Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Why India?

My husband and I would like to think of ourselves as world travelers. We have seen some of the vast world and plan to see much more before we reach our golden years. Throughout our seven years of marriage our travels have taken us to Las Vegas, Tijuana, Cancun, San Diego, L.A., The Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, The Dominican Republic, St. Lucia and Alaska.

I was raised in South Carolina, New Jersey and North Carolina, but my husband much more traveled than me grew up in Baltimore, Georgia, Arkansas, California, Florida, Bermuda, Jamaica and Trinidad. The relocation that brought him into my life was from Chicago.

St. Lucia was our Honeymoon destination, chosen solely based on an intriguing song by India Arie. She described the majestic Piton Mountains and the vivid clear water and as she painted the stunning image in my mind I decided I had to begin my life with my soul mate there.

Our next adventure was to take us to Egypt, as our mutual aspiration was to see the Sphinx who lost its nose at the hand of Napoleon or by a Sufi fanatic by the name of Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, in 1378, who enraged by the life-like representation of its human face had it chiseled off (no one knows for sure). 

On the fateful eve of making our reservations final, civil unrest exploded in Cairo and shattered our dreams of seeing the Sphinx and the pyramids and the Nile. Months of planning dissipated and we were left with the question where to go to fulfill our thirst for adventure and our love for travel. The old faithful suggestions came up, Paris, Italy, Greece, and then as I was eating one of my favorite Indian dishes it hit me. “Let’s go to India!”  Let’s go ride elephants and wear sarees and eat Indian food. Let’s visit the Taj Mahal! Hubby was on board.

As we speak, we are getting our passport primed and ready. There is a lot to do before our trip in September. Will it be as phenomenal of a trip as we hope or will the culture shock derail us. Will travel from one country to a whole different continent be full of pitfalls and red tape or will it be smooth sailing. Check back weekly as I get prepared for our journey. While we prepare, I will explore the history, life and culture of India. I will also give lots of tips along the way…like how to get an international visa. Next up, how to get to India. I can’t wait!