I’m on the G Adventures tour bus from Baratpur to Jaipur staring out at yellow fields. I feel calm…completely at peace. It is a mental stillness I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before. This is the moment it really sunk in that I am indeed in India…INDIA! The land where one must expect the unexpected! And all is well. I haven’t been separated from my bag or contents within nor have I experienced any bodily projectiles.

My tour group is great. There is a range of age groups but the majority of us are in our twenties or early thirties and have similar interests. Everyone is easy to get along with and has something interesting to share. My first roommate Lorna was a Canadian belly dancing nurse. My current roommate Efua is a finance risk assessor from London who travels once a month for work and has been just about everywhere on earth! Zoe and Flo are two awesome English girls just finishing and starting university. They’re young, clever and open-minded with a thirst for life and already an impressive bunch of travel experience under their belts. Looking forward to hearing more about their adventures through Northern India and Nepal after this tour. Lynne and Greta are a lovely mother and daughter duo also from England. Barbara is a fiery redhead from Cape Town with a love-able presence. I wonder, is it a natural survival instinct for redheads to develop great personalities? Craig is an easy-going lad from Edinburgh and is coping very well being the only male in the group. At least he has Binu, our tour leader and Delhi-ite who loves purple shirts as much as he loves recommending “the best” Indian dishes and then ordering something completely different for himself.

It’s been an excellent string of new experiences. I can’t wait for what’s next!