Namaste!

Julia Hagie here, lover of India and a woman with her bags perpetually packed, ready to go. I quit counting some years ago when I reached 35 trips – got a bit embarrassing – but I know I have spent at least 2 ½ years of my life roaming around that fantastic country.

What do I love so much about it? Of all the 65ish countries I have managed to visit, I have found India to be the most dramatic, the most exotic, and the certainly the most interesting. The people are warm and welcoming, and anxious to strike up a friendship, and – very important to me – they love to have their pictures taken. With its color and pageantry, India makes photography a delight. I’m a history buff, and India has layers and layers of fascinating history to dig through. I love the food, I love the music (Pandora has several different Indian channels), I love the peaceful, ancient religions, and I love the cows in the streets. But no, I haven’t managed to find just one favorite place – it seems to change on a whim to suit my mood.

There is no doubt that the last 5 or 10 years has seen changes that make travelling a bit pesky sometimes. But, what country – including my own, America – doesn’t have some issues any more? I take this as a call to plan more carefully, exercise more caution, and perhaps pick and choose where I’m going a bit more carefully. My last month long trip to Shekawati and Rajasthan in 2015 went off spectacularly and without a glitch.

Just to let you know – the Indian God of good travels is Ganesh. Keep his name at the tip of your tongue, ready to be invoked at a moment’s notice.

Wishing you a fun and magical journey!

Julia