Indian Thaipusam Festival – offerings in early morning

Travel Update:

Change of Itinerary for my ‘Sneaky Plan’ Trip to India

In my recent post Sneaky Plan for an Easy Trip to India I explained why I’ve been dying to visit India for many years but always equally terrified to go because of India’s horrific noise, chaos, crowds and the dangers & hassles posed to solo western women travelers.

Despite the difficulties, I’m still eager to experience India’s colors, temples, food and natural beauty. So this year I finally came up with a ‘sneaky plan’ to travel through India in an easier manner. Basically, I plan to completely skip India’s main cities and its most populated, ‘crush’ regions. In fact, I’ll skip all of central India and most of its most famous attractions & destinations.

Instead, I’ll travel only through the Indian Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakand for two months then fly directly over to the Andaman Islands for one month of sun in the fun over Christmas & New Year’s. I’ll start the entire Indian adventure by arriving in India from Nepal.

That plan is still intact. But I have changed my arrival strategy significantly.

bus route in Nepal

Change in Arrival Strategy

My original plan was to take buses from Kathmandu the whole way across Nepal to the western border at the tiny Indian town of Banbasa. From there I would make my way overland westward through Uttarakand then Himachal Pradesh, with my final major stop at Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans in exile.

I scrapped that plan, opting instead for (unfortunately a much more expensive route) flights from Kathmandu to Delhi then immediately to Dharamsala. (Well, I had to over night at Delhi Airport. That’s as ‘direct’ as it gets between Kathamndu, Nepal and Dharamasala, India).

The main reason I changed my plan is weather considerations.

I’ve been vigorously watching the weather forecasts for all the major places I plan to travel, including the regions in Nepal that I would have been bus-ing through.

The route west through Nepal barrels through a region called the Terai, Nepal’s flat sea-level lowlands that run east-west, bordering the hot Indian plains. Right now in October that whole region is sweltering. I mean daily temperatures of 37-38 C / 100 F. That’s even too hot for me, ‘Miss Tropics’ herself.

inside a local Nepal bus

Traveling by local Nepali buses for three solid days in those temperatures would be nothing short of misery, especially since I’d have to wear long sleeves and pants or skirts the entire time. In addition, all the towns that I’d have to stay in along the way are crap-holes. Dusty, noisy towns with no cultural, architectural or aesthetic interest what so ever. Just places to crash en route to India.

Taking that route right now would essentially amount to three days of complete, broiling, exhausting misery. And then I’d arrive in India. For the first time in my life.

The more I thought about it, the more horrible it sounded.

Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh state, India

In addition to the steamy Terai, the temperatures of major places I intend to stay in India also played a big factor in my change of plans. In my original plans, I’d arrive in Rishikesh (center for yoga, meditation and alternative culture) in mid to late October. And I’d arrive in Dharamsala in mid November.

When I investigated more carefully, I discovered that Rishikesh is nearly at sea level (350 ft) and is roasting hot all through October. Dharamsala, on the other hand, rests up in the mountains at 1880 ft. It’s chilly in October and considerably colder in November. Several travelers have warned me that Dharamsala is very, very cold in November.

Given the elevations and temperatures, it makes much more sense to hit Dharamsala in October before it freezes and Rishikesh in November, when it finally cools down a little bit. So in my new plan I’ll start in the west and travel eastward across the Himalayan states.

Golden Temple in Amritsar – the Sikh’s most revered temple

The only glitch I might have because of my reversed travel route is Amritsar. I really want to visit this major city of the Indian Sikhs, particularly their most holy Golden Temple, and to witness the flamboyant border closing ceremony at the nearby Indian border with Pakistan.

Amritsar doesn’t fit into this reversed travel agenda so well. For one thing, it’s west of Dharamasala. But now I’ll be heading East. Secondly, Amristar is at sea level and absolutely roasting hot in October.

I’m not sure I could enjoy that while completely covered up head to toe. But if I really want to go there, I can take a quick side trip from Dharamsala and back again. I reckon it would take 4 days – 2 bus days and 2 days in the city. Let’s see how I feel after I stay in Dharamsala a week or so.

my 3-month Indian visa

3-Month Visa to India

There’s one other slight glitch in my original plans. The Indian Visa Center in Kathmandu would only grant me a 3-month visa instead of the 6-month visa I applied for. That’s rather annoying!

However, in the end it doesn’t really adversely affect my travel plans too terribly much. My original plan had me traveling around India for 3 ½ months. So I’ll really only be cut short by two weeks. And to be honest, those two weeks were ‘buffer times’ in my agenda, two extra weeks.

The first extra week would have given me enough time to make a quick side trip to Agra & the Taj Mahal, if I felt brave enough to face the crowds & noise of one of India’s most ‘crush’ y places.

Kalapathar Beach at Havelock Island , Andaman & Nicobar Island , INDIA!

The second week was tacked on the tail end of my trip. It would have allowed me an extra week in the Andaman Islands or else a week on the mainland at the French colonial seaside town of Pondicherry. (setting of the book/film ‘Life of Pi’)

Because of the 3-month visa, I will now have one month flat in the Andamans. That’s it. Set. From there I fly back to Chennai then directly on to Malaysia in early January. No flex time there. Flights already booked.

As for the Taj Mahal (which I’ve wanted to see since childhood) I could shorten my two-month Himalayan travels slightly if I really want to squeeze it in. Who knows, maybe I’ll be bored with mountains after 1 ½ months? Or maybe I’ll be too frozen in late November to enjoy myself anymore and will gladly welcome an escape to India’s flat plains, which will have finally cooled off by early December.

view of Himalayan peaks on my flight from Kathmandu to Delhi

So with my new travel plans all set & scheduled, I headed to India. Last Saturday, October 12th, visa in hand and flights all full booked, I came to India. Instead of sweating it out on rough Nepali buses for three days, I caught a short lovely flight (with incredible views of Himalayan peaks en route) from Kathmandu to Delhi.

Safely installed at the new Delhi International Airport, I spent the night booked into a private room at their sort-of luxurious ‘Plaza Premium Lounge’ so I could get some serious shut eye before flying onto my first real destination in India.

After all, this is a sneaky plan for an EASY Trip to India.

my airport shuttle bus broke down on the highway between terminals!

Ironically, without even leaving the airport for almost 24 hours, I managed to get myself into heaps of trouble! I was accidentally ‘kicked out’ of the airport terminal building, nearly got sucked in by a hotel tout, endured a shuttle bus break down late at night and had my domestic flight delayed by two hours, to name a few mishaps. (post coming soon on my eventful arrival)

small gorgeous Tibetan temple in Dharamsala

The following morning, fairly well rested and completely de-stressed, I flew here to Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans in exile.

And here I am, reporting live from my very first destination in India! :))

I intend to stay here about two weeks, mostly immersing myself in Tibetan culture, arts, medical traditions, massage and learning the plight of the Tibetans who’ve been violently invaded by China since the 1950s.

Get ready to hear all about it…

After Dharamsala I’ll continue on with my original travel plan through the Indian Himalayas, only in reverse.

Adventures begin now. Come follow along…

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You might also want to check out:

My Sneaky Plan for an Easy Trip to India

Proposed Highlights of my Trip to India

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