no help whatsoever as questions like "Is it ok to pack canned meats?" are greeted with condescention and sneers. Or the wisecracks that follow about me trying to smuggle steroids in my luggage.

I just know stuff like that can be confusing - I found out it's technically illegal to bring canned meats back to the US - which I thought odd - but its this kind of stuff I want to plan for. If I have to survive on whey protein, oatmeal and water for three weeks - I can handle it. I may not like it but I'll manage.

My world traveled JSFers (or if we're lucky enough to have any India natives) - please chime in!

Bueller....buelller.

I found out taking canned foods across country lines is generally frowned upon. Probably because of the liklihood somebody would try and smuggle bad stuff in the cans.

I had the oppurtunity to inquire to one of my Indian co-workers at a casual lunch this week and he was amazed at how paranoid I was at going there. Apparently canned chicken and tuna are pretty easily had there - though he said I could probably expect to pay a little more for it.

I'll probably invest in a tub of whey to carry with me still and hope for the best. :cool:

vatechguy, i am from Mumbai (Bombay), so I could prob be helpful. Regarding food it can be hard to get really healthy food (like steel cut oats, quality protein powder etc). When i visit my home every December, i carry Nitrean in 1 lb containers and place them in large ziploc bags. Meat/fish etc. should be avaiable widely in cities. If you are unsure about the meat quality, go to the hotels like Marriot, Taj, Oberoi to name a few. These always have good restaurants and coffee shops serving food prepared American/European styles. The Indian versions are also available, but you have to love the spices to enjoy it.

The cities will also have good grocery stores with contents similar to the ones here. You wont find 25 varieties of highly processed cereals, and enriched stuff. However, you will find the basic items, which are much more natural and nutritious.

If you do go about buying stuff from the local markets, do check with your friends about a range of prices for the items on your shopping list. The locals may increase their prices if you appear like a westerner. Same goes for traveling in taxis/rickshaws. Bombay has metered taxis but sme cities require settling on a price before your journey.

Hope this helps.

I saw that you are going to Bangalore. I have lots of friends from Bangalore - India's pub city. Compiling resources from them will take time. Till then, if yiu havent', check out http://www.bangalorebest.com

Also, checkout the eatouts on the wine n dine page here (http://www.bangalorebest.com/Winedine/winedine.asp):

It lists places depending on the cuisine you want with the address, number, and price you should expect. In Bangalore, you will find TGIFs, Subways, Pizza Huts, McDs, KFCs etc. Since you are going there, I also suggest trying out some wonderful south-indian fare. Most of those meals are carb-heavy, and at times you could be served carb-fat meal combos.