Stage 1 - The prep

Indeed, the time is drawing nigh for me to forgo the comforts and familiarities of home and embrace the clutches of the 3rd world. On behalf of Luke and Malik, I'll be embarking on a pilgrimage to the land of kAmAtRa sUtRa.....
*pause for dramatic effect*
I'll be leaving for India on the 21st and I'm currently in the midst of putting the finishing touches to the itinery I've painstakingly planned from scratch from a confluence of info sources from a host of websites to lonely planet and a couple of other guide books, and consolidating them. It sounds really interesting and cool and once I get it typed out I'll post it. I've also done the train schedule for the entire trip from Calcutta to Delhi, Delhi to Agra and back, Delhi to Bombay, Bombay to Goa and of course, back to Calcutta to catch my flight back. Just booked my Delhi hotel which is called hotel bright and is situated at Connaught Pl, a prime ex-British establishment and tourist attraction. But I shall insist on detaching myself from this run-of-the-mill and passe 'tourist' jargon as I am afterall an independant traveller, an explorer, adventurer, in short just 1cm short of Columbus. Gonna get my backpack tomorrow and probably will blow 200 over bucks on an american brand with a lifetime warranty. So I'll be gone 14 days and pls wish me luck that I don't stumble into a bomb anytime, esp after copious amounts of dirt-cheap kingfisher beer that will more likely poison than inebriate me. Haha. Will keep you adventurer wannabes posted to quell your jealousy of my cool trip. Lol. Ciao