A map of plans...and life

rajasthan india - Google Maps

If I did this right there should be a map above or at least a link for refernce. (UPDATE: Jaisalmer is not pictured on the map unless you zoom in but is located on the furthest point west where India sort of juts into Pakistan)

Just a little background about the group I will be with and how I got all tangled with them... Not very exciting reading but it might help things make more sense as this trip takes shape. A few years back I was part of a meditation group through the Institute for Applied Meditation. We studied 'Living from the Heart,' a book based on heart rythym meditation with its roots in India under the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan(not related to Genghis OR Chaka). Since that time, I have stayed on their emailing list and the announcement about India popped up on the heels of following the Dovzak's blog during their trip to India last summer. I was already wistful and had wanted for some time to visit India so it didn't take me long to decide to do this.

Incidentally, the authors of 'Living from the Heart,' Puran and Susanna Bair, will be our leaders on this trip. There are 26 others, only 4 from Tucson in addition to Puran and Susanna, about half or more from the US and the rest appear to be coming from various other parts of the globe.

For those interested, here is a run down of our tentative itinerary. Several of us arrive early in Delhi on the 31st of Jan. and after sleeping off jet lag will find plenty to see and do in our spare time. By the 4th of Feb, all will have hopefully arrived and we begin with some volunteer work in Delhi arranged by IAM. More to come on that as it unfolds. From there:

Feb 6th- night train to Mt Abu
Feb 8th-Ranakpur/Jodhpur
Feb 10th-Jaisalmer
Feb 11th-back to Jodhpur
Feb 12th and 13th-Pushkar and Ajmer
Valentines Day thru Feb 15th-Jaipur
Feb 16th at sunrise we plan to be at the Taj Mahal in Agra
Feb 16th night train to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh
Feb 20 return to Delhi
Feb 21 US bound arriving Feb 22

OK so so that's the plan and well, then there's life. Naturally, it's the part I look forward to with all it's depths, surprises, twists and turns, and hopefully what I can reverberate back to any interested readers out there.


PS I've meant to give a credit to Brad and Rita Berglund whose gift of a little laminated photo with the Miriam Beard quote on the back, is something I've carried with me everywhere I go. Many thanks for so much!

Cheers, all.