Countdown to liftoff

I'm finding it hard to believe that in about a month I will be in India. Usually I can visualize myself doing something I'm nervous about, but when I think about this upcoming trip, I see myself arriving at OHare airport luggage in hand and then waiting in the terminal for my connecting flight to New Delhi; it's hard to imagine myself actually bopping around in India. Maybe it's because I have no frame of reference for this trip. It helps that I plan to stay at an ashram for two weeks. I feel that I need the structure. I'm not adventurous enough to try to find my way around a complex country like India. Plus, from all that I've read online and offline, three weeks is a drop in the bucket when it comes to visiting India. So I might as well just concentrate on one region of the country for this initial maiden voyage.

My big fear is that I won't be met at the airport in Delhi (I've arranged with the hotel I'm staying at to have someone meet me at the airport, but I've read about instances where noone showed up). I know I'll be stressing about this the whole flight over. Worst case scenario, I'll have to take a prepaid cab. I guess I can handle that. Sometimes I really wonder what I was thinking when I thought I could travel to India by myself. As the saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice and [wo]men."

Be Careful What You Wish For...

I've always wanted to travel to India. It has been a goal of mine since I was young to eventually travel to India. Now that I've booked my ticket and I'm leaving in less than two months, I'm excited and a little apprehensive to say the least. From what I've read on travel forums and elsewhere, India can be a challenge even for the "experienced" traveler. The country is vast and complex with many religions and cultures stretching across a rich and varied landscape. I'm already starting to sound like a travel writer and I haven't even left the country.

As I research my trip, I find that the smallest nuggets of information can make a difference. For example, I learned on IndiaMike.com, the authority on traveling in India, that New Delhi has two airports, domestic and international, and they're both called Indira Gandhi airport. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all of the information that's available and I wonder if I'll wimp out at the last minute and not be able to go through with my plans. The fact that the ticket I've booked is nonrefundable will probably be a hinderance in that regard...