INDIA REDUX, REDUX..

Another last minute decision to go on a trip to a place and to people that deserve well more than one last minute! That said, I'm starting to pack, I'm doing all the usual crazy things I do right before I take off for a trip like this (forgetting really basic things, spending copious amounts cash for almost no reason [I need TWO pairs of yoga pants for this trip, one won't do..I can always leave one up north... and damn, how many times have I dragged around that stained, unraveling, yet comfy green hoodie that I got in Laos? ..REPLACE.. Need to get that little netbook loaded up, but not too much, as well as tighten up the ol' ipod.. and it's speaker/dock thinigie I've had for years weighs at LEAST 4 lbs, I need a 1-lb unit..That's right, you really can't find handi-wipe type things over there.. Or lip balm..Where's my Nalgene?..That "North Face" pack I got in Vietnam is seriously falling apart.. One more year, with some patch jobs this weekend?.. Or get a new one?..]..not sleeping because my mind is running about everything I need to do and everything I've done and everything I've not done well enough..) ..And... I'm leaving really soon. Like last year, I got my ticket just a couple of weeks ago; I'd say literally the same day- and moment- that I decided to actually go. I don't think that the reality hit me that I am about to go to the other side of the world to blow my mind again until tonight when I dragged all my travelers' "gear" out and started weeding through it. I didn't consult with a travel doctor this year but for a phone call to check in- I think I'm covered- and I still have meds from last year that I never took, sooo... Here's hopin'! I want to explore some new territory this year and not get too drawn in to the comfort and relative serenity of the places I've already been; Varanasi is the one real galaxy that is drawing my heart in with it's gravity, and I do mean GRAVITY... I am in love with that place. I know I'm going to have to spend Christmas and New Year's with Munna's family in Patnem- I will actually be able to BE there for Ayusha's second birthday this year! I want to meet the other Gill sister this year, which is an amazing concept, and explore the east coast, and spend more time on the train, where I can watch the land roll by and write- now, on the little computer- and enjoy post-holiday Indian January for the first time. Oh, there's more... but it'll all start with Debi coming up to spend Monday night with me and send me off in proper style, and then... Well, I'll be off, and in the beautiful space of freedom- a person without history- or future- once again, a place where one's mind opens right on up and lets everything roll in like waves. On that note, friends, I will write again when I get to the other side. Happy happy to all! And thanks again to all, for making this posible, for helping me make the decision to go. Hooray..!!!. And- Namaste, Andrea

Planned Dates

Dec 15, 2009 to Jan 19, 2010

Countries

2