Itinerary & tour

So, I'm killing a little time at the airport, waiting to leave LA.  I figure I might as well do a little writing.

What the heck will I do with myself for 5 weeks in India?  This whole thing started in a conversation with my good friend Srini Reddy.  I mentioned to him back in February that I loved my last trip to India, and that I'm waiting for an excuse to return.  He asked, "what excuse are you waiting for?"  I didn't have a good answer.  Next thing I knew, I was looking at airfare and destinations.  But, I didn't just want to go see landmarks and tourist destinations.  I wanted to see the rural parts of India and get a more authentic experience. 

Srini highly recommended Explore UK  (http://www.explore.co.uk/) for their authentic tours, as several of his friend had used them and raved.  What was originally an idea to go for 10-14 days became a "what's stopping me from going longer?"  I found a tour for 22 days in Northern India (see dossier here:  http://www.explore.co.uk/Explore/UI/Dossier/2010Dossiers/MG-L.pdf).  At the time, they were also offering an 84 day tour of the entire country.  I thought that might be going a bit too far.  In contrast, 22 days didn't seem too much.

Next, I mentioned to my friend and associate Ashish Agarwal (Neudesic India LTD) that I would be in India and would be happy to stop by the Neudesic India office for a few days after my tour to deliver some Agile training to our consultants in Hyderabad and Bangalore.  He took me up on the offer, and I extended my trip another week and a half.  So, when I finish with my tour, in week #4, I'll be meeting Ashish (and our mutual friend Sanjay) in Delhi.  We'll make our way down to Hyderabad and probably to Bangalore to deliver some training sessions, and then we plan to spend a few days in Goa (beautiful tropical destination in India).


So, you see, an innocent little comment like "I'm just waiting for an excuse to return to India" has turned into a 5-week adventure.  Interesting how these things come about.

Well, time to board my flight now.  Cheers.

    -Phil