In search for travel buddies: India

I haven't exactly got a confirmed or finalized travel itinerary for my India trip, however, i definitely have a firm decision to have this trip materialize this year. It's really one of my must-make-dream-come-true trips that i'd like to see achieved in this lifetime of mine. No dates have been finalized but i'm looking at either mid of September or October to travel India for 2.5 weeks (or 19 days). Anyone out there keen to join? Just FYI, I am currently in search for travel buddies who are like-minded, available and genuinely keen to join me in this South Asia adventure. I'm looking for travel buddies to travel with mainly to share costs on accommodation and possibly on taxi or rented vehicle to certain places where the train or bus does not operate services to--e.g. the northern region.

So far, I already have two fellow Sabahan ladies who have indicated their interests of joining, however, confirmation is pending and will only know by June or July. If there is anyone else out there who is interested, let me know. I understand that 19 days away from your office or your home may be a bit too long and maybe difficult to obtain approval from your family or your boss, therefore, you have the option of joining part or the whole leg of the journey depending on your level of interest in the destination that will be visited.

Once my research on India (destinations, train, accommodation, etc.) and the estimated expenses are done, the traveling dates will be set (and this i hope to be completed by May) and travel itinerary drafted. Right now, the traveling period will tentatively be either September or October --hopefully not during the Monsoon season.

India: Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the largest state, area wise, covering 342, 269 km, in India. Rajasthan's state capital, Jaipur, is where I will first head to once i arrive Delhi. Jaipur is 238 km away and approx. 2-3 hours journey by train from the point of my arrival.

As i only have 2.5 weeks of travel to play around with, i will only be able to visit Jaipur this trip for 3 days and skip the camel rides (*sobs*) in Jaisalmer in the far west.

Here's what Rajasthan in a nutshell looks like:

Next Travel Destination: India

photo by entrelec of flickr.com

As revealed in my other blog, I am embarking on yet another travel adventure. This time to a land where as a child i could and have only identify through watching the various genres of Hindi movies produced by the largest film producer in India called Bollywood. Just a few years back (probably after watching the Hindi filem Devdas) i began having this deep and non-ending fascination for this beautiful and colorful land and started stumbling myself on guide books and magazines, just to learn something about this country.

Now, I want to go there and see her with my own eyes and experience the real essence of what she is all about.

In Hindi, this land goes by the name of Bharat. The name that you and I are most familiar with is India, a country in the shape of an inverted triangle located in the (mid) south of the asia continent. She is also most refered to as the 'subcontinent' or 'south asia', mainly because of her feature as lying substantially on the Indian tectonic plate as well as having a certain geographical or political independence from the rest of the continent. India borders Pakistan in the west, China, Nepal, Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. And being the seventh largest country by geographical area, India is the second-most populous country in the world with her population already reaching the billion mark.

India is a federal republic with 28 states and seven union territories. Vast enough to say that she is the world's second most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity.

There is so much to learn about this fascinating land and i hope to share with you in the next entries the processes that i go through as i plan my travel to India.