The plan

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The plan is to go for a month. Originally I thought I had to go for 6 months to begin to understand India, but that was an unrealistic goal. Then I cut my expectations back to 3 months, but years went by and I was still waiting for the right opportunity. Now I've pared my trip down to one month and have actually set a date, October 17th, 2011. This is a good time to travel there, the weather is good, no monsoon and there is the huge "Festival of Lights" called Divali.
So the plan is to fly to Kochi in Kerala, visit the backwaters for which Kerala is famous. I want to visit an Ashram there as well, that of Ammachi, the hugging mother, where I can stay in return for an offering of my labor.
Then I'll take a train up the west coast of India to Goa, where I plan to find a beautiful beach and hang out for a while. From there I may fly to Jaipur in Rajastan and head for the camel fair in Pushkar. Then it's to Mumbai and back home.
At this point I'm looking at a flight cost of $1300, and I'm allotting myself $30 a day, which is a pretty comfortable budget for me. My research has given me a pretty good idea of what money can buy there and decent hotels can be found that run about $10-$20 a night. If I have to I can splurge, but in general I like to stay in modest lodgings.
In preparation for my trip I will need a visa and some vaccinations. I plan to bring my Ipod touch which is Wifi enabled and from which I can Skype my people back home. I also plan to get a prepaid phone once I get there, so that people can always get a hold of me (my adventure is filling my loved ones with no small mount of trepidation).
I will be documenting the various stages of my trip here and am open to any feedback to assist me in making this the most enchanting journey.

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Comments

[Gentry]

Good Travels
Hello Ruby, You are in my thoughts as you begin this journey of discovery. I can't wait to follow your blogs. Fair thee well! Gentry

[Brian]

Happy trails
I can't believe you're doing this. It really is an awesome trek that I wish I had the balls to take.Wishing you all the best.bb