Indian Adventures - The To Do List

I have to admit... I'm feeling a little out of the blogging loop at the moment. The lack of travelling has given me something that resembles writer's block and I am grappling for content ideas. It does not help that I have been overwhelmed with university work meaning that I don't even have time to scroll through my feed on bloglovin'! BUT I have finally finished for spring break which means I have the opportunity to catch up with some travel plans and get a little ahead on prep for India before the Summer term and the relentless pressure of exams begins. 

picture credit to 99traveltips.com

P.S, if this is coming up on your bloglovin' feed again and you're feeling a little confused because you've already have it, don't worry! I just re read the post and felt that it was a little half-assed (i.e not enough pictures!) so I reverted to a draft so that I could pour my heart and soul into it. 

So to get myself back into blogging and at an attempt to inspire myself, I'm going to write about and show you one of my all time favourite travelling traditions. I've probably mentioned this somewhere in one of my other posts but one of my favourite parts of planning before taking a trip is to create a 'bucket/to do list' of adventures or events that I want to partake in whilst visiting that country. 

My "All-American Bucket List" looked something like this... 

Yep, this is pretty much what a lot of British people think when you say 'American Lifestyle', so obviously we had to try and cram as much in as possible whilst in America. I'm proud to say we accomplished most of these... minus the bungee jump. (I now realise I spelt bungee jump but I will admit this edit took longer than it should have and there's no way I'm redoing it for one typo now!) Sophie was so obsessed with the solo cups that she bought packets of them to come home with her.

So, naturally, whilst I was procrastinating important essays and research (don't procrastinate kids! I had a minor breakdown roughly 10 hours before a deadline when I realised it was 2am and I was still conclusionless), I decided to create an Indian bucket list. This is what it looks like so far... 

Just in case some of those aren't quite legible...

See the Taj Mahal

Can you really go to India and not see the Taj Mahal? I'm pretty sure this has been on my actual bucket list since I was about 10 so I am so excited to finally see it in person.

Elephant Ride to Agra Fort 

credit to https://www.flickr.com/

I'm still unsure as to whether or not I actually want to ride the elephants but I'll make a quick judgement when I'm there. I'm tempted because Charlie has never ridden one before and I don't want to deprive him of that experience.

Take a sleeper train

credit to http://myworldview-photography.tumblr.com/post/36431936924/the-journey-kerala-india

I guess this is a bit of a weird one but I have never slept on one!! I'm excited for the experience, I've been brushing up on what to expect from Monica's (the Travel Hack) post on How to Survive a Sleeper Train.

Ride a Motorbike with Charlie driving

credit to http://www.coordinatescollection.com/

Again, not my idea but Charlie's. I think I trust him enough to take me for a quick spin... 

-Experience an Indian Wedding/ Find a Festival

credit to http://maiden-india.tumblr.com/?og=1

Nearly everyone I've met that has been to India has said that we have to join in on any festive celebrations we pass as they are so special, unusual and truly a part of the Indian culture. I was really sad when I found out the Holi festival was last month as it is something I most definitely want to experience, but I guess it's a good excuse to go back again!

Take a cooking class

credit to http://alisterpaine.com/2011/03/02/beach-getaway-goa-india/

Tierney and I took a cooking class back in Chiang Mai (doesn't that feel like an eternity ago?!) and it was so much fun! Definitely one of the best things we did in Chiang Mai, I think I'm going to write down my favourite recipe from each cooking class we take in every country we visit until I have a world book of recipes. Finally, an incentive to learn how to cook!

Take a River trip down the Ganges 

credit to http://fromthesehandsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/fabrics-from-india.html

When I emailed my old English teacher asking for some travel tips, Varanasi is one of the places she said that she was desperate to go but had decided to "save it for another trip". Probably a good idea Miss Merrett! I can already sense that this trip is going to be hectic. (You wait until you see our route!) When will I learn to take a steady pace? Probably never. But hey! Isn't that part of the fun of travelling?

And that is my Indian Adventure list so far, quite often this list grows as I continue to plan and considering it's early days, I don't have an awful lot to go on. But creating this list of things to do is a starting point and gives me an idea of where we need/want to go. As those ideas roll in, something that vaguely resembles a route develops and of course I'll be posting my route asap so if you have anything to add then pleaaaaase tell me! I want to take in and make the most of India as much as possible. 

What do you want to do on your next trip?

S x