10 Days in India – an ambitious itinerary

This time last year, I was in India AKA the coolest thing I have ever done (and I was in a movie once!). We knew the places we wanted to see as a priority, just in case we never get to go back or, as I thought at the time, in case I couldn’t cope and and didn’t want to leave my house ever again to go on an adventure. We pared our list down as much as we could, but our plan was still hugely ambitious (and I wouldn’t have done it any other way).

We also depended almost entirely on Indian trains, with the notable exceptions of the flights there and back, New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling (where the narrow gauge train track had been washed out by a landslide some years prior) and some rather ill-advised cab rides to stations (all the rules of the road but liberal use of the horn are optional, including headlights at night).

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Why I take my big, heavy film SLR with me on holiday

Part of me still can’t justify taking my big, heavy film SLR camera that I inherited from my mom on holiday. I can’t quite believe I would give up the precious space in my bag, carry all the extra stuff or that I would pause in my adventurous excitement long enough to fuss with dials, change the film. Part of my back still feels damaged from walking up and down the hills of Montmartre with what came to feel like 100 pounds swinging into my hip at every step.