A passage to India

Here I am, quiet and relaxed, in a airport lounge, after having experienced a week of anxieties and hysterias.


Actually I feel sorry for the people who were around me during these days, because they had to handle with me when I was completely crazy, overwhelmed by the mixed feelings related to the preparation of my first major solo trip in a Eastern country. As always, when I start something new, I do it in style. That’s why I choose India, the long lasting trip of my dreams. And that’s why I decided to spend there a month, this summer.

Now I feel really calm, watching my Airbus A330-200 while it is in preparation for flight, for the second flight of my travel day, Venice-Dubai. Yesterday I was really concerned with packing my luggage, I had to deal with a few big dilemmas, like: to bring the big backpack or not to bring it? To bring my Single Lens Reflex or not to bring it? Finally I decided to bring both, so now I have a big backpack and a little one as well, and I prepared my poor camera to afford the 80% humidity in tropical South India in a do-it-yourself fashion. I wrapped it with plastic! It will be a great experience, in any case... I'll let you know more...


P.S.
Does anyone want to know what I brought to try to survive one month in India? Fine…

Among electronic devices I brought a net-book, two cell phones and my SLR. A torch with batteries for frequent electricity black-out. A little lamp to read at night.

I bought a first-aid kit ready to use. Medicines: finally I decided to buy the discussed Malarone, so expensive and not surely useful against malaria, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Tea tree oil, Aspirina, Tachipirina, Yogermina lactic ferments, and an anti-biotic called Bassado, Integrator of Magnesium and Potassium. Solar cream and sun glasses. Two or three different hats.

I am going to buy a mosquito repellent in India, to be sure that it’s apt for Indian mosquitos. I already have a mosquito net and a sheet impregnated with mosquito repellent.

For the travel I have an inflatable neck cushion and an eye mask; ear plugs for the noisy night of big cities like Chennai.

Three lockers and a chain for bicycle to lock the backpack while travelling by train. Two hygienic paper rolls and nappies.

Three T-shirts and three pair of trousers. A pair of sandals and a pair of trekking shoes. An Olympic bath-suit and glasses.

A binocular. Photocopies of documents and tickets.

A little bag to fix with the belt.