Have u ever been to India or maybe you have a plan to go?

[Tristla]

Do you go there before? I really want to have a religious trip (Bodh Gaya, Kusinara, Lumbini, etc) and also traveling around India.

I want to know about everything -interesting places, accommodation, etc. basically what a traveller needs to know.

[Polar Bear]

I actually plan to walk there after I finish school


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[David2]

I actually plan to walk there after I finish school

Sounds pretty nice.
If you actually do it, make sure to tell us afterwards how it was (the walking to India, not the school ).

[Polar Bear]

Definitely

[DNS]

I actually plan to walk there after I finish school

Which way will you go? How will you go across the oceans, by air or boat?

[GraemeR]

Do you go there before? I really want to have a religious trip (Bodh Gaya, Kusinara, Lumbini, etc) and also traveling around India.

I want to know about everything -interesting places, accommodation, etc. basically what a traveller needs to know.

Only eat cooked food or fruit you can peel.

Mumbai is a wonderful mix of everything. I loved Rajastan.

India is wonderful, you are so lucky

Graham

[David2]

I actually plan to walk there after I finish school

Which way will you go? How will you go across the oceans, by air or boat?

It is even possible to walk the whole way from California to India. One can walk over the frozen Bering Strait (at least in the winter).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bering_Strait" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(I'm not sure if that's his plan though - I guess it's not the most comfortable route - rather the least comfortable.)

[Maitri]

I just got back from India a little less than a month ago. I would highly recommend visiting the pilgrimage sites- at least the four major ones as listed by the Blessed One himself. If you traveling from the U.S.A. or North America be prepared for a long flight just to get there. Try to get a direct flight to Delhi from NY or Bangkok via L.A. It may cost a bit more, but it's worth not having to worry about connecting flights and wasting time in airports. Gaya airport is very close to Bodhgaya and is easy to fly into. If you can help it, make sure your guide is a Buddhist if you are going on pilgrimage. We had an Indian guide (who was really good and watched out for us) who was Hindu, so everything he told us about the sites came from a Hindu perspective (i.e. the Buddha is just one amongst many incarnations of God). I felt a bit frustrated by this and would be a bit more selective next time.

Also, be prepared for culture shock if you coming from the West. The conditions are very rough in Bihar, especially. I came down with a bad case of diarrhea on the way home and had to go the ER for dehydration. Just be prepared for challenges and be aware of your surroundings like you would in a major city.

[Polar Bear]

I actually plan to walk there after I finish school

Which way will you go? How will you go across the oceans, by air or boat?

Not sure yet about the air or boat thing but ideally I'd go by boat. As far as the route is concerned most people tend to walk through the middle east into asia but my goal is to find a northern route I can take.

Also, I might ride a bicycle through some areas like Canada.

Starting in California, I would take the Pacific Crest Trail towards Canada. Once in Canada/British Columbia I might switch off between walking and riding a bicycle until I hit the east coast. Then take a boat to Greenland and walk across the southern end of it hugging the coast (if possible, may be too much ice). Similarly, I would walk across Iceland then Ireland then Scotland/England. From England it's just a short hop over to France and I've finally reached the monstrous land mass that I'll be walking on til I hit India. Then I'd go from France into Germany into Poland into Russia. I would have a very long way to go once in Russia and ideally wouldn't start heading south until I'm north of Mongolia or maybe the small area where China and Russia connect. However, I would really like to consider traveling through Mongolia if possible. Once in China I would head towards Tibet and this is where my plan easily falls apart. Travel through Tibet is highly restricted by the Chinese gov't and right now it seems unlikely that I would be able to get all the travel passes I would need to go all the way through Tibet into Bhutan, but that's okay. If I can't go through Tibet I'll head east until I arrive close to the Chinese/Myanmar border. From Myanmar I could stop in Thailand but it's kinda outta the way so I'd probably just walk northwest until I hit Bhutan and then I'd walk through Bhutan until I hit Nepal. After satisfying my desire to see Nepal I'd head into India and walk to Bodh Gaya. After that, I'm not sure but if I decide to do a full round trip then I'd head to the southern end of India and take a boat to Sri Lanka. From Sri Lanka I would decide to skip a great deal of land and take a boat to Tanzania in order to avoid war torn areas of east africa as well as places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran etc. where I probably wouldn't be liked too much. After walking to South Africa from Tanzania I'd either head to malaysia or straight to Australia. If I went to Malaysia then I'd go hopping through Indonesia for a bit before finally winding up in Australia. The interior of Australia is brutal so I don't know if I'd try walking through the northern territory but eventually I'd walk my way over to Melbourne. From there I'd hit go to Tasmania and then New Zealand. After that it would be time to head back to the new world and I'd head east to Chile. From there I'd walk north til I arrive back in California.

Of course for now my goal is simply to find a walkable route to India taking a northern route so I don't know about the rest. Anyway, that's a rough sketch of the plan I have for now and I have about 4-5 years to plan it out and train for the journey and hopefully it all works out.

[rowboat]

I can pretty much guarantee that you will never do those things. Go ahead and prove me wrong.

When I was in Israel I met a very tall, thin young man who had just walked all the way from Bosnia. He told me he was walking to India. He'd sneaked across every border between Bosnia and Israel. He had no shoes. His face was hollowed out, either from hunger or dehydration, or both. He told me he was a classically trained musician. I can't remember now if he was a pianist or a violinist. He looked like he'd seen some horrible things. Probably lost some loved-ones.

[Mr Man]

When I was in Israel I met a very tall, thin young man who had just walked all the way from Bosnia. He told me he was walking to India. He'd sneaked across every border between Bosnia and Israel. He had no shoes. His face was hollowed out, either from hunger or dehydration, or both. He told me he was a classically trained musician. I can't remember now if he was a pianist or a violinist. He looked like he'd seen some horrible things. Probably lost some loved-ones.

Sounds like the kind of person you would meet in India. Maybe he was there in spirit. A lovely anecdote.

[Wesley1982]

Have u ever been to India or maybe you have a plan to go?

Enchanted India is very nice but have never physically been there. I don't feel like going anywhere much

[Maitri]

Best of luck when walking if you make it. Avoid walking in India during the summer months- no way you can make it.

Just remember to check on the status of Bihar before you go. I wouldn't recommend walking alone through there. Our driver and guide were concerned about us getting robbed by bandits on the road and they are Indian. When we went it was supposedly the best it's been in several years.

[rowboat]

Mr Man: Sounds like the kind of person you would meet in India. Maybe he was there in spirit. A lovely anecdote.

Last winter I was talking with my travelling companion on that trip and he couldn't even remember the young Bosnian whereas I could not go a year without wondering of his fate and whether he found his place. I was always very skeptical at that point in my life and I remember sort of disbelieving him, especially when he told us he'd illegally crossed all of those borders. Then I happened to look closely at his bare feet. There is no doubt, by his face, that he had seen some appalling things. Like all people who have suffered terrible trauma, his eyes had glassed over and his mouth hung open. But my sense is that he is well now. He carried the silence with him. I sincerely hope that I am right.

[Polar Bear]

I can pretty much guarantee that you will never do those things. Go ahead and prove me wrong.

When I was in Israel I met a very tall, thin young man who had just walked all the way from Bosnia. He told me he was walking to India. He'd sneaked across every border between Bosnia and Israel. He had no shoes. His face was hollowed out, either from hunger or dehydration, or both. He told me he was a classically trained musician. I can't remember now if he was a pianist or a violinist. He looked like he'd seen some horrible things. Probably lost some loved-ones.

Perhaps, although unlike the bosnian man I will have shoes, a passport, and will have saved up enough money to eat. Also, I plan on attending one of those international teaching programs where you learn to teach people english and get some kind of certification so that when I need more money, or if I just feel like staying in one area for a while, I'll be able to teach english for 3-6 months before heading out on the road again. But you're right, statistically there's almost zero chance I'll ever walk to India, so we'll see.