Steve – Page 11 – Travels

Travel light

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Steve

Carry on luggage only.

That has been the other plan since the start and it should be doable. I can always buy clothes if I need more.

Someone came around for a meeting today and he offered dire warnings about getting sick. In fact every single book, website, person and pharmaceutical company rep guarantees that you will get sick in India. I am ready. But that is for another post.

As he was leaving I pointed out the pile of things I have laid out in preparation.

Let me rephrase that. I pointed out the pitiful pile of things… I confess to being kind of shocked at how little there is…so far. But I am sticking with the plan, less than 7kg and just carry on.

I have an image of reducing the weight of my too heavy pack by wearing every item of clothing, including my sleeping sheet thingy wrapped around me like a very butch sari.

That should get me an empty seat on either side.

Planning or not

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Steve

To plan or not to plan. I like the idea of making up as I go along and the plan was to not plan. Fortunately I have some smart friends and Dave reminded me that planning can be much of the fun.

So I changed my plan and I now have a plan.

I arrive in Hyderabad, then head down through Bangalore and west to Kollam. Jump on a ferry for a 2 day trip to Cochin then up to Mumbai especially for Ganesh Chaturthi.

It is a 10 day festival that culminates in the statues of Ganesh being immersed in water, in Mumbai that is the ocean. This year it ends on September 27, so perfect timing.

The idol in the photo apparently attracts 1.5 million visitors per day. Seeing that shouldn’t be a challenge.

Then up through Rajasthan reaching Delhi about October 12 to meet The Sheila. The standard of travel and accommodation will then be lifted as we head East to the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya and Kolkata.

A flight down to Chennai for a few days visiting Puducherry and a silk and sari producing village I read about.

Then 3 nights in KL on the way home.

Well, that’s the plan anyway.

Getting to India…and home

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Steve

It was about 18 months before the start of this trip that I decided to go. Most unlike me, I tend to come up with an idea and do it ASAP.

Found bargain flights on Air Asia. About $AUD550 return from the Gold Coast. But I have been paying for it since as they bombard me with emails offering insurance, hire cars, food and paying $19 for the privilege of moving to the seat next to the one allocated to me.

I figure that flying on September 11th will mean that there will be enough empty seats to stretch out on. In my case, two is plenty 😛