Running for my life

Out of shape does not even begin to describe my current fitness level. Today after dinner, I started day 1 of week 1 of Couch-to-5K. I didn't even make it though the second of my eight one minute runs before my left knee gave out. Great stabbing pain each time I pounded the ground. I had to shuffle walk the rest of the work out.

So know I'm sitting on my bed with an ice pack on my knee praying that it'll be able to sustain weight tomorrow. At this rate I'm going to have to train to be on the Couch... much less work my self up to 5km

Oh woe is me. :-(

The terror of travel courtesy of YouTube

Since for the last leg of my India trip I am going to going solo I have been watching a lot of videos with tips on solo travelling. Generally I am in favour of research but in this case I beginning to think that ignorance is bliss. 

The videos are making me anxious. Touts are everywhere. All beggars work for crime syndicates. Drinks are spiked.  Local food kills. Bottled water is not safe (bottle tampering is a given). Taxi drivers deceive. Monkey thieves are everywhere. Apparently, the world is out to get me. 

What a dismal view of the world. Call me Pollyanna but I think I'm going to forget everything I watched and put my trust in the kindness of strangers. After all, you'll only be proven right if you go in expecting the worst. 

It's all puppy dogs and rainbows from here on end, except for monkeys. I nearly lost my glasses to a gang of them in Bali and since then I don't believe anything the little thieving bastards are selling. See if you get another banana out of me!

Now back to regularly scheduled programming. 

Planning for India

So I'm heading to India in October. A journey of a lifetime so to speak. I've always wanted to travel there but have been reluctant to do it on my own. I'm going with AK. While she's travelled previously to her village in the Punjab, this will the first time travelling around the country. We're going to have a great time.

Being the geek that I am, I've already started to block out my itinerary. Old travel agent habits die hard it seems.

Itinerary currently planned is as follows:

Vancouver
London
Delhi
Gaya
Varanasi
Agra
Jaipur
Udaipur
Amritsar
X Delhi
Goa
X Delhi
X London
Vancouver

My todo list is as follows:
- get passport renewed (already in progress)
- get India visa (ASAP)
- get vaccinated (late august)
- find good backpack suitcase
- book hotels (ask around for cheap but clean with good toilets)
- book international flights. ASAP
- book domestic flight in August
- book trains mid-September

Can't wait. So much planning to do. So many people to ask recommendations and advice from.