Destination: India

Some of my enduring memories of my childhood were the rustic surroundings of our family home on Byram Lake. We had two trees in the front yard: an Elm and a Catalpa. The Catalpa was my daydreaming tree, it's the one behind me in the picture. It had a branch that jutted out like the bowsprit of a sailing ship. From the time I was 4 and could climb up on that branch, prop my back against the trunk, I imagined I was at sea in the heroic quest for faraway lands. So now, thanks to Deb, we have the opportunity to set out on another yet another journey.

Our India travel preparations are in full swing. The cautionary activities go far beyond simply stocking a large supply of Imodium and Pepto-Bismol but include the usual treatments like Hep A and B, Typhoid, tetanus, and rabies. We will be coming into monsoon season, so Lariam will be one of the regimens with plenty of DEET and pyrethrin in our kits. You will appreciate that all of the cautionary literature for travel scares most people away from ever setting foot outside the US. I wonder what those first East India Company employees did when Elizabeth I gave them a charter in 1600. You can imagine someone like Bob Cratchit's great-great-great-grandfather being told he was being shipped off half way around the world. My first thought would have been, "What on earth did I do wrong? Was it something I said to the boss' wife at the last Christmas party?" There were no Fodors, Frommer's, or cultural training. Then again, did they really care?

Last week we finalized our visas. Since 2009, there have been significant changes in the Inda visa rules and the protocol for submitting the documents. Interestingly, the Indian government has outsourced their visa process to a private Indian firm. Go figure. Last week also included a one-day cultural immersion. It gave some very good insight and perspective on what we should anticipate. We DID get a Frommer's guide and an etiquette guide. We also spent a recent Sunday afternoon in the Edison, New Jersey shopping district that Indian expats frequent.

Now it's time to start packing. Stay Tuned