Why India? This is the most common question I get when I tell people of our planned trip.  Some people tell me of their friend who didn’t like it.  Others just think a trip to Paris would be much less stressful and more pleasant.  And one friend was concerned because she saw a show on TV about a temple with snakes.  But we’ve spoken to others who have visited India and have loved it.  They’ve advised us not to think of it as a vacation but as an adventure.  They’ve cautioned that we should not expect everything to go smoothly.  But they wish they were going with us.

I’ve always considered myself a world traveler.  I suppose this came from my years as a military brat.  My family followed my dad half way around the world and by the time I was 10, I had lived in Japan, Germany, and England.  I was born in Alaska before it was a state and graduated high school in Hawaii.  When I worked my travel opportunities were limited by time.  I went to Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean plus domestic trips including New Orleans and New York.  When we retired Betty and I took extended trips to Europe visiting the UK, France, and Italy.  A couple years ago we took AMTRAK to Chicago, then flew to DC, then up to Montreal and Quebec and took Canada Rail west to Vancouver.  We’ve had fun but we realize we aren’t getting any younger and we should step up the adventure.  We’ll be able to visit Paris and Rome when we’re in our 80s.  If we’re going to see India and Africa, we should do it while we’re relatively young.

There are many exotic destinations to choose from, but what is more exotic that India?  Because of it’s isolation by oceans and mountains, it’s closer to its ancient roots than other ancient civilizations like the Fertile Crescent or Egypt.  And, maybe more importantly, modernization and growth of the New India may soon erase much that is exotic today.  Michael Wood said in the introduction to his book India, “We may be the last generation to see many of these things still alive.  But it seems to me that nowhere on Earth can you find all human histories from the Stone Age to the global village, still thriving, as you can in India.”

Our range of travels will be about 1000 miles from west to east and 2000 miles from north to south.  In that space we will see Hindu ceremonies and temples, Mughal forts and palaces, Kathakali performances, bazaars, and wildlife.  We will visit the large cities of Mumbai and Delhi, as well as smaller cities, towns and villages. We will see sunrise on the Ganges and sunset in the desert.

I hope that answers the question why India?