It’s now one week before departure and I think we’re well prepared.  After all I’ve been working on this trip since May.  When traveling to India there are a few items to consider that were not an issue for Europe.  In addition to updating our passports we had to apply to the Indian Consulate for a Tourist Visa.

I checked with the CDC and there are no shots required for India but when I spoke with the travel nurse at Kaiser she was insistent on several including polio, hep A, typhoid, and tetanus.  They also encouraged pills to safeguard against malaria, and deet to keep those mosquitos and dengue fever away.  Plus pills for the potential Delhi Belly.

Then there is the hardware.  I’ve bought a new camera with each trip since the technology advances so quickly.  After much research I chose the Canon SX260HS which will work as a point and shoot but also allows me a lot of control if needed.  It will shoot 13Meg photos, full 1080p video, and has built in GPS so all of my photos will be geo tagged.

I also got an Acer Aspire One Netbook which will be small enough to carry about but, with its full keyboard, make it easy to maintain the blog.  Most of the hotels have wifi either complimentary or for a charge.  This post was done on the netbook.

If you know me you know I’m not going to take a trip like this without studying the subject well in advance.  In addition to a few travel guides (Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, and DK) I’ve bought or borrowed a mess of books to prepare us for the experience.  I have read some thoroughly, and just scanned others.  Those that I couldn’t get to I hope to finish when I return.

I’ve focused on a subset of the 20 or so books that I’ve bought including:

India: A Sacred Geography by Diana Eck.  I’ve also listened to Eck’s lecture series on the religions of India.

City of Djinns by William Dalrymple.

Nine Lives by William Dalrymple.

I’ve bought other books on religion, history, and architecture but the most fun is the fiction.

The Case of the Missing Servant (A Vish Puri Mystery) by Tarquin Hall

Shantaram: A Novel by Gregory David Roberts

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Malgudi Days by R.K.Narayan

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Video:

I’ve watched Michael Wood’s six part PBS series, India.

I’ve rewatched Monsoon Wedding, A Passage to India, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and a few Bollywood movies.

Actually I haven’t finished Shantaram which is over 900 pages.  Maybe I’ll get that done on the plane.