Thoughts About Travel In India

Sorry about the delay in posting. We do not always have internet access and often when we do, we do not have time to sit and create a post. I have been writing on the planes but some of it needs editing. For now, here are some thoughts about travel in India:

It is now 12:00 PM on February 28^th. We are on a Spice Jet 737 at 35,000 feet heading for the Holy City of Varanasi. Spice Jet is one of the many new airlines in India. This one is rather similar to Southwest in that it uses only one type of plane to minimize training and maintenance costs, has no first class section, is quite inexpensive, and is ticketless.

Travel in India is at a watershed. The introduction of multiple low-cost competitors to Air India, coupled with the availability of online booking for air and train travel and the presence of very low-cost cellular service are about to transform this country into an easy country to navigate – the operative point being that it is “about to” transform travel… It’s not quite there yet. Right now there are many growing pains: the websites are often not working properly – both for train and air booking, and the airlines do not accept foreign-issued credit cards, making it extremely difficult for us to book flights. I ended up having to use an agent for some tickets and for others Eric graciously let us use his India-issued credit card (let me know if you are booking India travel and I'll pass on the number).

Rail travel is ubiquitous and inexpensive (16,000,000 passengers per DAY!) but there are many delays, its website needs considerable rethinking, and their booking system only works properly about 50% of the time.

Travel by road is a mess. Traffic is awful, conditions are poor, and road rules are either non-existent or largely ignored. Add to all of the above that there is corruption at every turn and you can see that there is room for improvement.

But it is changing incredibly quickly right now. I think in 5 to 7 years traveling here will be considerably easier and more efficient. That is the primary reason that we have cut Jaisalmer out of our itinerary. Air travel through Rajasthan will be ubiquitous soon enough and there will be no reason to endure 15-hour train rides. We’ll come back in 5 years to test that theory on Rajasthan.

I see two primary ways to travel in India while still avoiding the constant touting and tenacious begging: Probably the best way to do it is by knowing people who live here. If you travel with locals you will see a side of India that is wonderful while avoiding the pitfalls that otherwise cannot be completely controlled (true anywhere really but more so here). If that is not a possibility, joining a tour group that has a good reputation and decent itineraries would also work. These companies arrange all travel, take care of pick-ups and drop-offs that avoid the touts, and are ready with contingencies when things (inevitably) do not go as planned. I know National Geographic sponsors travel here but there are probably dozens of decent companies that do so.

The alternative is to be aware that your taxi windows will often be knocked on when you are stopped in traffic, you will be approached and sometimes followed through train stations (not in a menacing way – but it’s annoying), and someone will often be trying to sell you some product or service that you have no interest in. It is very inexpensive to do it this way but it does cost in other ways.

I will be posting about Delhi, Varanasi and Jaipur shortly. We've seen some amazing things. And some other things too. Our flight to Jaipur is boarding.

Taj Mahal And Complete Itinerary Change

I am sitting by the pool watching hundreds of Kites hovering effortlessly above Delhi, searching for prey. They are magnificent raptors and fill the entire Delhi sky. I also saw them hovering in Mumbai but they are ubiquitous here. They must be floating on thermals because they hover for hours and never flap their wings.

Yesterday (now 2 days ago) we went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj makes it onto most wonder-of-the-world lists, although it is not an official one of the Canonical 7.

Let's start with what was wonderful about the trip to Agra. The Taj is stunning. The stark white marble structure is breathtaking. Walking onto the grounds and from a rather dismal town of Agra and being confronted by this heavenly structure is quite an ethereal experience.

The trip to Agra was also very pleasant. I had booked an express train (Shatabdi Express) that left at 6:00 AM. The train was very comfortable. The breakfast they served was quite good, and we left and arrived on time.

Also nice was visiting the Baby Taj. This is also a mausoleum. It's not nearly as grand as the Taj but it also does not attract crowds the way the Taj does. I think there were about 4 people there with us - as opposed to thousands at the Taj Majal.

But not everything was smooth sailing. My research had yielded the following: 1. Go with the "government pre-paid" taxis and drivers by making the arrangements at the government office in Agra. 2. Since the only express train back to Delhi is at 8:30 PM, do your Agra sightseeing and then get on whatever train is leaving for Delhi when you are done (there are about 10 over the course of the day). 3. Do not bother staying in Agra as there is not much to see beyond the Taj.

And this is how it actually worked out: We were accosted by touts as soon as we were off the train in Agra - on the platform. One guy latched on to us and even though I said "no" 10 times, he followed us to the government office. I spoke to the government "official" who sold me the official ticket for the official day-tour and gave me the official paper to give to the official driver. He then pointed to the tout that had accosted us on the platform. This did not please me. Obviously the touts and the officials work together now.

We went to the tout's car and told him what we wanted to see. He was nice enough and agreed to start with the Taj Majal and then to go from there. From the beginning we felt some resistance to just doing things the way we wanted them done. He had an idea of an itinerary and while he would agree to what we wanted he did so begrudgingly. As the day progressed, our itineraries diverged. He became quite adamant that we visit some "government shops" which we would love. We had told him no a number of times. Once we made it clear that we had no interest he started begging us to go because he gets paid by the shops and that just a few minutes of our time would make a huge difference in his life. In the end we did agree to go to one of the shops both because he was getting something out of it and to alleviate some of the tension that had built up in our taxi.

After visiting the Taj, the Fort, and Baby Taj, we were ready to get out of Agra. While the sites were nice, the constant harassment by touts made everything leading up to each site unpleasant. We were constantly saying no. And they do not accept no. Apparently they have learned that "no" really means "maybe" and they milk that maybe-disguised-as-a-no as far as humanly possible.

There is much more that I could write about the day and maybe I will later - but we are leaving soon for Varanasi and I have to wrap up this post so we can get going. I'm going to skip to the trip back.

We got to the train station and bought a ticket that could be used on any train (and upgraded according to availability and bribability). Unfortunately every train was significantly delayed - up to a few hours for some of them. We made our way to platform 2 where a 3:30 train was leaving at 4:40. Platform 2 must not see a lot of caucasians because we both became aware that we were being stared at. Eventually we moved to another part of the platform where there were fewer people. While we waited we were approached by shoe-shine people. Once again the word "no" was quite ineffective as one guy went so far as to start applying some cream even after my 5th adamant "no".

Once on the train we settled into a berth. When the conductor came by he told us it would be another 320 for us to sit in the 2AC class. I paid him and he wrote out a complicated receipt. As he was wrapping up, the guy that we had been chatting with across from us, told the conductor that he had made a mistake and had undercharged us. They went through the complicated fare-book together and came up with a way to demand another 200 Rupees from us. I thanked our neighbor profusely for his dedication to setting things in India straight. Must be the fist time in history that anyone ever paid the official upgrade rate on a train.

Upon arrival in Delhi we had another unpleasant tout experience - no time to tell - but it was enough to convince us to change the rest of our itinerary in India. We will now fly to Varanasi. Then we will train only to Jaipur. We are cutting out Jaisalmer altogether. Since air service is going to soon be ubiquitous in this country there is no reason to endure the long rides that are so vulnerable to delay, touting, and other unpleasantness.

The only problem with our sudden late-date change is that this is really really high season and hotels are astonishingly scarce. We have manged reservations but they're not ideal.

I'm out of time. Email us and let us know what is happening with you all. Will write when we have more time.

xoxo

The Reunion, Italian Dinner, Debate, Farewell

We're together! Amazing as it may seem, all of our planning actually worked out and we ended up in Delhi at the same place at the same time. When I pulled up at The Oberoi I grabbed my bags and started for the entrance - through the 30 or so guests and staff cajoling for cars. I hadn't seen Karin and Anjum standing outside but luckily Anjum spotted me and called out my name just before I disappeared into the abyss. Here's the scene:

I heard my name and turned to see Karin smiling in the distance. Our eyes met, and suddenly everyone went silent, stopped moving, and turned their attentions intently on us. Then some classic Bollywood tune started playing. All the men gathered behind me and all the women gathered behind Karin... and started dancing. Oh how they danced! Time slowed down and we started running into each other's arms. Karin's hair was blowing in the wind, her sarong falling particularly beautifully in the moonlight... and I looked dashing in my Armani suit and white tie. As the dancers became more and more frenzied, we ran faster and faster into each other's arms, culminating in an incredible passion-induced embrace that seemed to last only a moment but in fact went on well into the next number. I wish you could all have been there (can never hurt to have more back-up dancers, you know).

Well, it was great to see Karin - and Anjum. They were outside because Anjum was just about to leave. And leave she did. After three and a half weeks together, Anjum and Karin bid each other adieu and Anjum drove off, leaving Karin with me! We made our way into the hotel chatting about what her trip had been like.

We then went upstairs and [PORTION EDITED OUT IN THE NAME OF DECENCY BY THE INDIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNET DIGNITY AND BLOGWORTHINESS]. Harry came back from the spa soon thereafter and by 10:00 PM we were having dinner in the ITALIAN restaurant here. Karin and Harry are apparently done with Indian food for a long long time (that's what Karin thinks). Dinner was delish. Inspired by a particularly good pasta dish, Harry will be learning Italian next year and we intend to parlare solamente in italiano thereafter.

We discussed their impressions of the trip, of India, of capital punishment, and of legalization of drugs. Harry is going to send out an email eventually but here is a brief summary of what they (primarily Harry) expressed to me (correct me if I'm wrong) in the form of debate and dialogue:

1. The ratio of lack-of-comfort to difference-they-were-making was too high. While they were willing to endure being cold and wet, without toilets and plumbing and general rudimentary conveniences, they would have preferred to make those sacrifices somewhere even more remote, helping people who had even less access to health care. You just can't satisfy these people when it comes to helping people in need.

2. Harry had his fill of India.

3. Harry supports a basic libertarian view of how governments should be approaching legislation in general.

After an enjoyable meal and at around midnight, we gathered Harry's things and accompanied him to the lobby for his farewell scene (fewer dancers but still good energy). He then left for the airport for his 2:30 AM flight (international flights arrive and leave at crazy times in India - usually in the middle of the night).

By the time he left I had been totally exhausted for hours... following my 2 hour sleep the previous night (if you call 6AM to 8AM "night") and no nap! We got back to the room and I passed out. I think Karin was using the internet at the time. I slept for almost 6 hours! I think I have finally acclimatized.

It's 9:30 AM now. We will have breakfast and then will explore Delhi. We are scheduled to do a day trip to Agra tomorrow and then to leave for Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan the next day. Karin and I have not had a chance yet to finalize our itinerary but will do so by tonight.

Beautiful, Productive Day In The Himalayas. Karin In Charge. Singing. Dancing. I'm Leaving Tomorrow.

I just received a call from Dr. Rash. Today was a gorgeous day in the Himalayas. The team saw over 150 patients and there were many interesting cases. Lots of scabies and rashes. A fair number of years-old untreated spinal fractures. And they are seeing more of the heart-breaking mental-retardation cases where there is little that can be done.

Only 6 people out of the entire team has avoided sickness. Of our Intrepid Trio, only Karin has stayed consistently strong. I have had Karin on a steady diet of hearty Indian fare for the past decade and I attribute her resilience to my own resolute commitment to banghan bharta, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and raita.

The other physician on the trip decided that, since the sickness was of unknown origin, they should treat for typhoid (a la Dr. House for those of you familiar). So everyone was put on antibiotics. Karin's thought that more of a wait and see approach might be better - as in wait and see who slips into a coma and then treat.

Karin also described an incredible hike they took from a high mountain pass. They all got our of their Jeeps at 10,000 feet and had a wild no-holds-barred snowball-fight with the drivers. They then hiked up an additional 1500 feet and arrived at a peak that was absolutely spectacular. Incredibly memorable experience.

The lead of the trip has now departed. I think that means that Karin is now in charge. She's so modest about these things that it's hard to be sure but I did the math and according to my calculations when #1 goes home, the assistant to #1 becomes #1. So, I haven't completed the proof yet but I'm pretty sure she's numero uno.

The other night they had a serious rain storm. Everyone retired to their tents for the night. Some time later, Prem the Sherpa unexpectedly came around to make sure everyone was dry. Prem, on the other hand, was going from tent to tent in a torrential rainfall without any rain-gear whatsoever. He was sopping wet. That, in the eyes of our Explorers, made him even cuter than before (he's Karin's height).

Evening activity has improved markedly since Harry reported on the (possibly) rabid dogs that they would name, play with, and run from. The staff have been getting together with everyone and playing music, singing and dancing. Apparently their Indian hosts are talented musicians and it makes for wonderful entertainment. Inevitably the staff asks the Medical Team to sing something they know from their culture. Karin reports that the group then sheepishly tries to figure out something they all know and ultimately are stuck singing childhood camp songs such as "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". They all feel quite pathetic when it's their turn but they swallow their pride and do their part to expose the gathered Sherpas, cooks and other Indian staff to quality North American culture. I'm going to suggest that they move on to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Hava Nagila tonight if they feel up to it.

Meanwhile, back in San Diego (where it's storming today), I am doing some last-minute planning and packing. I had sent this website out to some beautiful hotels in India to see if they might consider discounting our stay to become part of this noble, yet entertaining, effort. Aman has graciously offered to do just that and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of others.

And here is the message you will be confronted with if you try to log into the website for booking trains in India today:

We are currently facing problem with the credit card payment gateways at the moment. Your booking may or may not materialize due to the same.

Obstacle Of The Day: Airlines In India No Longer Accepting Foreign-Issued Credit Cards

I have been trying to book my flight from Mumbai to Delhi for the past week. There are many airlines and many flights that are available. Unfortunately, due to a "widespread fraud" that the airlines encountered a month or two ago, they do not accept foreign-issued credit cards. Period. That leaves only going to a travel agent to book the flight. That would seem to be perfectly acceptable but travel agents double or even triple the fare when it comes to domestic Indian travel. Of course no one just comes out and tells you all of this. It's all discovered piecemeal by actually going to each website and going through the booking and registration process and then, after the very last step, when you click PURCHASE, it brings up some seemingly-benign message like "Input Correct Phone Number." In case it's not obvious to you, that is code for "we don't accept foreign credit cards." If it wasn't obvious to you, you might spend, say, an hour or so trying to figure out what the phone number should look like before you brace yourself and make the call to India to see what the problem is.

I finally did find an Indian agency that does not double the fare and is willing to accept my credit card if I will fax them a "Letter of Dispatch" and a photocopy of my credit card. I chatted with a helpful representative and she told me to fax the document ASAP and she would take care of it. Then I tried faxing. But it failed to go through... I think it took 11 attempts before it finally worked. And now the agency is unable to locate the fax.

I did find a great resource for researching travel planning in India: IndiaMike.com. It contains forums by people who are passionate about travel in the region and who are intimately familiar with the vagaries of Indian travel planning. Here are some of the forums I've been perusing:

Knowing the Indian Train - contains everything about classes, food, vendors, reservations, cancellations, etc.

Booking Indian Rail Tickets from abroad - self explanatory

Train Information - still more information about trains in India

Scams and Annoyances

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DSL Dead. Work Done. Leaving In 3 Days.

I wanted to post this morning but my DSL inexplicably died. I did everything I could think of to avoid calling AT&T and going through their infuriating tech scripts but in the end I had to give in and spend a few hours dealing with that. It ended up being a "problem with the line" which they have now fixed but which ate 4 hours out of my finite life. In a just world I would be compensated for that, n'est-ce pas?

Work was a grind as I scrambled to get every file I have open (~20) in shape to withstand 2.5 weeks without my attention. I was at the office past 9:00 PM twice this week (a lot for my office) and tonight I only got out earlier because I had a wedding in Laguna Beach to attend. I didn't make it to the ceremony but caught some of the reception.

No luck yet on getting an earlier flight to Mumbai.

Team Himalaya Is Incommunicado. Expedition Schedule. Realization: I'm Leaving in Less Than a Week!

Our Intrepid Himalayan Explorers are now, by my calculations, on their way to Palampur, where I will hopefully be able to communicate with them (although I do not have a phone number for them there). Here is part of their schedule:

Feb 13 & 14: Clinics at Monastic school. Stay in tents. The 14th will be a half clinic day. Immediately after lunch they are scheduled to drive to Palampur and stay in a Hotel.

Feb 15: Drive into clinic site at Chowari (Yet another Himalayan town that is successfully avoiding Googleation). Overnight tents.

Feb 16- 20: Five day clinics at and around Powari (Also not Googleable. You can see my theory about that at the bottom of this post.)

Feb 21: Morning drive to Dharamsala/McLeodganj . They're going to see the Dalai Lama!

Meanwhile, back in San Diego, I have to start packing! I'm leaving in less than a week. And I am in the process of trying to leave earlier. Right now I'm scheduled to depart on the Tuesday following a long weekend. I'm going on points (we're talking major point drain) and Tuesday was the only day available. But something could open up. Inevitably I will plan for Tuesday and on Saturday evening I will call and there will be a seat open for Sunday at 5:00 AM. I will then be in a mad rush to get out of here and will forget my dental floss, my earplugs, and, quite possibly, my teddy bear.

I will be flying into Mumbai (Bombay) to hang with Eric Bellman. Apparently another friend of ours from SAIS will also be in town - direct from Italy - Fabio Soleri! When we were at SAIS in Bologna he was running Rimini. I think he's setting up a consulting business in India. Eric has provided the following run-down of what we will be hitting:

Restaurants: Salt Water Grill, Indigo, Trishna, Koyla, Kyber, Rajdani

Bars: Henry Tham's (apparently this is his house), Olive, Enigma, Shiro, Zenzi, Red Light, Poly Esthers

Sites: Gateway of India, Haji Ali, Banganga, Mahalaxhmi, Dhobi Ghats, Horniman Circle

and much much more

Just so you know, I have a bad habit of going back over posts for a few days and modifying and adding to them. Soooo.... you may want to scroll down and see if anything has appeared subsequent to your initial reading. I apologize but it's part of having an obsessive personality (I will be editing this post for a while).

Holy Cow! Planning Travel In India Is Complicated.

Wikipedia on the Cow: In Hinduism, the cow is considered sacred and its protection is a recurrent theme in which she is symbolic of abundance, of the sanctity of all life and of the earth that gives much while asking nothing in return. Most Hindus respect the cow as a matriarchal figure for her gentle qualities and for providing nurturing milk and other products for a largely vegetarian diet. Hindus do not worship the cow, yet it holds an honored place in society, and most Hindus do not eat beef.

Jaime on travel planning: I am working on getting us to Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan. The problem is that there are no flights to Jaisalmer. There is a military airstrip but no commercial flights land there. So we will likely have to fly into Jodhpur and then train to Jaisalmer (so as to minimize Karin's time on the roads). Doesn't that sound simple? It's not. If you try booking a train you will find that none exists. Or maybe it does. Depends whom you talk to and which website you visit. And don't even bother trying to book a bus from here. And then there is the never-ending flow of warnings about hiring the wrong driver who will explain to you how your hotel burned down overnight and who will then drive in circles until you agree go to wherever his biggest kickback lies. India is a nonstop barrage of people trying to rip you off. Or maybe it's not. If they openly charge foreigners 5 or even 10 times as much for the same product or service, is it highway robbery? Of course! Or perhaps not. Perhaps I'm just being culturally insensitive.

I don't think I've ever been quite so bombarded with information (and that includes law school). At one point yesterday I had between 40 and 50 webpages open. I've planned trips to quite a few places in this world - including when I have prepared the actual flight plan - but this is something else. Getting a handle on traveling in India is like trying to install democracy in Iraq... The concept makes for a marvelous sound-bite but, in reality, is quite impossible (end of controversial analogy). Even after we have narrowed our trip down to one tiny region of India, the options are seemingly endless, the histories long and complicated, the accommodation choices practically infinite, and the means of travel labyrinthine (Connie: "Oh, quit your belly-aching Levine!").

The plan, as it stands, is the following: 1. Spend a couple of days exploring Delhi. 2. Do a day trip to Agra. 3. Fly as far as we can into western Rajasthan. 4. Visit Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jaipur, and then finally end up in Alwar before we head back to Delhi.

Departure Day

We didn't have any heat last night. At one point Karin came into the bedroom totally bundled up in fleeces and shivering and said "I wonder if it's going to be any colder in the Himalayas." She then picked up the thermometer: 65 degrees. There's a reason she had to buy a sub-zero sleeping bag, and I don't think it's because it's going to be 65 degrees.

Dad, Annie, Hanna Mei, and Shayna stopped by last night to say good bye to Karin. Karin and I then had our final meal together - Vietnamese take-out followed by chocolate and other yum yums. I "made" a fire California-style (as in turning on the gas) and turned on Michael Palin's Himalaya as Karin did her last minute organizing and packing. Michael Palin's series is excellent, by the way. He travels through very isolated and hard-to-reach regions of this world on trains, ultralights, ATV's - whatever it takes. The Himalaya production was done in 2004 and follows his original 80-day round the world travelogue from 1989.

My sources tell me that Karin's brother Harry spent his last evening in this hemisphere with Cathy in New York watching Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I don't know what Anjum did with her last night. Anjum?

Yesterday evening I spoke to Eric Bellman (who reports for the Wall Street Journal and not something I apparently made up called the Asian Wall Street Journal) in Mumbai and to Ravi Nehru in Delhi to discuss our itinerary. Given the limited time we have, we will likely have to forgo heading to the south. Traveling within the country, while not at all expensive, can be arduous and unreliable. If, for example, a flight is canceled or very delayed, that would kill an entire day for us. That's precisely what happened to us in Vietnam when our one hour flight from Nha Trang to Saigon failed to materialize - it ended up meaning an entire day spent in fear for our lives as we weaved our way through Vietnam's road chaos in a mini-mini-van.

That being said, I will most likely travel to Delhi on the 25th to meet Karin and we will begin our travels through Rajasthan from there.

In a few hours I will be taking Karin to the airport. I have made arrangements to be able to go through security with her so that I may see her off at the gate. Expect to see send-off pics tonight!

The next time I see Karin will be on February 25 when she descends out of the rugged isolation of the Himalayas and into the mad frenetic chaos of urban India (not that I've ever been there). It's really odd to think about just how little I will be able to communicate with her over the next 3.5 weeks.

I will be posting to this blog daily. Most of the posts will probably be me whining about how far Karin is, how lonely I am, and how cold our house is. However, those boring epistles will be interspersed with fascinating accounts of Karin's progress in the brutal and unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas. I'm afraid you will have to read through everything to catch those rare nuggets.

Please wish me well as Karin embarks on what is obviously a trip designed to punish me for something. I mean what could I have done to deserve 25 days away from her? And couldn't she just have gone to a spa in Arizona or something? What is so special about the Himalayas? Are they that wonderful? And what is this obsession she has with helping people? Maybe she should see someone about that. Please stay tuned as I answer these and more questions over the coming weeks.

But seriously... I'm going to really miss Dr. Rash. I will also worry about her. And then I will really look forward to seeing her again in Delhi on Feb 25.

Travel well, Karin. We all think what you are doing is unbelievable. We love you and will miss you terribly.

Yikes! I am leaving in 36 hours!

Seeing as this is a blog about my trip to the Himalayas, I figured I should contribute. This may be one of very few posts from me as I am not sure when I will have internet access in the middle of nowhere. I will keep it brief since a) Jaime is a better narrator b) I still have catch up on work emails c) It's almost 11pm and this is my second to last night to spend with Jaime and d) I am working all day tomorrow and need my beauty sleep!

This is surreal. For years I have thought about doing some type of international work, but never got around to seriously pursuing it. Then this year one of my colleagues turned me onto this organization and it suddenly came together for me (thanks Sarah!). I know it is just a 3 week expedition. But for me that is huge. I can check off one of those things on my list of things to do before I get too sick/old/pregnant.

I can't really put into words the whirlwind of emotion/anxiety/panic/ excitement I am experiencing. Mostly because I have been too busy with last-minute preparations and working full-time until the last possible second (I am on peds call Wednesday night, leave Thursday morn). I'm sure it will start sinking in on the 15 hour flight from Chicago to Delhi.

I have been receiving a lot of warm travel wishes from friends and family. I'm sorry if I cannot respond to all emails or calls, but I really appreciate all the love and support. Thank you to Georgine and Tanja for the medication samples (Georgine has contributed to half my luggage space). Thanks to Jim for allowing me to take the time off from work to do this (despite your jealousy). Thanks to my parents for their continuous support (and for not freaking out when reading the accidental death waiver). Honorable mention goes to my mom for preparing madeleines, cookies and other yummy treats for me- all while recovering from bilateral pneumonia! Merci maman! (Harry apparently had no room to transport them, alas). Finally, I cannot express enough appreciation and gratitude to Jaime. He has bought much of my gear, is planning our itinerary, and is energetically documenting every moment! I cannot imagine being in the remote Himalayas without him. I can't wait till he joins me on the 25th!

Love to all,
Karin

HARRY TAKES LAST MINUTE STAND: I WILL NOT TRANSPORT COOKIES TO INDIA!

I hate getting shots so it is with great displeasure that I find I need the following: Hep A, Hep B series, Tetanus diphtheria Pertussis, Inactivated Polio, Typhoid, Measles Mumps Rubella, Meningitis, and possibly Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies. Add to that the Malaria and.. well there was something else but I've blocked it out. I just don't like when people stick pieces of metal into my body and then force a mysterious liquid into me. I use skin as a barrier to these things. In fact I use all kinds of things as a barrier to entry into my body. It just doesn't seem right that just because someone is wearing a white coat I will actually pay them to violate me. It takes immense concentration for me to overcome the natural inclination I have to A. Run away, B. Demand to be able to stick them back, C. Beg for mercy, and D. Cry like a schoolgirl.

It's Tuesday evening now. We are 36 hours away from Karin's departure. I picked up a few last minute things for her - a water filter, hiking shoes, a camera (our little guy apparently lost a fight with some concrete recently).

And this just in: Karin just sent word that Harry has flat out refused to bring cookies and chocolates that had been prepared for her to receive in Delhi. If that seems trivial to you, you have not tasted Karin's mother's cookies.

As for my research, I just happened upon a great collection of pictures and information from Rolf Gibbs' India experience. The Indians can sleep anywhere pics are pretty entertaining.

And just to ensure that this is an entirely disjointed post, the picture below is of Karin taking a mid-packing break. The pic above is of Karin wearing her pack (or vice versa).

The Research, The Blog, Goa

It is a spectacular morning here in Del Mar. It rained overnight and I am looking at the last of the clouds disappearing over Torrey Pines and the Pacific Ocean as the early morning sun bathes the entire scene in a warm golden hue. Dozens of birds are flying around in the protected sanctuary below. Absolutely gorgeous.

At the moment I am reading about India. Specifically, I am going through Frommer's India and Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra. Even more specifically, I've been reading about Goa. Our very first encounter with Goa was a "Goan Curry" that we had in London with John and Stacey at Bombay Brasserie. Karin and I love Indian food and eat it on a regular basis - but the Goan Curry in London left a really lasting impression on us.

Goa, according to my research, is primarily known for three things: 1. PARTYING, 2. Beautiful Beaches, and 3. PARTYING. Goa became a "nirvana for dropouts" in the late 60's and 70's and has evolved into party central in the region. It is also an incredibly beautiful beach resort area.

I'm quite certain that most of the revelers are not aware that Goa encapsulates a rich heritage of both Portuguese and Indian influence. In fact, the Portuguese were in India for 500 years - right up until 1961. Goa contains beautiful villas built for European Gentry and for the Brahmins who were permitted to own land if they converted to Catholicism (it's good to be Brahmin).

Frommer's India refers to Goa as "India Light" and a good place to start a vacation as it is not as challenging as traveling in other parts of India. While Goa does sound intriguing, I do think we are going to have to give it a miss this time around in order to concentrate on the north of the country... though I do think Karin is going to need a bit of "India Light" after her weeks in the Himalayas. We'll see.

I have to get to work people. But before I do, I'd like to thank Mischa for helping me out with learning how to Blog and Heidi for posting her own blog and for answering all our questions.

Almost Packed; Still No Final Itinerary

I promised "at least daily" posts and now it's after midnight on the east coast and it's only Day 2. I apologize but David Zemans and his wife Cathy unexpectedly appeared from Singapore. I really did have to see them. I also got to meet some cool people who live here in San Diego but I shouldn't mention their names without asking for permission first but it can't hurt to say they are affiliated with a gallery, right? But I digress...

When last I posted, Karin was planning on packing. And pack she did. Here is the picture I promised of some of the gear that she is hauling. The picture, of course, does not include her clothing, shoes, toiletries, and all of her other personal items.

We did not get quite as far with our itinerary unfortunately. So far we have established that we will meet either in Kerala or Delhi. There is a good chance that we will stay at the Master Guest House in Delhi, though there is such a wide range of accommodations available.

Tonight Karin is on call - as in she will not be home until after midnight. She is working late again tomorrow night. Wednesday night will be our last evening together as Karin departs Thursday morning for Delhi. I will post a link to a graphic flight tracker (or I will embed it if I can figure out how) on Thursday so you can check her progress if you so choose.

There's a lot of nervous excitement here, people. Karin is going to be really really far away, in a radically foreign environment, with little access to modern communications.

Planning, Packing, Blogging

For years Karin has thought about taking her medical expertise to remote areas of this world to deliver care to people who are extremely isolated and who have little or no access to modern medicine. Recently she found an organization that provides medical care to people in the furthest regions of the Himalayas and decided to do her part.

On Thursday, Karin will spend 24 hours traveling to Delhi from San Diego. From Delhi she and her team will travel 8 hours to Bilaspur. From there they will spend almost 3 weeks delivering care in villages in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. All told, they will provide medical care to approximately 2400 patients.

Apparently Karin's enthusiasm has been contagious. Soon after she began discussing her plans, her friend Anjum decided that she too would travel with the group to help out. And not long after that Karin's brother Harry also signed up to do what he could to assist with the medical mission.

I, on the other hand, will skip the most noble part of the trip and will go directly to Mumbai (Bombay) where I will be staying with my friend Eric Bellman (reporter for the Asian Wall Street Journal who apparently parties all the time). Karin and I will then be reunited and will be able to settle once and for all that age-old question... Is partying in Mumbai more exhausting than delivering medical care to people in the Himalayas? So I guess my trip to Mumbai is for a good cause after all.

Once we have answered that question, Karin and I will embark on a trip through India. We are still working on the itinerary but will definitely be spending time in Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra. We are also considering a trip to Kerala so that Karin may enjoy some well-deserved R&R.

The plan today is for Karin to pack and for us to work on our itinerary. Stay tuned tomorrow when I will be posting a picture of the unbelievable assortment of STUFF that she has to haul to India - medication, gear (they will be sleeping in tents), hygiene-related accessories, etc.

This blog is going to be updated at least daily. Unfortunately, while Karin is in the Himalayas her access to modern communications will likely be limited. I will endeavor to get as much info as I can posted.. and, if necessary, will make up the rest.