Turns out I’m not leaving on the 29th for India, but within the next couple of weeks, I think. We have to sort out visas first, but apparently that’s not a big deal.
Joe and I will fly into New Delhi, and from there we’ll travel north to the city of Chandigarh, which was partially designed by Le Corbusier! I thought it would be cold, but apparently it’s going to be hot and humid, which I’m quite happy to deal with, and it makes packing a lot easier — instead of carrying a big heavy leather jacket and sweaters, I can get away with light t-shirts, cargo pants and my usual combat boots/sandals combo (aside from a business-casual outfit or two). I don’t know if spring is the rainy season or not, so I’m unsure if I really need to take a jacket at all. And my superpower is that I’m relatively immune to all but the most extreme weather and climatic shifts. Also, I don’t get sick traveling ever, which is nice.
I guess we’ll be spending part of the time doing business stuff I can’t really talk about here, but my impression is that we’ll also have some time to do some exploring. We met with the guy we’re working with over there — he was in Vegas for a Microsoft conference — and he agreed to take me up into the Himalayas.
I’ve been wanting to go to India ever since I first read The Razor’s Edge in my late teens, and I’m so excited I can barely stand it. Even though Chandigarh is apparently considered the most “modern” city in India, with the highest standard of living, I’m still hoping to try and get out of town and into the rural areas. Every city is beautiful in its own way, and worth seeing…but man, I’d like to get out into the forests.
And I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it: visions of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom keep running through my head. If I get to hack through the middle of a decrepit rope bridge strung over a deep chasm, and go swinging across…that would be hella awesome.
I don’t think it’s on our itinerary, though.