Globe Corner Blogs

It’s official. On December 23rd, at roughly 3:30am Indian Standard Time,  I will be landing in Delhi.

Starting on the 21st of December, just one day after exams, I’ll make my way to New York City to board a flight destined for Delhi, India (by way of Doha, Qatar). After spending two days there, I’ll take the bumpy hour-long flight to Kathmandu, Nepal. There, two days of temples, ancient Gods and Goddesses, and hopefully a Sherpa or two await (these are, of course, just my wildest fantasies of Nepal, which I’m sure are also wildly inaccurate, but I have some time to find out what to expect). From there, I’ll head back to Delhi for two packed days, dedicating an entire one to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Then I’ll be off to Shanghai, spending eight days wandering the glorious city, just winding down from the Shanghai Expo, before catching a flight back to my reality, Boston, Massachusetts.

After working at the Globe Corner Bookstore for only a little over a month, I have caught the travel bug. (Well, I had it before, but it has multiplied by ten-fold since I began spending my days amid the guidebooks.) Three weeks ago I got the idea in my head that I wanted to go to Kathmandu, Nepal. While walking past the Asia shelf, it caught my eye: Nepal — immediately conjuring fantastic images of lush, snow-capped mountains and brightly colored streets in my mind.

It suddenly seemed obvious: I would go to Nepal and trek around for a while. Visions of Everest danced in my mind. I have a month off from school in December and January, and because of the exchange rate in Nepal, I could get by on very little money…and I wanted an adventure. Nepal certainly promised adventure.

Shanghai revealed itself next. I have already traveled to China once, visiting Beijing and then studying with a family in Chengdu. Hearing all about Shanghai from a friend that recently studied abroad there, I felt cheated that I didn’t get to the metropolis while I happened to be on the continent. I wanted to ride through the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, have my stomach drop at the top of the Shanghai World Financial Center, seeing the sprawling city of lights below me (I highly recommend a Google Image search of both of these fantastic sights), and experience for myself the mystery of a city that promises the future.

The final pick had to be Delhi. To get to Nepal, you must go through India, another area begging me to further explore. Having been there for just a short time, I have obsessed about going back ever since. Spending two days in Delhi on both sides of my trip to Kathmandu will likely not satisfy, but will certainly partially fulfill my desire to discover the vast territory that is India.

Well, adventure is here, staring me straight in the face. Today I booked my flights, and the anxiety of traveling to Asia alone fully settled in the pit of my stomach.  A panicked excitement that is sure to last through the planning stages, during, and most likely long after I return back to Boston.

But I purchased my Rough Guide to Shanghai, Top Ten Guide to Delhi, and Pico Iyer’s Video Night in Kathmandu and began the countless e-mails to friends, desperately seeking travel advice and inquiring about their favorite spots in these destinations.  So then, let the planning begin.

Read more: China, Delhi, India, Kathmandu, Nepal, News, Shanghai, Travel Bug, Trip Planning


Betsy

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