First day in India

Coming here was definitely the longest flight I've ever taken. If you count the time I left my house till I arrived at Delhi airport, it was 24 hours - and with the time difference, one whole night never got slept.
Delhi is definitely quite overwhelming. I had paid for airport pickup so there was a man from G-Adventures there to take me to the hotel. Cars here drive through tiny spaces that no American would ever attempt.
Jami came over to my hotel when she finished the conferences at her school. There's a taxi strike today so Jami checked out a car from her school. I'm very impressed that she drives here. We walked to a restaurant and had some delicious Indian food.
Going to sleep now so I can enjoy Day 2 tomorrow.

The phone and other last minute stuff

I just called Verizon to find out about my phone.  I have an Iphone 4 and it will work in India.  I turned off my data, so I will only be able to use the internet when I am somewhere that has WiFi.  That way there will be no data charges.  Alexandra at Verizon turned on my international roaming.  Phone calls are $2 per minute.  Texts are 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive (a bargain!).  She recommended that I keep my phone in airplane mode most of the time.  Then I can take photos, etc and check the time, but my phone will use less power.  It won't receive any calls or texts in airplane mode, but I can just turn airplane mode off every so often so I will know if anything has come in.

Also, Jami has made lots of plans for me in Delhi.  She is truly wonderful!  I will meet her on Thursday evening for dinner.  Then, Friday, Jami's local friend who is a travel agent is helping arrange a driver and guide for Friday all day, and for Saturday morning.  He will give me a fair and good deal with the driver and guide. Also, Friday evening, Jami's school has their high school play!  I am getting very excited about all the fun plans.  I think I may have to take Jami on a trip to Paris or something to pay back all she has done for me!

Ellen is picking me up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to take me to Dulles.  I have already done my online check-in with Emirates for my flights.

Info from G-Adventures

I called G-Adventures to ask some questions.  I thought I had booked one extra day in the hotel in Delhi because I would arrive a day ahead of time.  Then, as I looked at everything, I realized I get there two days ahead of time.  But it turned out that my airport pick-up is for the correct day and also I booked two nights extra in the hotel, so I am all set.  I'll have to tell Jami that I have more time in Delhi than I thought.  I think that's good, though.  It will give me more time to adjust to the time difference and to see Delhi.  Also, there are only five people in my group.  They are all quite a bit younger:  some born in the 70's and some in the 80's.  I think I'll keep up okay, though.  The girl I talked to had just come back from a trip to Turkey, so I asked her if she had stayed in a tent at all.  I'm worried about needing to use the bathroom during the night when I'm in the tent.  What if there are thousands of tents at the Kumbh Mela festival and I can't find my way back?  She said she hadn't been in a tent, but I should just talk to the CEO (our guide) about it and it will be fine.
Also, last Saturday, I had dinner with friends from Fez, Jeremie and his girlfriend, Andi, and Stefan and his wife, Agnes.  Stefan has been to India and said, "Oh, you're in for a treat.  You'll love India."  When I said I was flying on Emirates, both he and his wife said it is a fabulous airline.  Stefan is very tall and he said there's lots of leg room and it was the best experience flying coach he's ever had.  That's really a good thing since it's a 14 hour flight just to Dubai and another 3 hour flight from there to Delhi.  So, I feel much better about the two things I was worried about (tent and superlong flight).  Also, I'm so glad for my Fez trip last year.  This G-Adventures group will be similar to my Fez buddies.  The people I was with almost constantly were a 22 year-old, a 31 year-old and two 36 year-olds.  That's not too different from my India group.  I know I kept up with them - walking all over the city.  So, I have confidence that I will keep up with this group, too.

Getting close

I'm making progress slowly but surely. 

• My bags are bought.  Now I need to put things in them!
• The contacts have arrived. (I will wear them, but am thinking the whitewater rafting isn't going to happen.  Every time I check the weather in Rishikesh, it's COLD - in the 40's.  I can't see myself putting on a bathing suit and getting in the water. 
• I have all my shots and prescriptions.  I was supposed to get TDaP and Polio shots.  (My HepA, HepB and typhoid are up to date.)  When I went to Kaiser, the nurse gave me Polio and Typhoid!  It wasn't his fault.  The travel nurse typed it up wrong and he told me he was giving me a typhoid shot, but I didn't catch the error until after he had given me.  So, I am super-immunized against typhoid.  I also got the DTaP shot just to be sure.
• I start taking the mefloquine tomorrow - 2 weeks before I leave.  That will protect me from malaria, but not from India's two other mosquito-borne illnesses:  Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.  For those, I need to be sure to use mosquito-repellent with 30% Deet.I got it at REI, my new favorite store.  I'll be sure to use them, but I do wonder who many mosquitoes will be flying around in such cool temperatures.
• Speaking of medical stuff, the company I'm going with, GAdventures, requires that you have emergency medical insurance.  If you get sick or injured overseas, it covers the medical expenses and the cost to fly you to the airport nearest your home.  I got it when I went to Mali, too.  There was just an article about it in the Washington Post Travel section.  It said that it's very cheap because it's rarely used and people who do need to use it say it was fabulous - takes away any worry.  This time I took the company that GAdventures offers.  I thought that this way, if I should need it, my GAdventures group leader will know how to contact them, etc.  
• I forgot to mention in my last post that I have my visa for India.
• I've been corresponding with Jami and she is fantastically helpful.  Also, I can tell that she is very happy there and loves India.  That makes me feel good about the trip.  Anyway, she is giving me guidance about what kind of clothing to pack (lots of layers for weather that will be cold sometimes and warm others.)  We are planning to meet for dinner my first evening there.  Jami will also give me suggestions on what to see in Delhi the next morning, since my group doesn't meet up until 2 pm.
• I know what I need to bring for charging my computer and camera (guidance from Jami on plugs.)  I do need to talk to Verizon about my phone, but I am pretty much planning on not having a phone and using my IPhone only for email when there is wireless available.  That should be enough since I'll be with a group.
• So, here are the biggest issues I'm left with: (1) shoes to pack - ones that don't take up too much space, but are comfortable and look okay.  (2) clothes to pack - basically same issue as shoes and (3) figuring out whether I need to buy extra memory for my camera.

This week's progress

I've made some progress in my preparations.
1. I spoke to the travel nurse at Kaiser. She sent 2 prescriptions to the pharmacy: one for mefloquine (anti malarial) and one for an antibiotic for traveler's diarrhea. She also gave me an appointment for a TDaP shot. And I got a flu shot on Monday.
2. I went to the optometrist and got contacts. I think I will need them for the white water rafting.
3. I went shopping today with Wendy. I bought insect repellant, a sleep mask, a flashlight and a sleeping bag liner. I also looked at rolling duffel bags. I've chosen the one I want. I just wanted to take time to think about it a little. I'll go back to REI to get it.
4. I've contacted my friend Jami in Delhi. We will discuss when to see each other. I have NOT started working on what to pack.

India Itinerary

Here's the itinerary.  The trip starts on February 22 and ends March 9.

Posting on iPhone

Finally figured how to post on the blog from my phone. I needed to download the Blogger app. Now I need to find about using this phone in India.
I'm starting to feel like I'm making progress toward getting ready for my trip to India. I dropped off my visa application on Thursday. They will email me when it is ready. I have an appointment to talk to the travel nurse on Thursday morning and one at the optometrist Thur afternoon (need contacts for whitewater rafting).
I haven't told anyone that I've started blogging again so I'm just posting for myself-to keep track of trip preparations.