Preparing for the Trip

Being gone a whole month is intimidating, mostly due to financial issues. The problem is that bills come due on monthly cycles, so you have to make sure that you've set up a way to pay them automatically, or prepay enough before you leave to cover the bills that are due before your return. I believe that Internet cafes will be common in Southern India, in which case we could just pay our bills online.

I have never had my wallet stolen, and I've traveled to about 40 different countries, but still I take (perhaps extreme) precautions against it. Having your wallet stolen in a foreign country is probably much more traumatic than having it stolen at home. So I stash cash in various caches on my person and carry a decoy wallet for pickpockets. I never leave anything of value in the hotel room.

The dining room table has been our staging area for a month. We pile anything we think we might want to take there, and also keep lists of things to bring. I will pack my suitcase tomorrow, then we leave the next day. I didn't want to actually pack too early, because in the past when I have done that I end up unpacking and packing about three times.

Catherine has planned and reserved all the flights, train rides, hotels, ashram stays and dental appointments. I don't know how we're going to work this, because I want her to walk three paces behind me in order to conform to Indian custom, but I don't know where the hell I'm going!

Last time we went to India (in 2001 for the Kumbha Mela) I was sick with a cold even before I left, and progressed to bronchitis during the trip. I was sick the whole damn trip. This time I am determined to stay healthy, but caught a cold when unexpectedly exposed to my cute and lovable little nephews and niece a couple of days ago. So, although it is as yet a mild cold, I'm spending a lot of time in bed and started taking antibiotics yesterday. I know all the arguments against antibiotics, but I just want to say, "antibiotics bin bery bery good to me". I intend on kicking this before we leave on Saturday, even though my relatively tough wife makes fun of me for being such a baby.