Like you actually thought I'd stay in one place

I've FINALLY put together travel week plans!! Flights are all books so at least we have a definite outline of the schedule even though hotels and other activities have yet to be planed.

The Alliance program sets aside 9 days for the students to travel anywhere in India their heart so desires. 

I'll be travelling with a group of 5 other girls to....

- Varanasi! One of the oldest cities in the world that today is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists. Because of these things, it's apparently being like hit over the head repeatedly with 10 tons of culture. I'll also be there on my birthday!! 

- Agra (aka the Taj Mahal place)- I think it goes without saying that any foreigner visiting northern India is pretty much obligated to visit here. But I'm still excited none the less! We'll just be taking a day trip there and try to see the Taj early in the morning before the tourist crowds get there.

- Jaipur: Once again, an obligation to go, but it's for sure an obligation that I am anticipating the most! There will be fort visits, lots of shopping and most importantly ELEPHANT RIDES! 

- Pushkar: The camel capitol of India. While we're missing the huge Camel Festival the area is famous for by just a couple days, we're still managing to take a mini camel safari into the desert. Champagne  and Sunsets, here we come! 

- Udaipur: Called "India's Venice" by tourist agencies/blogs. Marketing ploy aside, this place is said to be incredible and a perfect last leg of our trip. 

On top of all of this, weekend trips are also in the works! Places I really am interested in going to are: Goa, the Ellora/Ajanta caves, Amritsar, and Mumbai. 

If anyone has any suggestions/tips/advise about any of these places, like things we should do/see or places we should stay don't hesitate to let me know!

In other news, the much-anticipated Ganpati festival starts tomorrow! More updates on that later.