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Published: October 16th 2010
Less than two weeks until I leave. Done at work. Doing the family vacation tomorrow to get Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrated. Law School Applications are all sent. Rabies, Japanese C Encephalitis, Typhoid Vaccines all administered. The tough thing about this point in the pre-trip setup is that there is basically nothing for me to do, but I feel like there should be a million things I need to accomplish.
So, I have been thinking about this trip my whole life, and am at the best point in my life to get to actualize it. As for motivation, I don’t really know, just a general curiosity and wanderlust that has been inside of me. Not everything has to be rational.
I will hopefully be “couchsurfing” through all of these locales, which is supposed to be a great way to meet the locals on a budget.
Egypt
October 28-Flying to Cairo. Staying there probably a week.
Early November-catching a bus to Alexandria, hopefully staying with some family of a friend of ours for a few days.
Back to Cairo for a few days, then off to Dahab in the middle of November---from there I would like to climb Mt. Sinai and get Scuba Certified, weather permitting.
India--Plane Ticket for Dec 6 Cairo-Mumbai. This is the heart and soul of the trip, and I am hoping to spend at least 5 months here, until the end of April or maybe into May. A big part of this will be dictated by money, health, and how satisfied I am that I have seen everything that I want to see. The 5 main cities/regions i want to explore are the Ajanta Caves, Kerala, Jaipur, Amritsar, Varanasi, and Bodh Gaya. I have some connections in Hyderabad are Trichy in the south that I will hopefully get to meet. Also my sister is going with a college class to volunteer outside Visakhapatnam, and I will hopefully be able to volunteer with them. This should give me a good sense of what it is like to travel, will do the Sikh, Buddhist, and Hindu pilgrimages, see the Himalayas, and hopefully get a chance to use my scuba license. A lot of this is not planned beyond vaguely having some things in mind that i want to see, as I want to leave it open to unexpected experiences without feeling tied to a strict itinerary. I have already taken some precautions but will be OCD about cleanliness, mosquitoes, and clean water, as a huge limiting factor is going to be my health.
Spain?--Haven't bought my return ticket home yet, but if I can afford it I may spend a week or two in Barcelona on the way back. Sort of like a vacation to reward myself for not dying.
Another thing that I will be writing about is Law School. I sent out my applications in September and will comment on them as I find out if I have been accepted. I should start finding out around January-February. If I don't comment on them... hopefully they don't all reject me.
If my bodyweight falls below 145 (current is 185) I am aborting the trip and buying a ticket to a modern country where I can eat without fear of parasites. This is actually a legit concern since I dislike Indian food.
I also plan on growing a bad-ass beard and being generally weird.
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Adam Thompson
non-member comment
Go get em!
Kopp, I salute you! This seems like the experience of a lifetime, and I hope you enjoy every minute of it. If you have a chance to take some pictures, I wouldn't mind living vicariously through you. You're a very sincere person and it's great to see you acting on something that you've wanted to do for ages. I hope you achieve what you are shooting for. Maybe you'll even develop a liking for Indian food! Good luck, have fun, and be safe. Adam