Making lists, checking them twice

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2 and half weeks to go, which hardly seems possible. And, even though we're still in disbelief, there's a ton of practical stuff that needs to be taken care of. Moving/parking/storage/insurance/visas are all demanding our attention, and work, well, work isn't over until it's over, and that's at least five days away.

We've sewn our flags onto our backpacks, realized the value of thimbles (who knew?), and reviewed our packing and shopping lists. Our arms are sore from yet another round of shots, and there's still one more to go until we're invincible! I've contacted a couple of hotels in Delhi, and received no response. So I am getting a little nervous that'll we'll be at the mercy of the touts when we arrive - hopefully someone will write back soon! I've heard that the introduction to Delhi can be completely overwhelming, so ideally we'll have accommodations wrapped up, and a helpful taxi driver who knows how to get to where we're staying.

We're also finalizing our India itinerary, which is difficult since there are so many incredible places to visit. On the other hand, I'm a little worried about traveling hours and hours to look at another palace and fort combination. It was only when I started looking at the train and bus schedules that I realized how long and tiring moving from place to place will be. What would take 3 hours here takes 8 there, so I've been readjusting our itinerary to allow for day long train journeys! Incredible India!

Choosing regions is hard though. We'll be touring around Rajasthan since we're starting in Delhi and working our way South, but the mountains are pretty appealing, I've heard great things about Varanassi, northern Madhya Pradesh looks fascinating, and we haven't even looked at the west! Next trip I suppose, but it's amazing that 2 and half months doesn't feel like nearly enough time! The current plan is:
Delhi > Agra> Bharatpur > Jaipur > Jodhpur> Jaisalmer > Jodhpur > Mumbai > Goa > Hampi >Bangalore > Mysore > Kerala

Or something like that. I've mostly been focusing on the north, so our plan in the south is still sort of hazy!

OK, back to taking care of the administrative stuff...

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