India or Bust!

Busy streets.
Shoulder to shoulder.
Black outs.
Unrest.
Scary.
Not a place I'd ever choose to go.
     Just some of the things that come to mind when I think of India.  Somehow I am now searching through travel sites for flights to a place I had no intentions of planting my feet on.  It was now Angeline's turn to pick the one place we had to visit and she chose India with no hesitation.  I found myself very reluctant with her decision but disagreeing was not an option.

     I admitted my hesitation of going to such an unknown country to her and she just shook her head and laughed.  "What do you know about India?" she asked, I went on explaining all of my close minded stereotypic thoughts of a place I admittedly knew nothing about.  "Well you know it's super congested, dirty, traveler unfriendly, and all around not a place two girls should find themselves with no knowledge".  She tilted her head back and cackled for approximately ten minutes...

    Of course I had managed to completely forget that Angeline had already visited India alone... She instantly calmed a lot of my fears by taking out her photo album and giving me a run down if you will.  Mind you her experience was a lot different than what we would be doing this time around.  She spent a month in an ashram learning yoga from some of the oldest masters.  Her experience was filled with welcoming homes, beautiful scenery, and spiritual enlightenment.  It became clear to me that going to India could be so much more than trying to find your way around in the hustle and bustle of crowded city streets.  Angeline had little intention of us visiting any of the major cities of India and now it was time for me to do a little research to find everything this place could offer us.

Photo graciously provided by Angeline
Taken 03/12

     India is a popular backpacking destination, offering tourists an amazing cultural experience and for the most part on a small budget.  There is a rich history waiting to be soaked up by mesmerized travelers and many activities including kayaking your way through the country.  I am using an awesome website called the Indian Backpacker to get some great destination ideas as well as hostel details.  Anyone with any interest in taking a quick trip over should definitely take a look at it!

     A lot of my fears of visiting India have now been replaced with pure excitement.  Just another reminder to never keep your blinders up and to always keep your mind open.