Tom's Trip to India - March/April 2012: April 2012

Final Thoughts

I learned a lot about myself and India on this 40 day trip.

Myself – I learned that my body has limits. Traveling for 40 days in a hot humid environment where one is participating in numerous daily activities is tiresome; especially for an older dude. I loved the trip but will have to make sure that I plan my future itineraries better so that I don’t suffer the fatigue that I experienced on this trip…..enough said! My fellow travelers were great company, made the trip more enjoyable and I learned how to speak Australian…….”oozee, mozzie, dunny, lollie, mate” and Austrian..”yah..yah” and of course Canadian..”Eh”…I love you all!!

India – I found India to be a fascinating country. I saw sites and met people that I had only read about or experienced on TV. I saw the Taj Mahal, traveled through cities that lay on the ancient “silk road”, visited Hindu temples..Buddhist Wats...Catholic churches…Islamic mosques and Jain temples, walked the walls of magnificent fortresses built by Islamic Mughals and Indian Rajahs, tasted food and drink not found in local Indian restaurants, saw a Bollywood movie, traveled by bicycle/auto rickshaws that scared me half-to-death and came to hate the constant honking of trucks/buses/taxis/auto-rickshaw horns. The Indian people are exceptionally friendly. No matter where I traveled, I was greeted with “Namaste”…where are you from?.....take a picture of me, my family…….sit-down and talk. Everyone is working, hustling, negotiating…wanting to sell you a scarf, carpet, shirts, shoes, belts….India Is Retail. I always felt safe and never felt threatened or in danger.....except when driving in a bus, auto or tuk-tuk!

Traveling throughout India has led me to believe that two of the country's greatest strengths are:…. First, the “family” where, by cohabitation, supporting each other and working together, all family members are better off……. Second, the underlying beliefs of Hinduism, India’s primary religion, keep the country working together spiritually and emotionally towards achieving karma.

My Adventure – took me through all parts of the country from fertile southern India, famous for its spices and sandy beaches……to Punjab where I visited the Sikh’s sacred Golden Temple and saw the incredible Wagah India/Pakistan border ceremony……through Rajasthan whose history is the “silk road” and “Arian invaders” from the north who built fortifications that are engineering marvels ………..led me to the sacred Hindu city of Varanasi where I witnessed cremations and Aarti fire ceremonies and drank the best lassis at the Blue Lassi……to Aurangabad’s famous Caves of Ellora which are hand-carved Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temples that extend over a distance approaching two miles ….. finally to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, whose largest outdoor laundry and food delivery dabbawalls are unique in the world. I thought that 40 days would be enough…but…but….maybe not!

To all of you that followed my travels....I hope that the BLOG has been enjoyable, informative and has given you the itch to travel to see a part of the world that you have dreamed about. Best wishes.....Tom

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - Saint Augustine

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Intrepid Group Pictures