Cell phone info has changed and hotel info

Hello travelers,

Here is the cell phone number to contact Pema or myself if you need to contact us.  91-88-921-32529.This has changed recently -- it used to be Dawa's number listed below. If you get them confused you will still be able to leave a message at his number.

Tourist village Veerabhoomi is the name of our hotel in bylakupee on January 5th. Phone numbers:  7353856235 and 9448078133.

Our guide Dawa can be reached at   91-74-0671-8190

Safe travels . See you soon,
Rebecca

Connections Missed?

Hi Everybody,

The weather looks clear for the coming weekend, so we don't anticipate any delays or missed connections. However, sometimes things come up, and a connection is missed.

Pema and Rebecca will have an Indian cell phone shortly, and will be posting that number to the blog. If you encounter trouble internationally, please call that number.

If the trouble occurs domestically, please all my cell at 608-513-9642.

It would be scary to arrive in India by yourself, and we have a great staff in place to ensure that won't happen. Even if your flight is woefully delayed, we'll do everything we can to personally be there, or at worst, will make sure one of our great guides is there to help you navigate your way to the Hotel Dew Drops.

See you soon,

Scott

Hello from India

Hello group,

Rebecca and I arrived safely at our first hotel. The drive from the airport to the hotel is 1 hour so that will put you in about 2:30 am when you arrive on the sixth. However, it will shorten our drive to Mysore by an hour. The first hotel has lovely marble inlay floors and festive trappings in the bathrooms. Hotel  Dew Drops... I am looking forward to the story of why they named it dew drops. In the meantime, happy packing.

Pema

PS our room has at least fifteen light switches not including the bathroom. I am not sure why!

Countdown

What a wonderful New Year's gift to be going to India with Alignment Yoga! Can't wait.
Judy

Dust Masks

Dust Masks.

We're just days away from departure, and I wanted to let you know that my suitcase is filled with dust masks.

If you'd like to purchase any, they are $4/each. In addition to leaving room in your suitcase for the dustmasks, we will also be distributing detailed informational packets about all our destinations. (these are great reading for the flights!)

See you soon,

Scott

Blue Jeans?

This is a bit embarrassing, but I am having trouble getting past the 'no bluejeans' idea. Is it REALLY bad to wear jeans? Is anyone bringing them? Am I too stuck in the western world?? Kay

Pre-trip   Little more than a week to go. Getting excited!

Meet Milan

Below is an image of Milan -- he is on the left. I believe the man on the right is a relative, but not sure. Milan is our guide from MiddlePath travels, our India based travel agency. Milan speaks English and Tibetan. He is from Darjeeling and when we met him, he hoped to become an official India tour guide. That involves four years of basic college and then 5 years of specialized education.  Milan works as an employee for MiddlePath, whereas when we met Dawa he was a contractor. We now request Dawa every time as special staff and translator. He will work with Milan on the trip. But Milan will be the main person in charge of our itinerary, and Dawa will be mainly translation. 

practicing using the blog alignment yoga travel to india. did it!  maravilloso...hola susan!

I'm getting excited about our trip to India.

Hi All,  See y'all soon.  :-) -susan

Ayurveda in Mysore

Hey travel friends!
Make sure to check your emails.
We have an opportunity to visit Indus Valley Ayurveda Spa in Mysore. The email has a link to the website and information about services.
Let me know by Monday if you are interested, so I can email the spa before Pema and I leave on the 28th.
Enjoy the holidays!

Rebecca

The Count Down Begins

18 more days!!!!!!

Success!

TaDa!! I did it. See you all in India or Chicago. Happy Holidays.

Dubarre Elephant Camp

Are you curious what your staff are working on today?

Plans to visit Dubarre Elephant Camp and the nature preserve,

 including a coracle ride on the river.......

Meeting Dawa's Relatives

Dear Friends,

We may meet some of Dawa's relatives in Bylakuppe. Here is a list so we know who we might meet.

7 family members in Bylakuppe
Dawa Tsering, our translator guide
Penpa: Dawa's revered mom,
Dawa Norbu: Dawa's elder bro,
Thupten: Dawa's brother,
Sonam Choden: Thupten's wife
Tenzin Nyinda: Thupten's son,
Tenzin Choyang: Thupten's daughter,

Lobsang: lives in Bangalore and studies computers at HH Dalai Lama Institute.
Also Tenzin Nyinda studies Hotel Management in Mangalore, but may be on vacation

There is such a thing as cousin-brother in India. I think it is cousin, but it might also be a second cousin or uncle. I am not sure. Dawa once explained it to me but I can't remember. He has a cousin-brother in Delhi who owns a very nice Chinese style restaurant. We ate there last trip (but not this one).

We will be taking a cooking class and eating at Dawa Norbu's family's restaurant. It is called Dawa Restaurant.

Pema

PS This is Dawa and Lisa VB with Indian "fire equipment."

And Dawa with friends dressed to sing for His Holiness the Dalai Lama ...

2014 Hotel Information

Dear travelers,

Here is the current hotel information.  I'm waiting for the Third Pole phone number, hopefully we will have it before we leave. When Pema and I land in Bangalore, we will purchase phones and put the emergency contact numbers on the blog.

If there are any changes to the current Hotel information, I will post them on the blog.

See you all soon!
Rebecca

January 5th
Note: This hotel has changed
Hotel Dew Drops
#9/1, Platform Road,
Near Mantri Square Mall,
Seshadripuram,
Bangalore – 560020.
Phone : +91-80-40609111              
Mobile : +91-9739990170


January 6th - Jan 9
Hotel President  Mysore
 2723, Near Hardinge Circle, Bangalore-Nilgiri Road,
Mysore, Karnataka, 570001
Phone:+91 821 400 8900


January 10 - Jan 14
Four Seasons Home Stay. Bylakupee
1st Block Indira Extension, 
Kushalnagar 571234
 +91 98809 51214 / 98805 89784

Jan15 - Jan18

Hotel Hill View

Hill Road, Madikeri, Coorg District, 

Karnataka 

Ph: 08272-223808/221067 

Cell: +91-9448422334 

Getting excited

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon. Happy Holidays.

Group Dinner

Julie and I really enjoyed getting together with our fellow travelers for dinner tonight. If anyone dines there again I would recommend the catfish vindaloo highly. Best vindaloo I have ever tasted.

hi

is this working??

Introduction to Ayurveda

There will be an introduction to Ayurveda in your information packet.

If you would like to read more about Ayurveda before we go, check out Deepok Chopra's book  Perfect Health.  It is a good introduction to this ancient way of getting to know your body.

Weather advisories

The days will be mostly hot -- around 80, but the nights will be cool and as low as 48 F. Please note that due to being in the South, heat is not always available in the overnight rooms. A spare blanket is not always immediately available, so you may want a light sleeping bag and a pair of thermals for layering. Plan to dress accordingly.

COORG (3 days)
Coorg, a well-known hill station, is located in the Western Ghats. The wintertime in Coorg is a little chilly, but still quite pleasant. The average high temperature during the winter in Coorg is around 68°F with lows averaging in the neighborhood of 59°F. However, during the months of December through February, the temperatures have been know to fall as low as 48°F.

MYSORE (4 days)

Max Daytime Temperature (°C)				28°C (82°F) in January
Min Night-time Temperature (°C)				16°C (61°F) in January
Hours of Sunshine (Daily)				9 Hours per day in January
Hours of Daylight (Daily)				11 Hours per day in January
Heat and Humidity Discomfort				Moderate in January
Days with some Rainfall				0 Days in January
Monthly Rainfall (mm)				1 mm (0.0 inches) in January
UV Index (Maximum)				10 (Very High) in January

BYLAKUPPE (4 days)

Bylakuppe should be in between Mysore and Coorg, but on the warmer side.

Pre-trip arrivals

Dear Friends,

Rebecca and I will be departing the US on December 28 and will arrive ahead of most of the group. However, four people will be joining us ahead of time.  Those four people should ensure they bring a small FM radio without a camera attached so they can hear the translation of the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

For those meeting us on the regular itinerary, please note that we will not have a phone number until after we land and secure a phone. We will add it to the entry for the hotels, which Rebecca will be posting here soon.

Warm regards,
Pema