India Itinerary

Check it out!

A lot of people have been exactly what I'm doing, so I thought I'd just post it up here. I'm going to include the day to day itinerary, as well as the more detailed descriptions that originally got me hooked, so all my readers have an idea what I'm getting into.


Program Itinerary
Date Description

Feb 12 Depart SFO at 1:40 AM for Hong Kong
Feb 13 Cross International Date Line; free day in Hong Kong. Approximately 15 hours of layover-fun!
Feb 14 Arrive into New Delhi at around 2 AM
Feb 14 - 16 Orientation at local hostel including scavenger hunts
Feb 16 - 17 Overnight Train to Varanasi, the "City of Lights"
Feb 17 - 24 VARANASI! Internships, Hindi study, Civic & Cultural Lectures - the sky's the limit!
Feb 24 - 25 Overnight Train to Gaya Junction; arrive early AM
Feb 25 - 28 Bodhgaya: temple stay, intro to Buddhism & meditation talks with local lama, Mahabodhi Temple experience
Feb 28 - March 1 Overnight train to Calcutta
March 1 Free day to get settled in Calcutta
March 2 Orientation at Mother Teresa Home for the Destitute
March 3 - 11 Volunteer in the AM's at MTH; afternoons and evenings for sightseeing, cricket games, temple visits
March 12 Overnight train to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Station
March 13 Overland to Gangtok, Sikkim and get settled
March 14, 15 Rest days in Gangtok. Get settled, sightsee, watch the sun set over the Himalayas
March 16 - 23 Volunteer with environmental conservation project outside Gangtok. Homestays with local Nepali and Tibetan families
March 24 -28 Cultural trek in upper Sikkim with Quest Himalaya. Camping and homestays along the trail
March 29 Rest day after trek; laundry, internet catch-up, etc.
March 30 Overland to Darjeeling, Upper West Bengal and settle
March 31 - April 2 Darjeeling town: visit fair trade tea plantation, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Himalayan zoo, Ghoom Monastery
April 3 Overland to Bagdogra for domestic flight back to Delhi and overnight
April 4 Overnight train to Amritsar
April 5 - 6 Amritsar: stay in the Golden Temple while learning about the Sikh religion
April 7 Overland to small mountain town of Bir and Deer Park Institute
April 7 - 13 Live in the intentional community of Deer Park Institute; study yoga, meditation, sustainable living practices, go for day hikes in the local mountains, and watch paragliders take off from the nearby hills
April 14 - 20 Overland to McLeod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and Tibetans in exile. Homestays, internships, and final student planning for free travel weeks
April 21 - May 3 Student-directed "FREE TRAVEL"! Must end in Delhi by May 4th PM
May 4 Free day for last-minute shopping and packing and farewell dinner
May 5 FLY HOME!
Super early AM flight home!


India is a vast subcontinent that is made even more vast by the sheer diversity of its coexisting cultures. To experience the true depth and breadth of this country would take a lifetime, however, a useful way to organize India is by way of dividing it into “plains” and “mountains,” as the geography greatly impacts the respective spiritualities and ways of life. Itineraries are designed with this in mind, seeking to “flow” in a manner that maximizes opportunity for exploration.

The Plains
Orientation
Your semester in India begins in the capital of Delhi, adjusting to jetlag and getting to know your groupmates with a couple days’ orientation in the backpacking district of Paharganj and the commercial district of Connaught Place. “Get your feet wet” at a reasonable pace within the safety of the group; see a Bollywood flick together or explore some of the sights while absorbing the cultural lessons around you. Learn how to negotiate rickshaw prices and wander the markets.

Varanasi
Varanasi (Benaras), the “city of lights,” is renowned as the very pulse and epicenter of Hindu India. The group redsides in hostel accommodations within walking distance to Assi Ghat. Extend your ‘orientation’ and take part in internships of your choice, including: yoga practice, Indian cooking, fire dancing, stone carving, jewelry making, tabla, sitar, flute, and the list goes on! Practice your Hindi when you go to the market. Cook together as a group, or enjoy any number of international cuisines in the area. Experience sunrise over the Ganges, the burning ghats, and just generally soak up the vast, rich scope of one of the oldest cities on the globe.

Hindu Temple
Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya is the spiritual epicenter and birthplace of Buddhism. Sit and meditate under a descendant of the same bodhi tree where Siddhartha reputedly attained enlightenment. Visit Buddhist temples built by almost every other Buddhist nation in honor of this holy place. Walk in pilgrimmage around the Mahabodhi temple with monks in robes of bright colors. Stay in one of the temples and experience how the true devotees live. Feel the unique flavor of this holy city as it resides within India's poorest state.

Calcutta
After the inward journey of Buddhism and Bodhgaya, move on by overnight train to Calcutta (Kolkata). Here we will turn our journey outward by giving of ourselves, working approximately 4 hours each morning as volunteers at the Mother Theresa Homes for the Destitute. Here you will have choices of what type of work you wish to perform: support services (i.e. laundry), helping to feed the poorest of the poor, or even holding the hands of those who are in the process of dying, bringing them honor and dignity in their last days. Spend afternoons in groups absorbing and exploring this unforgettable and politically pivotal city.

Amritsar
Spend a night or two as a guest on the grounds of the Sikhs’ Golden Temple. Experience the wonder of eating a free meal en masse with thousands of others. Feel truly unconditionally welcomed as a guest of this unique religious tradition in the home of its birth.

The Mountains

Kids at Mountain Retreat Center
McLeod Ganj
McLeod Ganj, home of the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama, is the site where you will be living with Tibetan families and welcomed as a true member of their extended family. In this plush, mountainous region you will learn first-hand the unique challenges faced by a culture forced from its homeland. During the day you will again have the opportunity to participate in internships such as thangka painting, music, meditation, teaching English to political refugees, and cooking, among many others. There is no shortage of activity to be had in McLeod, as well as no shortage of excellent food, starting with your homestays!

Playing with Indian Kids
Rishikesh

First made famous by the Beatles who wrote their album "Sergeant Pepper" while living in a Rishikesh ashram, it is one of the most beautiful lowland areas to experience the Ganges River as it emerges from the Himalayan highlands. As such, it is also a hub of adventure activity including whitewater rafting, trekking, and kayaking. Wander the marketed streets and traverse the suspension bridges, or just hang out on the white sanded beaches of the river. Rishikesh is saturated with ashrams of all types, and a "guru" can be found on every corner.

Himalayan Trek
Spend 4 to 5 days camping and hiking in either the far Northwestern or Northeastern Indian Himalayas. Breathe deep the crisp mountain air, taking only pictures and leaving only footprints, as you participate in a fully guided and professionally supported trekking experience with one of the most reputable Himalayan companies. Sit each night by a roaring campfire while robust meals are cooked for you, take time for yourself in the silence, or take well-earned naps in the supplied tents. Be sure to dress warmly!

Cycle Rickshaw
Haridwar
A short ride from Rishikesh, translated literally as “gate of the gods,” Haridwar is a holy place for Hindus as it exists at a confluence of the Ganga and its tributaries. Less touristed than nearby Rishikesh, here you will find small, earnest ashrams teaching practical spirituality and health practices on a consistent basis.

Free Travel
This is a time of student-directed group travel. For about two weeks, your group will decide where they want to go and what they want to see. You are given a budget to operate within, and are responsible for all logistical details. Your group leaders will be there to monitor and assist as needed, but essentially this is your opportunity to experience for yourself what it is like to plan and execute your own travel in the developing world. It will also give you the opportunity to experiment with ways to stretch your travel dollar safely and intelligently. End back in Delhi, planning to arrive approximately 1 1/2 days before your flight home. Spend the last days experiencing the markets, sights, and whatever else you feel you wish to accomplish before heading home with more stories than you dreamed possible.


So, there it is.