But really, who’s counting.
I have purchased most of what I will need to take, with a few notable exceptions. Like pants. And shirts. And stuff.
But my backpack (Osprey Atmos 50 Pack) is here, the SteriPen is here, my socks are here, and some earplugs are here too! I’m evaluating some cheap-o day packs (like kid’s school backpacks) because they’re really light and, so long as I’m relatively sure that they’re safe, I’m sure I’m not going to want to take all my belongings out every time I leave wherever I’m staying.
My train tickets are all booked via the IRCTC website (that in itself, a pretty fun task, and a great introduction to both the Indian bureaucracy and language difficulties). Well, I booked them all except for one, as I’m only allowed to make 10 per month. So, the final one will have to wait until April rolls around to finish that up.
The good part of having the train tickets booked, beside avoiding the long, hot lines in the crowded rail station, is that the itinerary is somewhat set (at least the cities). This is actually quite a relief when you’re starting with a virtual blank pad of paper when it comes to where you’re going to go. Especially on a trip this long. Planning for a solo 6 week trip is a bit of an undertaking, especially with my desire for information.
You see, normally, like when we have gone to domestic destinations, I’ve come up with a list of places to stay based on location, budget, amenities, etc. Let’s say I start with a list of 30-40 places; many of them can be weeded out relatively quickly using the criteria I set out with. Which leaves, let’s say about 10 places. Then we get into looking at pictures, checking out their websites, reading reviews, etc. to get a cursory flavor of the place. Then, using that information, we get down to maybe 2 or 3 that we have to decide between. The research then gets a little deeper and more time intensive. Checking to see what comes up with a Google search of the hotel, looking at reviews from multiple sites, checking it out on a map to see how easy it is to get in and out of, where the grocery or restaurants are (if there are), local transportation, its proximity to area attractions, etc. At the end, I have a lot of information gathered that I attempt to use in a constructive way, to increase the chances that I may have a favorable experience, versus, let’s say, picking a place by throwing a dart at a map of the area.
However, there are several things which preclude me from doing the same thing on this trip. One, is that if I’ll be travelling to 15 cities (let’s say), that’s a hell of a lot of work. Two, is that I find myself a lot less interested in spending so much time trying to get the answer “right,” and third, is the fact that, well, while more and more information is coming online from these locations in India, much of it is not online. Which makes research long and tedious, and when the translations are rough, very slow too. Not to mention the fact that the “traditional” way to see India is to plop down off the plane and then figure it out; staying as long as you like in one place before moving on.
So, given my tendency to want to consume as much information as possible in advance, I am both excited and anxious about the trip. Excited for the challenge and the opportunity to meet such a culture; anxious from my “lack of preparation” compared to previous travels. We’ll have to wait and see as the time draws closer, which way the needle will lean.
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