Day 10, finally going home :(

and it's time. My flight leaves in exactly 3 hours and now it is time for the last minute "Have I forgotten anything?" run around. This trip has just been a revelation on how different 2 cultures can be from each other. It's just awe inspiring.

Now it's tome to finally say goodbye. After this post I will discontinue my life as a blog writer but you are all welcome to continue reading and handing the web address to any friends going to India and I hope you had as much fun reading it as i did writing it.

Adios Amigos!

Day 9

Euurrrgggg!
I think i have managed to catch a tummy bug off on of the curries I buy for lunch off the streets. The dreaded Delhi Belly :(
And on my second last day too.

Wait a second, time to run!!!!

Day 8

Well this trip sure has been very eventful to this date - wow, just check out all the things i have written about previously. I am sure i will need a whole new notebook to keep up with my busy itinerary. Today i went to check out some of the native wildlife. Through friends i managed to come across Bandhavgarh National Park. It is quite popular with tourists to India and now I sure know why. It is home to many Royal Bengal tigers, leopards, cheetahs and also an exceptional amount in bison herds. I managed to book a tour with Oriental Bliss and they just made the trip so much more memorable. If anyone wants to do a wildlife tour i would highly recommend them. The park was just so great to watch the animals in the own habitat without any human interactions. It's is just beautiful watching a young tiger cub playing with it's mother. For more info be sure to check out http://www.bandhavgarh-national-park.com/, it is just so handy. When i went all my fellow tourists where just so great to not disturb the animals. It just made me so pleased for us to all feel at one with the animals. I hate it how at other "animal" reserves the people just treat the animals so poorly. That has got to be a drawback to tourism. People just put up shops and shows to make more cheap money and and it is just not fair to the beautiful tigers.Nearly time to come home, BUT I DON"T WANT TO :(

Day 7

The yoga retreat was absolutely amazing- every single person shoulkd try it to relive stress, it just works a treat!

The Resort was set on 50ha of lush greenness near mountain streams etc. It was really great not to see signs of tourism in the secluded space. In the main cities you can really start to see the negative effects of tourism. There is rubbish all over the street because even though there is a greater larger number of tourists visiting India, the government has still not changed to infrastructure or anything. It's a shame really and also with all the pollution it is just not as beautiful as it could be. But tourism also helps people who might not have been able to find work. There are now jobs in resorts available and opportunities to sell merchandise and souvenirs which helps the locals heaps.
I think it's pretty smashing

still day 6

The Taj Mahal was just as amazing as i thought it would be.
Just Breathtaking!!!
Now need to get an early night as tomorrow i am catching a 4:30 bus to Chennai, a health resort in the foothills of spectacular mountains to watch the sunrise while peacefully doing some yoga. Nothing like it to open your soul to the heavens!

Day 6

Nearly about to head off to the legendary Taj Mahal. Im hoping it is as beautiful as it looks in all the photos. I mean, all those photos just look so romantic and special. Hopefully i manage to pick up a gorgeous young fellow tourist ;)

Wish me luck!

day 5 - Volunteering

India has just been amazing. today i went to volunteer at Aditya Birla Centre for the Welfare of Children. There they have a home fopr orphaned boys and also provide vocational training for older male youths. They also have a womens hostel in part of the area of the centre which is where i spent my time. These women speak barely understandable English and native rural dialects. Because of this they have difficulty getting employment after spending all their families money on the travel to get to a large city. I spent a few hours just teaching them how to sew basic tee-shirt style dresses which they can sell at various markets. There was a translator present to help us communicate and wow, they had some amazing stories to tell. This is a wonderful thing to do when visiting India, regardless of the lenght of your stay. You just feel so proud of helping these great women get ahead in a world where perhaps they wouldn't have gotten to otherwise. Just a truly amazing experience!

Day 4

this is a photo i took of the local markets just down the road from my apartment. At these markets many people make or buy cheap clothes, cheap food and wonderful cheap fast food. The people selling these goods come from very impovirished communities and this is a great opputunity for them to make a bit of money to send back to their families. this is one of the ways that tourism helps India.
wow, isn't that cool?

3 days into the trip

i have finally arrived in the wonderful country of India. My flight was fine, thanks for asking, and the hotel is magnificent. Since i have been here i have been looking around the various cultural "hotspots" and trying to get a feel for the real energy of the place. i was in a great tourist information building when i saw a large poster about the tourism industry of India. as i normally work in tourism in my normal job in Melbourne i have finally decided what my trip is going to be focused on. i am going to find out as much as i can about being a tourist in india and let all you guys out there who want to visit it what you should do and what impact you will have. Cool huh?

who will i meet?

i had a thought last night when i was lying in bed. who might i come across during my travels? i mean, who actually travels to india. who ill i be spending around 14 hours of my life sitting next to on the plane there. There could be adventure loving outdoorsy type people wanting to trek in the himalyas. There could be older people looking for some cultural diversity and going to enjoy the historical aspect of the great country. This is very good news for some great conversations to spend some time enjoying different stories from different people from all corners of the world. I CANT WAIT!!!

continuation of previous line of thought

.....also i have found out that there are just so many different things and types of activities to do in India. i am just too spoilt for choice. i could go for a great trip to the wonderful snow capped mountains of the north or if i am feeling more need to defrost then i can go and visit the beautiful sandy beaches of the south. i can go and volunteer in a children's home or help make a physical project to make a big difference to this still just a third world country. I could even go for a food tour and sample all the wonderful cuisine in the various regions of india. i think i will leave this choice up to my followers and see what you guys think i should. it's starting to become real now! :)

india is really just great

wow guys,
i just found out during my intense session of information finding about my new favourite destination that india's tourism has just flown up in the recent years. it is because of the growing population has triggered a massive growth in tourism popularity. i will continue this post later
bye

getting excited about my upcoming holiday to India

i can not beleive that i only have 1 week left until i start my big 10 day adventure to the wilderness's of India

gee whiz