ready to dive in....

wmoon

Hi all,

I am so grateful to have stumbled across this site!
So much info already gained in just one week. It will be officially "real" tomorrow when I send in my first deposit for the trip.
I will be arriving in India this October and hooking up with a small
group of folks. We will be in Rishikesh and traveling from there. I will be arriving a day ahead in Delhi and looking for a safe, clean place to stay and a way to get there from the airport so I can shower and crash for a few. This seems like sound advice from anyone having traveled at least 18 hours from anywhere.

Practical information that would be useful is a place or two that is safe to eat my first day there, and foods that would be smart to consume on that day.

Also, if I am staying for say, 4-5 days on my own and would like to bring a few things back including
2 handmade outfits how much US money should I plan on having available? Don't need marble accommodations, moderate and simple is fine. Shower would be good 3 out of the 5 days. Won't need internet..but nearby good food would be nice.

I will be staying for a few extra days once the rest of the group returns home. Will be interested in how far it is to travel to certain places from Delhi...Jaipur, for instance? (best by train?) I am a little concerned about getting too far away from Delhi since I will only have a short time to visit other places before flying out of Delhi. Any cool places that welcome visitors to chant or join in kirtan would be excellent to find.
Also, a word about bargaining...how much Hindi is useful here?
I am particularly interested in having a couple outfits made when I arrive in Delhi and will be on the lookout for boiled wool shawls and minerals/crystals/gems during the last leg of the trip to bring home.

The main reason I am going is to further my self exploration as a healer and spiritual seeker. I also have a deep desire to act and think more globally than I have in my middle class life in the US and was drawn to visit both India and Africa.I don't want to take my opportunities for granted and hope to gain insight by immersing myself in another culture completely different from all I've known. My original thought was to volunteer somehow, but it costs just as much to go work somewhere as it does to check it out with guidance. So, volunteering will come later...after I've seen a few things on my own.
I have many questions I look forward to sharing on this site and thank you all for your responses in advance.

Though I am a fairly confident and competent traveler, I know I am going to be overwhelmed on my arrival day.

I am always excited when a new adventure springs up and I rarely sleep before leaving the night before. I will really need to stay focused on preventing myself from getting wiped out before arriving so I will have a happy healthy journey.

Look forward to sharing the trip as I travel along the bumpy road towards my future...

wmoon

Prashant.M

Welcome to IM wmoon!

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Nick-H

Welcome to the site

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Swapnil

Namaste & Welcome to IM wmoon !

wmoon

thank you, Swapnil, Nick-H and Prashant.M!

Am I correct in thinking that this thread is mainly used to say hello and what is drawing you to India?
Leaving most other questions to be asked on other forums?
namaste,
wmoon

Nick-H

Yes you are exactly correct.

Of course, some people jump straight in with questions, but one of the knacks is to put your questions in appropriately-names threads in the appropriate forum. It gives you a much better chance of getting answers, and also makes information more easily available to others in the future when they are browsing their area of interest.

vir

Welcome to IM.

I suggest dividing the post into many questions and asking separately in appropriate forums.

wmoon

thank you all for the happy welcome! It is most helpful to know how to best utilize the forums available, I appreciate your suggestions.

oh wow, weird de ja vu moment there, think I dreamt about telling a friend about this email months ago.

Strange how easy it is to feel as if you are being led on a journey when you pay attention....

what a long strange trip it's been and continuing to be!
thanks again for sharing it all with me...that's another trip!

brownboy66

Weclome to IM Moon. Have a good read around, and for anything that isn't immediately answered feel free to ask.

happy travels.

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