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Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.
It’s 11:00 on a Monday morning, and I’m on the first actual day off of three weeks holidays. Tomorrow, at an hour so early it might as well be today, we’re flying via Schipol to India. This is the first break from work this year that’s more than two days, it’s the first time I’ve left the country in almost two years, and it’s the first time ever going to a place where I won’t necessarily recognise or understand anything. I’m really looking forward to it.
The last one might take some explanation - everywhere else I have ever been, there are some things I recognise. Trees, for instance, are not appreciably different in Finland, in the US, in France or Spain or Greece. Sure, there’s more cypress in Greece and less ash, but I still know what they are. I don’t expect to recognise any trees in India. Likewise, in all those places, a few brands carry across. In India, there’ll be stretches of time where even the omnipresent Coca-cola logo might not be seen for days. It might as well be another planet, and about the only things that will be the same will be the stars. It’s going to be great.
I’m reasonably confident of dealing with the temperatures. We’re looking at daytime temperatures of just under 40°C, and night temperatures hovering around 20°C. That’s a pretty huge drop, and I suspect the 20° might feel quite cold, relatively speaking.
We’ve a few days in Delhi before the tour proper starts, and the plan is to spend those days acclimatising, exploring Delhi, eating, and probably buying clothes, and music and books by the ton to post back. I gather from various sources that Delhi is a second-hand book paradise. We have two rucksacks, neither of which is currently more than half-full, so between what we can carry and what we can post back, we should rival a small import business. I intend to get a few nice statues of Ganesha as well - the little brass one that sits on my desk in work has done me nothing but good - and I suspect that a few more statues and devotional objects will find their way in as well.
The time difference is currently only four and a half hours - it should be about eight, but India has its own unique time zone. That’s going to do odd things to the sunrise and sunset times, but my maths - always prone to hiding when timezones come up - flees entirely when I try to work out what’s going to happen early or late.
We have both a digital and analogue camera with us. I can more or less work both of them, but I suspect Nina will be photographer-in-chief, as they cooperate far better with her. Expect very few pictures of us, and lots of scenery, buildings, and markets.
And there’s the food. Some of the guide books say not to buy from roadside stalls at all, only ever drink bottled water, and preferably bring all your food with you in non-perishable tablet form. I intend, within the bounds of common sense, to ignore all that. I like the Indian food we get here, and I’m damned if I’m going to travel eight thousand miles and not sample the food properly. Which means roadside stalls, markets, shops, restaurants, and whatever else comes my way.
I’ll be putting together a website when we get back, and we’ll be keeping journals while we’re away, so you’ll get as much detail as you ever wanted, and possibly more.
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I'd want to do it the way you're planning, so good luck to you! Hope you have a MARVELLOUS trip (I'm very jealous!).
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Have a great time!
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I say this because
niallm, concerned for the gothwalk welfare
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although they came back with the most fabulous photographs of amazing places, as well, so you should enjoy yourself! Bon voyage!
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As regards the stalls and the like - don't completely disregard the advice. Sure, they can go a leeeetle extreme, but some of it you really should take. Cooked roadside food probably grand, but do *not* drink anything other than bottled water, and check that the seal is good, because they can and do sell tap-water refilled into bottles, and you will get sick. And do not eat any raw veg or salad that can't be peeled (and peeled by yourself I mean) and no ice cubes. In fact, even in restaurants no ice cubes. Delhi belly is not a joke nor an exaggeration. But common-sense precautions is all it needs, not living on McDonalds :)
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