Coming home..

Today will be my last full day in India, and it's been a crazy one. I've done so much running around and spent hours this afternoon in Mumbai's 'red light district', all work no play, trying to find a certain Christmas gift for one of my brothers.

I can't believe that three months have already gone by. I haven't taken many pictures since I've been back in Mumbai so I'm bringing some old ones back for this post. The city seems so different but the pictures help remind me that its just my perspective that has changed, Mumbai is still the busy crazy place it's always been.

My suit is getting its final touches as we speak, I'm hoping its done in time. They assure me it will but India has taught me to know better.

I've payed for another night in my hotel room even though I won't be staying through till the morning. I'm just using my room as a preparation area for my packing that I really should start on soon.

Bollywood: Late this afternoon while wondering the streets of Mumbai, looking good as always, I received my first reasonable offer to be in a Bollywood movie as an extra. They were willing to pay me a salary on top of paying my room, board, and moving me out to Goa for a week. Of course this is terrible timing as I leave for home in less then 24 hours.

I gave the Chicken Maharaja Mac another try, three months later at the same McDonalds in Colaba, Mumbai. Although it will never quite be comparable to the original western 'Big Mac' it tasted a lot better then I remembered.




Well this is me signing off with my last post from India. It will be a long journey home full of many cups of coffee, random conversations, and more time zone changes then I care to think about. I've reached into the softer-side of my iTunes library to find my departure song.

Hope you enjoyed following along for my travels, you'll be hearing from me again soon.

Still in Jaipur.. opps..

So yesterday didn't go exactly as planned as I'm still in Jaipur when I should have now been in Mumbai, but that's India for you. My ticket for the train yesterday was 'WL-1' which means I was the first person on the waiting-list and would be given a seat when someone canceled. 99% of the time anyone with WL-1 status would be confirmed, but seems I found that other 1%.

After a fair amount of paperwork I was able to get access of their 'tourist quota' seats and get a confirmed spot (AC3) on fully booked train at 2pm today. So I will be arriving in Mumbai a day later than planned but should still be able to get everything done I need to before leaving India. 


When I came to India Mumbai was the first city I saw and I ended up spending a week there so I'm looking forward to being there once again to see how my perspective on it has changed with my time in India. One of the things I'm not looking forward to about the big city, the overbook and ridiculously expensive accommodation

Headed south, prepping for the Ashram

I’m headed back down south today after I had my little detour up to Kochin for a couple days. I arrived in Trivandrum (Kerala’s capital city) in the late afternoon after a rather uncomfortable and delayed, but cheap (200rs or $4.50), 5 hour train ride in sleeper class. I’ll be spending less than 24 hours here as I have to head for the Ashram tomorrow afternoon; I still have yet to figure out how I’m actually getting there.

Until then I’ll be enjoying my last little bit of freedom by eating meat, going sightseeing, and living like a tourist.

I probably won’t have access to the internet for anywhere between 7 to 14 days, depending on how long I stay at the Ashram for. But fear not as there will still be posts that I’ve written ahead of time and scheduled for every day starting tomorrow with a description of what my Ashram experience will entail.

This is me signing off with my last live post for a few days; I’ll continue writing as soon as I regain access to the internet. Wish me luck!

Link to my ashram's website: http://www.sivananda.org/ndam/

Departing for India!

I am leaving for the airport in a couple of minutes, my flight departs at 5:50am.

It will be a full day of travel, with 4-6 hour layovers in both Minneapolis then Amsterdam before finally arriving in Mumbai at 11pm Wednesday night. It may be a couple of days until my next update just to get my bearings sorted out.

Last minute packing frenzy!

I have been running around all day trying to get my last minute errands done while also meeting friends over coffee and eating as much beef as possible.

I'm still not packed, but it's getting closer. I won't be posting an exact list of what I'm taking right now as I still have so much to do and time is in limited supply.

Here is a picture of my current progress:

Cutting down and reorganizing my gear.

10 hours till departure!

Gathering Gear: Netbook

Over the summer I have been prowling on the local online classified ads trying to find a cheap netbook that I could take with me to India. After a couple of months of looking I ran upon an ad for a Hannspree 10" netbook. The owner had bought both a Mac Book Air and this netbook at the same time. He seemed to have quite a bit of money and just wanted to get rid of the netbook, it was exactly what I had been waiting for.

It's fast and was in mint condition so I bought it for $120. I will be hauling this around India with me to keep in touch with others and keep the blog up-to-date (with updates every 1-2 days while abroad).

I'm keeping it short today as I have a ton of packing and other things to do before I go!

It's now less than two days until I leave for India.

Budgeting for India

Deciding on a daily budget for my trip to India was more difficult than expected. The inconsistency in information found on the web didn't help; some were saying you could no longer travel India on less than $60/day while others reported traveling on less then $10/day. The range in travel costs seems to be from the regional variance in prices along with personal standards of living. Looking at Mumbai, which is where I will be flying in and out of, prices are similar, if not higher for accommodation, then seen in north american cities.

Not having any sort of itinerary planned out has made the task of picking an average daily budget that much more difficult. I ended up taking the middle ground of the many recommendations found on the internet and in guidebooks, settling on $30/day. I have nothing against spending a couple nights in places that others may consider 'unacceptable', for living conditions, if it's necessary to balance the budget part way through the trip. Overall, I plan on staying in decently clean low end non-air conditioned hostels/hotels with a small private room and eating where the locals eat.

I hope that tracking the details of my expenses while abroad and publishing them online will help others who are traveling to India in the future.

Note: I included 15-20% 'surplus fund' in my savings plan in case I run into problems in India and need the cash. If it's not needed during the trip it will stay in my bank account and be used as a cushion for the first couple weeks when I arrive back home.

Last day at the office

Today is my last day going into the office.

Cleaning out the office

My boss has offered to take all my coworkers and myself out for lunch since it's my last day. I think I will pick an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, its something I may not be able to find again for several months. I will have to clean out my office by the end of the day; by the time I come back my company may have made the move to a new building and I will have a brand new office space to call my own.

As an accountant and business student I have become accustom to wearing a shirt and tie almost every day over the last couple years. The next three months will be an interesting change, wearing 'backpacker clothing' that will be washed by hand in a sink or bucket.

I also stopped shaving just over a week ago. I figure this trip may be the only time I can get away with three months of not shaving, so why not give it a go? You'll be able to see the progression of my 'lack of shaving' from the pictures I start to post while abroad.

Four more nights before I board my plane to India.

Gathering Gear: Misc. Items

I just received my order from Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), full of random goodies that I had ordered for my trip.

Airline Tote - $18

The original reason I bought this was to store my bag inside of for my flight to and from India. While it will still be used for its original intended use it will also be getting used on a regular basis throughout my trip! There will be a variety of times when I have to leave my bag alone, whether it be in hostels or bag rooms at train stations. With my bag having no easy way to lock all the openings I will just throw it in this plain-looking, soon to be dirty, bag, put a lock on the zipper and everything will be secured!


Alpine Rain-cover (for my Aether 60L pack) - $15

The alpine raincover from MEC will be serving two purposes during my trip in India. First, it will be a raincover! No surprise there..

Its second use will be to help keep my bag secure from pickpockets and thieves. After putting the cover on my backpack I realized it does a good job of covering all the zippers and top-loading drawstring. I will be keeping this cover on my bag even when there is no rain in the forecast to make my bright orange backpack standout less and cover any zippers/openings that lead inside my pack.


Hikers Mosquito net - $20

At first I was on the fence about whether or not I should buy a mosquito net. From what research I've done on the internet it seems the majority of other travelers didn't use their net, discarding them halfway into their trips. After some though, I bought one from MEC for $20. I have a feeling that with my budget, or rather lack of, I will be staying at my fair-share of shady and rundown hostels. I hope this mosquito net will not only keep away those possibly carrying Malaria, which is on the rise in India, but also save me from waking up to a cockroach, or other insect, running across my face.



Stuff sack, Mag-lite, TSA locks, releasable cable ties, and of course.. Canadian flags!

Stuff Sack, 9 liter ($8) - For my dirty laundry and hundreds of other random things.

TSA Locks ($10x2) - I bought two Transportation Security Administration (TSA) approved combination locks. TSA locks are great because they allow you to safely lock all your luggage on planes and trains. The workers at these facilities have a special master lock that can open your locks, without damaging them, if they need to inspect your bag. I bought a simple combo lock for my airline totes that shows me if they opened my bag during transit or not. The other lock is a retractable cable lock so I can secure my bag to benches, poles, etc while I sleep.

Releasable Cable Ties ($3 for 25) - These are like traditional plastic cable ties except instead of having to cut them off they have a release function! I'm confident these will come in handy during my trip for a multitude of things like tying up my mosquito net.

Mag-lite ($10) - It's a smaller mag-lite that uses AAA batteries. With the frequent power-cuts, and having to navigate dark back alleys, in India it may become one of my most used items. There is a good chance I will be buying a better one when I land, but this will serve as a good backup.

Canadian Flags ($1-3) - Cliché I know, but how could I resist?

Seven days and counting..

I woke up this morning to a slight churn in my stomach.

After months of talking about, and saving for, this trip it seemed more like a far away idea than a reality. It wasn't until this morning that it hit me; there are now only seven days until I leave for India, with no predetermined plans taking only what I am willing to carry on my back.

I'm incredibly excited to see what lies ahead, 7 days till departure.

Gathering Gear: Digital Camera

Seeing as my current digital camera is older than I care to admit, I thought it would be a wonderful time to pick its successor. Over the past couple weeks I went out and bought three cameras: the Sony WX1($220), Sony HX5($340), and Samsung ST550($280).

My choice, the Sony HX5!

I held on to all three of the cameras for seven days to compare their features and photo quality versus their respectable prices. The Samsung had a duel LCD screen, one being on the front, which is a rather attractive feature for those traveling solo. Unfortunately the photo quality and other features paled in comparison to the Sony cameras. With the Samsung out of the picture, no pun intended, it was down to the two Sony's.


In the end it really came down to size, WX1, versus extra features, HX5. I returned both the Samsung and Sony WX1 to the store, keeping the Sony HX5 for its impressive features and built in GPS which will come in handy for geotagging.

Planning my arrival in Mumbai

Warning: I tend to use the term 'planning' in a very vague sense.

I recently planned my arrival in Mumbai. By 'planning my arrival' I mean to say 'I booked a hostel for my first two nights in the city'. This might not seem like much planning for a three month trip in a foriegn country, but it's a nice break in routine for myself. My flight will touch down late into the night on September 14th, by the time I get through customs and exit the airport it will probably be 3am.

A small glimpse of the famous Crawford Market.

When booking my hostel they offered an airport pick up, warning me that I will most likely be tired and confused with considerable jet lag. Although this sounded pleasant, I had to decline. The prospect of an wild adventure from the airport in a cheap, and possibly crazy, taxi seems like a warm welcome to India.

My room? A simple double bed room, common bathroom, with a desk and lamp, all squeezed into a tiny room beside one of the busiest markets in Mumbai for 775rs($18).

Gathering Gear: Backpack

Here is it, my backpack of choice for India:
Osprey Aether 60L

I have been waiting almost a month for a backpack I ordered in through a local hiking store to arrive. The city I live in has a very limited selection of stores to choose from that stock quality backpacks, so I was getting quite distressed with my trip now less than two weeks away. After work yesterday I decided enough was enough, I headed over to the store to start looking at some other options. On the way to the store my phone rings, they just received my backpack from the dealer!

There are a couple of issues with the bag, mainly security and 'lockability'. Overall, I love the bag's design and how comfortable it is. I am currently brain storming to find some solutions to the security weak-points, I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Saving money to travel for three months

When summer started I wasn't sure if I would be able to save enough money by September to travel for three months. As I mentioned in the previous post, halfway though May I still only had a few hundred dollars in my bank account. I wanted to save enough for the trip solely from my summer employment yet I also didn't want to have to cut out my social life.

For those of you who know me, I like spending money. Actually, I love spending money. I tend to buy a lot of 'things' and spend exorbitant amounts on festivals, food, and other events. So how did I save enough money? First, I stopped going window shopping which always ended up with me buying things I didn't need followed by eating food I really didn't enjoy. I also cut down on the bar scene and replaced it with more personal house parties and barbeques. Funny thing is I have enjoyed doing what I had to do to save money more than what I did when I spent wildly. I am still able to go out quite often and get more quality time in with family and friends rather than focusing on external material goods.

Here is my savings schedule, directly from my google docs budgeting sheet. You'll notice the amount I'm saving increases each month, this is mostly a result from getting use to the non-spending attitude I've slowly been developing.


You can now find the most up-to-date budget and saving schedule at:Budget and Savings

The savings schedule is broken down into bi-weekly segments to follow my paycheck periods. I opened a second bank account and transfer the funds over as soon as the paycheck gets deposited into my bank account. Any amount remaining in my 'spending' account is what I have to live off for the next two weeks. I never allowed myself to withdraw anything from my trip savings account. If I am running low on spending money it just forces me to get more creative!

Only 20 days till departure.

Why did I choose India?

It seems to be the first thing anyone says after finding out I'll be backpacking by myself for three months in India.. "Why would you want to go to India?!"

I still can't remember how I got idea of taking a semester off university to go backpacking in India got stuck in my head. I think it was a mix of wanting to break away from the norm mixed in with being fed up of everyone else always saying "I wish I could go 'here' and do 'this', but..." People have so many excuses for not going after things they say they want; whether it's laziness, not wanting to take the risk, or simply wanting to follow along with what others will consider normal I'll never quite understand.

I truthfully didn't think I would be able to afford to travel for three months. Although my family now supports the idea of me going to India, the financial burden is still 100% on me. When planning this trip I did something that isn't at all like me. First, I decide that I was going to India, end of story. I left figuring out exactly why and how until later on.

So why did I choose India? I'm still not completely sure. Maybe I wanted to do something different. Go somewhere exciting and life changing, rather than somewhere like home with a small twist. Maybe it was because I could afford either:
a) 3 weeks in Europe or b) 3 months in India.

When summer started there was only a few hundred dollars in my bank account, even less halfway through May after an AIESEC conference. Glad to say that I am now ahead of my savings schedule, which I'll be happy to share with you in the upcoming week.

Guidebook, and the winner is...

I have been making good use of the public library over the past couple weeks. It seems they have a vast and diverse array of guidebooks on India, and every other country. I spent a good amount of time scanning through them trying to decide which one best suits my style of travel.

A choice has been made and the winner is... Lonely Planet!

Lonely Planet came out on top with their edition published fall of last year.

It has great information about sights and accommodation in my price range and is all organized in a very neat 'easy-to-find' fashion.

Let the planning begin!





For a comparison of the different guidebooks go here: Choosing a Guidebook: Which Series Fit Your Style? (and Budget)


Have overdue library fees?

Here's what I do: Get a list of all the books that are overdue and call the library to tell them they where all lost. The library will inform you that you now have to pay to replay all these books, but don't worry we won't be paying this or the overdue fees. Wait a couple days then take those 'lost', and overdue, books back into the library and tell them you found them.

Bingo! You are now home free without having to pay anything.

How does this work? Well when you called the library to tell them you had lost the books they actually remove the overdue charges on your account and replaced it with the full cost of the book. When you return the book they of course won't be charging you for it and the overdue fees have already been removed so you won't owe anything!

Indian visa arrives in the mail

After sending my visa for India away a couple weeks ago I received it back in the mail shortly after; I was denyed! Nothing that couldn't be fixed though, mostly just a misunderstanding between myself and the person I talked to on the phone. Rule of thumb: The people you talk to over the phone, although extremely nice, don't actually know what they are talking about.

I went back to the consulate's website to see what I had to fix on my application only to discover the website had been hacked! Without even leaving Canada, India's lack of structure and support is already showing.

I re-submitted the application and got my response in the mail yesterday. Good news: They issued me a 6-month visa! Bad news: It's only a single entry visa! Meaning I'll have to stick to India for my entire trip, but that's no problem as I've discovered there is more in India then I could explore in an entire year!

Doesn't it look beautiful?

Why haven't I started planning yet?

It's amazing how quickly time passes.

My departure date is approaching faster than could have I expected. Only a few days ago it seemed as if I had an abundance of time for planning and preparation, but that feeling has now faded. I feel an odd mixture of being overwhelmed from all the planning and researching I should be doing yet relaxed knowing that soon I will be free from the constraints of our society; being able to partake in whatever, and go wherever, I want to.. everyday.

Truth is I haven't put much time into piecing together an itinerary of any sort.

Just over a month until I leave for India.. Still so many things to sort out.

Wish me luck.

How to get vaccines/immunizations for cheaper

There are only 38 days left until I leave for India. That means it's time for... vaccinations!

Being the cheap person I am, the last thing I wanted to do was head straight over to the travel clinic and pay their outrageous fees. In addition to their general charges each shot costs on average around $100, with some of the series costing up to $700.

Most of the advice here is directed towards Canadians, because of how our health care system works, but if you live abroad you will still be able to use some of these tips.

First off, you will need to know which vaccinations you need. This leaves you with two options: a certified professional who you will have to pay (read 'expensive travel clinic advice') or the classic DIY via the internet.

My personal recommendation is to use the internet, but you will need to make sure you use the right websites and put a little time and effort into this. After you know where you are going create a list by cross referencing three main trustworthy sources: MD Travel Health, World Health Organization, and an up to date main stream guidebook. (ie. Lonely Planet)

After you have a basic list of recommend vaccinations make an appointment with your family doctor. Most family doctors can give you shots for: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and sometimes polio. If they don't carry them in stock they will give you a prescription so you can pick them up and bring them back to be given to you. This method can save a lot of money as three of the shots are often free from your doctor and the remaining two will be cheaper when buying a prescription rather then getting them from the travel clinic.

By now you should be left with only the vaccines that are specific to the country you will be visiting. Unfortunately at this point you will have to go to the travel clinic to get them as no one else will carry them in stock. Book an appointment at the travel clinic but make sure to specify that you already know what you need to get and won't need any consulting, just the shots (this will save you from their $50-100 'travel advice' fee).

If you are going to a country were you are at risk for malaria you may want to buy the medicine when you arrive in the country. The local version will be better fitted to the specific thread of the virus and is often cheaper than back home.

As for me I will be getting diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A, polio, typhoid, meningitis, and possibly others. I'm still undecided on the malaria pills as the side effects they give most people may outweigh the risk of infection, I should have it all figured out by next week.

Money saved so far by not using the travel clinic as a first choice, $315!

Note: It is also worthwhile to first check with your healthcare plan to see what shots they cover and where they require you to get them. Most plans will only cover the basic vaccinations for the country you live in, but who knows.. you may just luck out!

Applying for my India Visa

I sent off my Indian Visa application in the mail on Tuesday!

However, there has been a recent and rather unfortunate change in how tourist visas work. I applied for a basic six month tourist visa, but if I want to leave India at any time to visit surrounding countries I won't be allowed back in India for two months!

I know that I could easily spend my entire trip in India without getting to see all of it, so there is no real need for me to go to neighboring countries, but this type of typical bureaucracy still makes me mad. What if I want to visit Mount Everest, fly down to Sri Lanka, or visit friends in Thailand? I mean I'm flying halfway around the world to visit this country and they feel as if they have the right to stop me from visiting other destinations?!

I marked 'multiple entry' on my visa application. Even if my multiple entry visa gets approved I will still have to apply in person for special permission, when in India, to void their '2 month' rule. Without an itinerary set in stone and flights booked to prove it there is little chance they will approve it.. But I generally find a way around this sort of thing, so all is not lost yet.


Hoping my visa gets approved without any problems.

Only 46 days till I leave for India.