A Bucket List for India!

A one way ticket has been purchased. A 1229 page guidebook has been borrowed from the local library. My passport is en route to the Indian Consulate in Toronto. The final decisions and plans are being made as we prepare for the subcontinent that is India.

I can't remember how it came about that India suddenly eased its way into our plans. Nor do I remember the exact moment when our sister Angela decided to join Marcella and I for 8 weeks in Asia. But that is one of the most exciting things about travel: most often, well intentioned/ laid out itineraries can take a complete 360 degree turn. Sometimes, for the better, as I expect our two new additions to our Asian adventure will prove in time.

Southeast Asia has never really interested me. Maybe it is because I have spent too much time watching human trafficking and Filipino guerilla documentaries. It could also be that I have always had pre-concieved notions of it being a continent overpopulated with highly disturbed Western men seeking cheap thrills. Or that I once had the pleasure of hearing a first-hand account of how a man had his kidney ripped out of him while taking a bath in his hotel room. Therefore, I think I might have been the one to suggest India. I wasn't entirely sold on only visiting SE Asia. I have wanted to go to India for a long time, but never wanted to travel there alone. I always felt that the culture shock and extremes of humanity would be too difficult to bear on my own. I also knew that Angela had a desire to visit India as well. When it was decided that Angela was going to be joining us, I might have suggested that India be included.

So, with only a few weeks left before departure, I have been learning more about and researching India, and as always, have made many lists.........

My 10 Personal Musts For India:

1. Visit the Taj Mahal (I know, I know, how original, but I really want to have my picture taken Lady Di style!).
2. Take part in the health, yoga, bicycle, and beach culture in Goa.
3. Have a "Sleeve tattoo" done completely in henna.
4. Explore markets. I want to purchase and wear authentic colorful saris and bangles.
5. Watch the sun set, then stay up all night and wait for the sun to rise in some part of the countryside (I try to do this at least once in every country that I visit. It is one of my favorite things to do).
6. Indian cuisine is my favorite ethnic food. I plan on eating as much of it as I can, hopefully without falling victim to Delhi belly.
7. Ride a camel, camp in the desert, and sleep in the sand dunes somewhere in Rajasthan.
8. Visit Mumbai because it is the Bollywood capital and I am a nerd.
9. Visit one of the tiger parks in Madhya Pradesh.
10. Take a gondola ride along the Ganges River and a boat ride through the lakes in Kerala.