As always planning is part of me and even if I do have some surprises along the way, it does help me to try and get things right. I did get Agra and Ajanta completely wrong last year. But hopefully I am learning through experience and mistakes.
So getting back to this NEW trip, I will be mixing some old and new. The beginning of the holiday will be spent on the coast of Karnataka, slowly traveling down to Varkala where I will settle until mid march. I will then fly to Kolkata to live the Holi experience in the 'city of joy' before heading north to Darjeeling and Sikkim. Originally I thought I could travel through the planes of Nepal and visit Kathmandu and Pokhara. I had even booked my flight to get me back from Katmandhu to Delhi in time for my return to Paris BUT BUT BUT... I had not realised that Darjeeling was more than a hill town and offered an apparently stunning 8 to 10 day circle trek and then Sikkim would take another 10 to 12 days to visit and enjoy the numerous sites and day treks. So I think I will take the option to take my time to enjoy the beauty of the north east moutains of India and this will allow for a few options to spend one extra day here and there so that I can really relax and take in the calm and serenity of this special place on earth. Also, i recently walked in the pyrennees mountains for 3 days to test myself and I really really enjoyed it so I feel ready for more.
This will also give me the opportunity to plan another trip for Nepal but also for the region of Assam that was also at one point on my mind and could be added should I rush through Sikkim, but the more I read about it the less I want to rush. Also in terms of budget, taking time greatly reduces travel costs and allows to spend more time in rural areas that are much cheaper than bigger towns. This way I can also allow to go a bit over budget in Kolkata and maybe treat myself to staying in the Oberoi grand hotel. So now I have more or less settled the end part of my trip, as well as the middle part, I will be able to start thinking of the beginning. This is also essential as I do need to know what budget I have available as this part of the country I am a little familiar with and can easily adapt my spending to not jeopardize the FINALE.
