Been listening to Bob Dylan's Tomorrow Is A Long Time and just had to share the lyrics, as they are powerful.
If today was not an endless highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail,
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time,
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.
I can’t see my reflection in the waters,
I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain,
I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps,
Or can’t remember the sound of my own name.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.
There’s beauty in the silver, singin’ river,
There’s beauty in the sunrise in the sky,
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love’s eyes.
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’,
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’,
Only if she was lyin’ by me,
Then I’d lie in my bed once again.
In Search of a Sunrise
Thursday, December 9, 2010
35 days now!
Only 35 days to go before I leave the drama that has become my life behind. Only 35 days until I start down the path to reconnect with the person I once knew, the person I miss being. I know he's out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. And when next we meet, we'll have to have a long conversation, my old friend, about all of the places we've been, all of the things we've seen and learned an suffered. And in the end, we will have to see if there is still a chance for us to meet somewhere in the middle. Truth be told, I trust in life to bring us together at long last. I trust in life to connect what has been severed. I trust in you to see that we are not so different that we must part ways forever. I trust in myself to be completely honest with you, and in that honesty, extend the hand that will reunite us in the common pursuit of our life.
Nothing else matters in this endeavour. You are the priority - I am the priority. We are the goal.
Nothing else matters in this endeavour. You are the priority - I am the priority. We are the goal.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Almost done now!
Today I booked the ticket to take me from Quebec to Toronto so that I can visit my family for a few days before leaving for India. And since I now have a credit card, I booked online and saved almost $100! Before, a round trip ticket Quebec to Toronto was roughly $270. Today I bought one way from Montreal to Toronto and it was less than $30 after taxes. All I need to do now is book an Allo Stop ride from Quebec to Montreal, which is only $19 one way, and I'll be set.
I will worry about the return trip when I get back. No point booking that now, as I'm not sure when I will come back here. I may want to visit my family for a few days and rest before getting on another bus! After all the running around I'll be doing in India, a good night's sleep or two in the comfort of a good bed will be welcome before tackling another night in a bus. :)
This is great! I now have another $100 to re-calculate into my budget! That's almost as much as I'd need to stay for 10 days in Rajasthan? Awesome...
I will worry about the return trip when I get back. No point booking that now, as I'm not sure when I will come back here. I may want to visit my family for a few days and rest before getting on another bus! After all the running around I'll be doing in India, a good night's sleep or two in the comfort of a good bed will be welcome before tackling another night in a bus. :)
This is great! I now have another $100 to re-calculate into my budget! That's almost as much as I'd need to stay for 10 days in Rajasthan? Awesome...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Hostel Research
Been researching hostels in my destination cities this morning to get a feel for amenities and prices. From what I am seeing, there is a distinct probability that I will be cutting a night or two from the bigger cities, which in the end is fine with me. I've been in big cities all my life and they are all pretty much the same with some exceptions. Mumbai will definately be losing a night, unless I can find something way cheaper once there than I am seeing online. I'm sure I might be able to find some tips from other travellers on the road, so we'll see. I'm not holding my breath.
Rajasthan so far seems to be the cheapest place to go. I can find half decent hostels there for $2-5 Canadian a night. I don't need all the amenities anyways. I'm not going to India to be pampered. Although it would be nice to spend a night in the Lake Hotel in Udaipur ($700 US), I don'tthink that will be happening anytime soon.
The cost of travelling in Rajasthan has me very excited for that leg of my trip. The savings I can have here will offset the other places I will go that will dip into the funds a little heavier. Then again, the costings I am seeing online are just that, online. These vendors probably won't show all the budget palaces, because they cannot make much of a commission on booking them.
I guess the best bet is to simply wait and see how things are once I get to each location. Stressing over it now seems kind of pointless I know, but I think it's best to have some idea of what to expect before arriving in each city or village. Luckily, my Lonely Planet book has lots of budget places that simply don't show up in the online vendor lists. But then, maybe they don't exist anymore either...
Whatever the case may be, I am having fun, albiet stressful fun, doing these searches. Invariably, each search leads me to something cheaper or some hint of a sight to see that I hadn't considered before.
And so the searches continue...
Rajasthan so far seems to be the cheapest place to go. I can find half decent hostels there for $2-5 Canadian a night. I don't need all the amenities anyways. I'm not going to India to be pampered. Although it would be nice to spend a night in the Lake Hotel in Udaipur ($700 US), I don'tthink that will be happening anytime soon.
The cost of travelling in Rajasthan has me very excited for that leg of my trip. The savings I can have here will offset the other places I will go that will dip into the funds a little heavier. Then again, the costings I am seeing online are just that, online. These vendors probably won't show all the budget palaces, because they cannot make much of a commission on booking them.
I guess the best bet is to simply wait and see how things are once I get to each location. Stressing over it now seems kind of pointless I know, but I think it's best to have some idea of what to expect before arriving in each city or village. Luckily, my Lonely Planet book has lots of budget places that simply don't show up in the online vendor lists. But then, maybe they don't exist anymore either...
Whatever the case may be, I am having fun, albiet stressful fun, doing these searches. Invariably, each search leads me to something cheaper or some hint of a sight to see that I hadn't considered before.
And so the searches continue...
Saturday, December 4, 2010
40 days and counting...
Today marks 40 days until departure. I am really starting to feel the time lessening now. Soon it will be a month to go and then two weeks and then two days, etc... you always feel the passage of time keenly when waiting for something. This trip will be marking a new phase of my life and I look forward to it eagerly with the abated breath a child feels on Christmas Eve.
Just to pump myself up a little bit, I want to post a few photos of things I will be seeing very shortly with my own two eyes. Above is the blue city of Joghpur, a recent addition to my itineraryy. Located in the center of all of my destinations in Rajasthan, it was a no-brainer to add it into the mix, especially after seeing this picture. Another place I am eager to see is Gadi Sagar in Jaisalmer, also in Rajasthan.
And then there is Hampi, located in Karnataka state. So what if I won't be going to the pyramids in Tulum and Chitzen Itza this year. I'll be seeing temples that look like pyramids and they will be much older.
That's enough photos for now. All of the research and photos I've been looking at are starting to dull the excitement of seeing them for myself. This is the one downfall to being so over-prepared for this trip. I've gotten to a point where I'm starting to feel like I've already been there. I don't want to erase the magic of the trip and it's discoveries.
But then, there is only 40 days to go... how much damage can I do to my excitement level in that short amount of time???
Just to pump myself up a little bit, I want to post a few photos of things I will be seeing very shortly with my own two eyes. Above is the blue city of Joghpur, a recent addition to my itineraryy. Located in the center of all of my destinations in Rajasthan, it was a no-brainer to add it into the mix, especially after seeing this picture. Another place I am eager to see is Gadi Sagar in Jaisalmer, also in Rajasthan.
And then there is Hampi, located in Karnataka state. So what if I won't be going to the pyramids in Tulum and Chitzen Itza this year. I'll be seeing temples that look like pyramids and they will be much older.
That's enough photos for now. All of the research and photos I've been looking at are starting to dull the excitement of seeing them for myself. This is the one downfall to being so over-prepared for this trip. I've gotten to a point where I'm starting to feel like I've already been there. I don't want to erase the magic of the trip and it's discoveries.
But then, there is only 40 days to go... how much damage can I do to my excitement level in that short amount of time???
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Itinerary - Updated
Looked at the itinerary I'd posted near the beginning of November and realized it's way out of date. That was for the original 40 day trip. I'm now going for 82 days, and the list of places has grown quite a bit. Heres the new list with time spent (estimate) at each place.
Delhi - 3 days
Rishikesh - 3 days
Haridwar - 2 days
Agra - 2 days
Jaipur - 3 days
Pushkar - 2 days
Jaisalmer - 4 days
Bikaner - 2 days
Jodhpur - 2 days
Udaipur - 3 days
Mumbia - 3 days
Panaji - 4 days
Hampi - 2 days
Bangalore - 2 days
Ernakulam - 2 days
Kottayam - 3 days
Trivandrum - 3 days
Chennai - 2 days
Kolkata - 2 days
Darjeeling - 3 days
Varanasi - 5 days
Khajuraho - 2 days
Orccha - 1 day
Delhi - 1 day
Amritsar - 2 days
Dharamshala - 2 days
Delhi - 3 days
Now, that doesn't account for all of my available days at all. That accounts for 65 days out of the 78 I will actually be in India, so it leaves me some leeway to extend visits at certain places. All I know is that I need to be in Delhi for March 20th for Holi. After that I can head out for Amritsar. Maybe I'll tack a few extra days on in Goa or Kerala for some beach laziness. And the buffer of unaccounted days is good for those times when I can't travel at night. I think I have just enough time to do everything I want to do.
I do know that I will be one tired guy when I come home. And one very well in shape guy too.
Delhi - 3 days
Rishikesh - 3 days
Haridwar - 2 days
Agra - 2 days
Jaipur - 3 days
Pushkar - 2 days
Jaisalmer - 4 days
Bikaner - 2 days
Jodhpur - 2 days
Udaipur - 3 days
Mumbia - 3 days
Panaji - 4 days
Hampi - 2 days
Bangalore - 2 days
Ernakulam - 2 days
Kottayam - 3 days
Trivandrum - 3 days
Chennai - 2 days
Kolkata - 2 days
Darjeeling - 3 days
Varanasi - 5 days
Khajuraho - 2 days
Orccha - 1 day
Delhi - 1 day
Amritsar - 2 days
Dharamshala - 2 days
Delhi - 3 days
Now, that doesn't account for all of my available days at all. That accounts for 65 days out of the 78 I will actually be in India, so it leaves me some leeway to extend visits at certain places. All I know is that I need to be in Delhi for March 20th for Holi. After that I can head out for Amritsar. Maybe I'll tack a few extra days on in Goa or Kerala for some beach laziness. And the buffer of unaccounted days is good for those times when I can't travel at night. I think I have just enough time to do everything I want to do.
I do know that I will be one tired guy when I come home. And one very well in shape guy too.
Hotel Booked
Got tired of all the decisions to make regarding a hotel to stay in for my first few nights in Delhi. Settled on one called Kuldeep Guest House. The rooms like alright for what you pay, a whopping $6.72 CDN a night. Its probably not the best and likely not the worst that Pahar Ganj has to offer. And anyways, it's just a place to rest my head as I wrap my brain around the madness that is India.
There's really nothing left to do now except get there. I have a few small items to get still before going, and the second round of shots on the 21st. Aside from that, its a waiting game now - 43 days to go!!!
There's really nothing left to do now except get there. I have a few small items to get still before going, and the second round of shots on the 21st. Aside from that, its a waiting game now - 43 days to go!!!
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