haha, my mom just linked me to a very enlightening website on train travel in India. It's here for all you train junkies who're headed my way. Really excellent and some hard-to-find info about train travel in an amazing range of countries. To be precise, from Andorra to Zimbabwe, literally not figuratively. Plus recent pictures on what the trains and carriages really look lie. Just that the text is a bit on the small side - well at least it looks small on my laptop...
My gear is sorted - same old trusty 30 litre Deuter backpack, basically the same kit as Laos, minus a few shirts and pants, more socks and with one more money pouch (the decoy) as i'm carrying more cash now. And (hopefully) one more ATM card from my friendly local bank that i'm gonna process tomorrow.
So that leaves planning. lol. I'm going to have to start putting it out on paper real soon (7 more days!) - right now its bits and pieces swimming around, somewhere, in my mind. Roughly Chennai to Pondicherry and back, then by train to Kochi in Kerala, then a pitstop at Mangalore before continuing upwards to Margao in Goa. Detour to Hampi after that, and then back on the west coast up to Mumbai, don't know if i can fit in a sidetrip to the Ajanta caves here, we'll see. After Mumbai it's to the desert state of Rajasthan where mughals once reigned in mighty fortresses, with a pitstop at Ahmedabad before taking a bus to Udaipur then Jaisalmer. From there i'm making for Delhi, and a quick jaunt up to Attari for the border closing and maybe spending a short time at McLeod Ganj.
It already seems like a lot to cover in a month and a half. Think i might have to cut down on some sights already.... But on paper at least, after going back to Delhi i'll be heading to the Taj Mahal at Agra, then Khajuraho and Varanasi before going north and crossing the India-Nepal border at Lumbini.
Crossing into Nepal what i have in mind is going to Lumbini for a few days before making for Pokhara and possibly doing an apple pie trek there (Annapurna on the mind) - it's a toss up between this and EBC (Everest Base Camp). Pokhara to Kathmandu by bus, flying into Lukla still on the cards if doing EBC, and maybe scheduling some paragliding or white water rafting nearby. Royal Chitwan if possible, heard this one is rated quite highly by travellers. Then it's another adventure in sunny Thailand =) flying from Kathmandu to Bangkok and possibly get beached out/spend the last of my rupees/baht before getting on that plane home.
Sounds like a great time.
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