June 9, 2018

I am prepping for another travel adventure. This year, I am heading off to India and Nepal. Unlike previous adventures, I am on my own this time. My traveling partner, my daughter, Abby, is unable to come along. She is completing a two year apprenticeship as an embalmer, and she just started school in the Mortuary Science program to complete a Bachelor of Science degree.

I will once again travel with an educator group through GEEO. G Adventures offers educators the opportunity to travel to a great many places during Winter, Spring, and Summer break. The tours are less expensive, geared towards educators ( meeting at school sites, viewing education programs, supporting local training programs that benefit women and children, interacting with locals…) and is much more open ended than a tourist group. The size of participants are kept low, between 10-14.

I like the fact that arrangements are made for internal travel, tickets provided for sought after places, a local guide supports us along the way, but is not like the typical tour guide who blah, blah, blahs and insists that the group remain together. We are expected to go off and explore by ourselves or with others during the large amount of time we have on our own.

I like to travel by myself, do Couchsurfing, hitchhiking, staying in hostels, meander around towns with no particular agenda. I like freedom. But with that being said, I have found that sometimes I like the convenience of having someone else in charge of the travel infrastructure in some counties that are difficult to navigate. India, being one of them.

If you want the security and the freedom of independence and are interested in exploring many places in a period of 15-20 days, GEEO might be of interest to you. Visit GEEO.org and see what they have to offer. And if you decide to book, could you please use my name, Shawna Adam? I receive a discount towards my next adventure.

Anyway, I am bringing along plenty of snacks for my trip. I am a little bit leery about the food in India- hygiene- and even though I have eaten street food all across China, Spain (I did end up with food poisoning when I ate pulpo/octopus) and in Morocco, I don’t know if I will do the same in India.

I am coming prepared. I also will go to the big box market there too and buy snacks.

Water… I will only drink sealed bottle water. Also, I will brush my teeth and wash my face with it too. And I am bringing plenty of handwipes, and butt wipes. Using the cup of water with your left hand method to clean yourself with over the squat hole is the norm.

But not my norm.

I have yet to get my left hand and cup of water coordinated. Let’s just say, wearing wet clothes and shoes and socks is not fun!

I have not been able to use one of these pee devices. There are a few different types of pee devices marketed for women to have a fake penis so that peeing standing up is easy and sanitary. I am not coordinated enough to hold the device, balance myself on a slippery floor, hold my skirt up with one hand, device in the other, backpack on, and aim.

And this is why I am bringing snacks. I know where the left hand has been, what it does, and then prepping food… well…mmm… street food just might not be on the agenda this time.