Great Expectations

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We depart at 6pm and I have been having trouble sleeping for two days. As I wrote in my other journal, India has always caused the dual emotions of fear and fascination, sometimes for the same reason. I have read about and will try to understand the things that bother most first-worlders when they visit, but will that understanding prevent me from having a knee-jerk reaction? A humorous example - I can understand the concept of a Holy Cow and be prepared to see cows, but when that cow rams me in the butt (as happened to a friend of mine), will I be so understanding?

You see where I'm going with this. We've all heard about the begging children, the lepers, the touts, the grime, pollution, and dirt. We've also all heard about the palaces, forts, camels, snakecharmers, tigers, and rajas. Both sides of India and only by going there can I discover the truth of our stereotypes.

Many people do not understand why I chose India for my 30th birthday celebration. For me, travelling is not about relaxing on a beach. The purpose for me is to understand more about myself and the world I live in. I know that there will be challenges, and I want them. There will also be great rewards, vistas that I have only dreamed of in books. If nothing else, I expect some good stories out of this trip. And with that, I will end this first entry and post again when we find our first Internet cafe.

Also, here is my map of countries visited so far in my life. As you can see, there are a lot left to go.
Visited Countries Map

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