Bought our tickets to India today, we will be flying from Heathrow to Bangalore on Oct 3 via Mumbai. So now the trip becomes a reality, there is so much to do in the space of the next 6 weeks so its all systems go.
We will be going out for a meal with Anne and Shree on Wed so that'll be nice, to catch up with them, share our plans and also see what they have been up to.
I have planned a vague sort of itinery but i am sure that will change as time goes on but at least it will provide some kind of plan to this trip.
We wont be returning to UK until around July/Aug 2011 and the hope is to spend time at a number of places and just soak up the atmosphere and make each place we stay our home for a while without too mkuch rushing around.
So the itinery looks something like this.
Oct4 Arrive Bangalore
Oct 5-Nov 7 Puttaparthi where hopefully we can stay at our friend Nirmala's apartment.
Nov 8 Bangalore
Nov 9-22 Tiruvannamali( which i am really looking forward to).Home of the great saint Ramana Maharsi.
Nov 23-26 Chidambaram, home to the great Nataraj Temple.
Nov 27-29 Pondicherry, chill out by the sea.
Nov 30-Dec 4 Mammalapuram..more chilling by the sea.
Dec 5 Chennai
Dec 6 Fly to Patna.and onto Bodh Gaya.
Dec 6 -Jan 11 ish Bodh Gaya.
Jan 12-30 Sarnath and Varanasi.
Feb 1 Overland to Kathmandu
Feb 1-10 stay at Benchen monastery
Feb 11- May11 Stay at Osel Ling monastery
May 12 Fly to Delhi and stgay in Delhi 1 night.
May 13 Bus to Dharamsala and stay for 2 weeks.
May 28-June 28 Stay at Deer Park Institute Bir.
June 29 back to Delhi
June 30 Coach to Jaipur and spend 2 weeks in Rajasthan... Jaipur, Pushkar, Jaisalmer.
July 11 home to UK.
Sounds like a good plan doesnt it!!! Lets see what happens!!!