goodbye india

'We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.'

Jawaharlal Nehru, First Prime Minister of India

Day 120. My time in India is finally almost at an end, and this is my final blog entry from India. On Thursday morning I will make my way to Mumbai International Airport and fly home to the UK. I should touch down on the tarmac at Heathrow around 6pm UK time (assuming there are no delays). Rather than stay over in London I intend to catch a late train from Liverpool Street Station back to Lowestoft in Suffolk and the home of my parents. I should walk in through their front door around 11pm (I hope).
Being in India has been one of the most interesting experiences of my life: every single day has brought something either new, amazing, depressing, inspiring, frightening, unbelievable, or unsettling. I'm glad I've stayed so long because the longer I've been here the more I've got out of it, and the more my opinions have formed, changed, and re-formed. The only thing I can honestly say I've learnt is how endlessly complicated, sophisticated, and diverse India is. She defies all attempts at a single, simple unifying theory and cannot be explained with confident ease by anyone - not even by Indians. Just when you think you have learnt something about the country you learn that you are wrong and go back to square one. This can be frustrating but it's also the reason why travelling in India is such an endless journey of new discovery.
I'll be very sad to leave but also happy to finally go home. I'm pretty exhausted and more than ready to stop moving. I'm really looking forward to getting back to my family, friends, and my old life in the UK...what's left of it anyway. I'd like to travel more in the future if I get the opportunity and I'd like to see as much of the world as I can in my lifetime, but for now it's time for a rest and for something different. It is time to stop for a while and look at other challenges.
It just remains to say thanks for everything to India and to the people of India...I've had such a great time! Thank you so much for all the memories!

1. My India Trip: Statistics

Total days travelling in India: 123.
Major bus and train journeys made: 36.
Total number of hotels stayed in: 36.
Beaches visited: 4.
Mountain ranges/highlands visited: 2.
Currencies used: 1 (Rupees).
Average amount I spent day to day: 10 GBP per day.
Books read during the trip: 8.
Indian films watched: 13.
Total disposable razors used: 5.
Amount of times I've had my laundry done: 16.
Nervous breakdowns: 0.

2. My Blog: Statistics

Length of India blog: approximately 32,000 words.
Number of photographs taken in India: approximately 572.

3. My Bests List

Best city: Mumbai.
Best Beach: Kovalam (Kerala).
Best mountain range: Himalayas.
Best natural wonder: Himalayas.
Best river: the Ganges at Varanasi.
Best historical building: Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh).
Best fort/palace: Maharajah's Palace, Mysore (Karnataka).
Best hotel stayed in: Hotel Akash in McLeod Ganj (Himachal Pradesh).
Best journey: the journey by bus from Manali to Shimla.
Best transport used: the old taxis in Kolkata and Mumbai.
Place I would most like to live in India: Mumbai.

4. India: Facts

Full name: Republic of India.
Population: 1.1 billion (UN, 2005).
Capital: New Delhi.
Most-populated city: Mumbai (Bombay).
Area: 3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq miles), excluding Indian-administered Kashmir (100,569 sq km/38,830 sq miles).
Major languages: Hindi, English and at least 16 other official languages.
Major religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism.
Life expectancy: 62 years (men), 65 years (women) (UN).
Monetary unit: 1 Indian Rupee = 100 paise.
Main exports: Agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellery, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals, leather products.
GNI per capita: US $720 (World Bank, 2006).
Internet domain: .in.
International dialling code: +91.