Director's Program - Assignment India

Itinerary

Assignment India—Tentative Itinerary
A special note about travel to India:
Students traveling to India and another Asian destination will be departing the USA on Tuesdays to allow for more efficient program connections.  Students only traveling on India programs will be departing the USA on Wednesdays.  All students will be arriving to Delhi on Thursdays.  Please visit rusticpathways.com/traveldesk for more information.

Day 1-Depart the USA
After meeting and greeting your flight leader and settling in for a comfortable international flight, you’ll have a chance to get to know your new friends, maybe catch a movie in your in-flight entertainment center, or grab a bit of shut-eye.

Day 2-Welcome to Incredible India!
Your senses will be overwhelmed upon first stepping out into India, the sights, the sounds, and the people will all be welcoming you to this amazing place!  Here you’ll meet your staff members and head directly to the hotel for a shower and a solid night of rest before spending your first full day in India. 

Day 3-Let’s dive into Delhi!
This morning, you’ll set out for an awesome tour of Delhi led by our guides that are well versed to describe the places you visit and answer your questions.  You’ll learn about Shah Jahan, the differences between New and Old Delhi and Gandhi, India’s “father.”  You’ll explore within the walls of the Red Fort, visit the cleansing waters of Bangla Sahib, and take in the India Gate. 

Day 4-Off to Ladakh!
Today we’ll head to Ladakh, the “Land of High Mountain Passes,” and its surrounding peaks that reach to the roof of the world.  On our first day, we’ll wander around town, learn a little bit about sustainable development and its history in Ladakh, and acclimatize to your new high altitude environment at about 11,500 feet!

Day 5-A look into Ancient Monasteries
After a great breakfast and a warm cup of chai, we’ll head out to the ancient monasteries that Leh is known for.  You’ll share laughs with novice monks, spin prayer wheels and listen to the soothing sounds of monks chanting as it echoes from the surrounding peaks.  If we’re lucky, we’ll also have the chance to catch one of the local Buddhist festivals that often occur during this time of the year!

Day 6-  Drive to Lake Tso Moriri Lake
Nestled into the Rupsu Valley, we’ll make our way to Tso Moriri Lake.  It is an environmental and landscape photographer’s dream!  The beautiful blue waters juxtaposed against an incredible Himalaya landscape sometimes is inhabited by herds of goats making their way by, or foxes, marmots, and kiang are often spotted in this area.

Day 7-  A visit with the Changpa people
Making their life off the land they live on, this group of nomadic peoples have been considered the first to live in Ladakh and through the time, their lifestyle still remains much the same it was years ago.  You’ll get a very unique insight into their life as you live amongst them through our local connections in yurts and tents.

Day 8:  Stay with nomadic yak herding community
You’ll have the opportunity to understand a bit deeper about the way this community spends its days and lives sustainably while tending to their goat, sheep, and yaks.  While living in a yurt during these days, you’ll really feel like you’re seeing things you only have seen off the pages of your favorite travel magazine!

Day 10:  Return Leh, rest day/photo reviews
Most of our day will be spent returning to our base of Leh.  After several days living without many of the western amenities we are accustomed to, we’ll get the chance to head back to Leh, recharge our batteries, have a photo review, and share some laughs over a meal of momo’s and curries!

Day 11:  Themisgam
After a quick recharge, we’ll head back out to a couple nights staying with local families in a small mountain village that is also home to a beautiful monastery.  Here we’ll have the opportunity to explore the village over two days in small groups, while also gaining an understanding of the local way of life through homestays.

Day 12:  Themisgam
Heading out for a second day, we’ll work on specific skills, while also meeting new people and understanding how their sustainable lifestyle succeeds after centuries of living off the land in this rugged mountain environment.  You’ll also have the chance to sample some of the delicious apricots that grow throughout this area!

Day 13:  Hemis
After a couple days in a bigger village, we’ll head to a more rural community and explore it for the day.  You’ll have the chance to learn about the local way of life through one of the longest standing families in the Hemis area. 

Day 14:  Leh
Today we’ll enjoy our last drive through the mountains and prepare to head back to Delhi.  On this last day, you’ll have the chance to find any last gifts and get some shopping done, then we’ll top the day off watching the sunset over 20,000 foot mountains, then finish off with a delicious Ladakhi meal then head to bed for a night’s rest before our early morning flight.

Day 15:  Delhi to Agra
After an early morning flight from Leh to Delhi, we’ll hop in a comfortable air-conditioned bus to Agra to visit one of the “Seven Wonders of the World!”  The Taj Mahal was Emperor Shah Jahan’s 17th century architectural marvel that took over 20,000 people to build!

Day 16:  Agra to Delhi
We’ll head back to Delhi and have a last chance to visit one of Delhi’s markets to find a gift for your friends, or we can catch a Bollywood movie before heading to a local resort to enjoy a fun afternoon of swimming, laughing and of course, eating a delicious meal to celebrate a great adventure through India!  Students fly out late on this night from Delhi.

Day 17-Arrival back in the US
If you are flying back to the US, you’ll arrive back in the states on this day, as you’ll have time zone changes in the middle.  Many of our students choose to connect to other photography programs, or other programs in our Asian destinations.

A Special Note: With our photography programs, we always try to take advantage of activities and festivals that are unique to the country at the time of our travel and sometimes, they come up in a moment’s notice!  With that being said, please keep in mind that our itinerary is open for change and this is only an example of what we have done in the past.  Just like a photojournalist gets surprised with a new assignment everyday, we like to offer that fun opportunity to our photography students as well!  Hopefully this helps you get a feel for what our photo students might expect

Suggested Packing Lists for Assignment India Photo Adventure

Light packing is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for this trip!!  Down to 1 bag that is less than 15 kilos or about 30 pounds.  We travel a lot and will often be leaving things in storage, so if students pack excessive things, we’ll have to pare them down and will often not have access to these things during the trip.

When packing, please be mindful of the conservative Indian culture and please leave skimpy clothing, sleeveless shirts, short shorts, and other revealing clothing behind.  Remember that part of being a good traveler is fitting in with your surroundings and clothing that is normal at home can be extremely suggestive and often times offensive in the areas we will travel to.  Most people in India rarely wear shorts, almost always wear pants or dresses, and keep their shoulders covered despite the sometimes high temperatures.  If you do not pack conservative clothing, our staff will request that you to purchase appropriate clothing upon arriving to India.

» Passport WITH MINIMUM 6-Month Multiple Entry India visa
» Airline Tickets
» Wallet with about $100
» 2 Photocopies of the front 2 pages of your passport
» 2 Photocopies of your Indian Visa
» T-shirt
» Comfortable pants or pajama bottoms
» Sunglasses (important in this high altitude environment, the sun is strong)
» Toothpaste (less than 3 oz tube though!)
» Toothbrush
» Journal and Pen
» Water Bottle (stay well hydrated on your flight, it helps with jet lag!)
» Snacks
» Deck of Cards
» Suggested reading:  Dalai Lama’s autobiography “Freedom in Exile” or Hermann Hesse’s classic “Siddhartha,” for Leh/Ladakh programs “A Journey in Ladakh” by Andrew Harvey, “National Geographic’s Field Guide to Photography”
>Camera and film (bring all of your film in your carry on and have it hand checked instead of putting it through the x-ray machines)

• Make sure everything you pack in your carry-on complies with the new carry on regulations of the TSA: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Checked Luggage: A medium sized duffel bag or large back pack work best - wheeled bags are OK as long as they are medium sized and can easily be carried like a duffle over rough terrain.  It is important that you try to keep your total luggage to one piece of checked luggage.  Often you will have to carry it through streets, so it should be easily manageable!

For all programs pack the following items in your checked luggage:
» Sleeping sack (can be purchased from www.rei.com item #627251 – cocoon cotton
  mummy liner)
» Lightweight long pants (2 pairs).  Ex Officio, REI, and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) all make nice ones.  You will wear pants most of the time in India, as showing your knees is considered inappropriate and even men rarely wear shorts!  Women dress VERY conservatively in India, so please respect the local culture, dresses or pants please!
» Underwear (7 pairs)  (sink washable underwear like Patagonia and Ex Officio travelers underwear are recommended and you can bring only 3-4)
» Socks (2 pairs)
» Swimsuit
» T-shirts with sleeves, tank tops are not appropriate as shoulders should be covered (5 t-shirts)
» Long sleeve t-shirts (2 long sleeves, it can get chilly at night)
» Lightweight rain jacket (this rain jacket should be waterproof, the rains can be heavy at times in northern India)
» One pair of shorts (modesty is important in Indian culture)
» Tennis shoes (something you can hike in, but no need for big boots, running shoes are fine)
» Sandals that are strapped (Tevas or Chacos are recommended)
» Soap in a plastic dish (Versatile liquid soaps like “Camp Suds” or “Dr. Bronners” can be more convenient for travel and biodegradable.  These can be used to wash your own laundry and yourself!)
» Biodegradable shampoo (pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Personal First Aid Kit (optional, we carry first aid kids on all of our trips, but personal Tylenol, medications, band-aids, etc… can be convenient)
» Small bag for day trips (this can double as your carry-on bag)
» Sunscreen (pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Chapstick
» Aloe Vera (optional)
» Insect repellant (one heavy in DEET and one natural citronella- pack in a zip-lock bag)
» Hand sanitizer (1 small bottles packed in a zip-lock bag)
» Handiwipes or towlettes
» Small packs of Kleenex tissues for public toilets in India, toilet paper can be hard to find sometimes
» Sweatshirt
» Hat for sun
» Flashlight or headlamp with an extra battery
» One towel (not white, a travel towel works great and can be found at any outdoor store like REI)
» Laundry bag or pillowcase
» Medications.  Bring with you whatever medications you will need during your trip, and you must disclose to your staff during orientation all of the medications that you are carrying.
» Contacts and solution if necessary (packed in a zip-lock bag)
» Small photo album of your family and friends to show the locals
» Musical instruments are always appreciated if they can be easily carried
» Frisbee, hackysack, or other fun, easy-to-carry items

Additional Photography Gear:
-You must provide your own camera, memory cards, film, lenses and filters.  (digital or film, point and shoot or SLR, whatever you are most comfortable with)
-A comfortable day bag to carry your gear around and have some room to carry a rain jacket as well.
-A small personal hard drive will be required of all students if they are shooting digital.  Our staff carries laptops and can clear memory cards and store them on these hard drives.  We do photo reviews throughout the trip, so this will help you get your images home safely.  We have used CD’s and DVD’s in the past and they are too easy to damage.  There are many small portable storage devices available these days that can even fit in your pocket and are under $100, iPods also work for storage if they have enough free space. 

For those of you who are real technical photographers, I have a couple of rules and disclosures:

1.Don't bring a Hasselblad or a Mamiya or other wide format camera without checking with me first. Having a $ 12,000 camera in the middle of a ricefield is way too unnerving for the staff;

2.You are welcome to bring sixteen lenses if you want to carry them and take responsibility for their safe keeping while you are here - but try to limit yourself to a more reasonable number;

3.It is nearly impossible to get Black and White film developed as we move around India, and we move a lot on this trip! If you are shooting black and white, plan on getting it developed at home;

4.We do not have refrigeration facilities for film - so don't even think about bringing ultra-heat-sensitive films on this trip!

5.If you are really into it and you want to bring a photo vest to carry all of your stuff, that's fine. Just remember the Indian and Ladakhi people think we are unusual enough as westerners traveling the back roads of the Kingdom, and we look really funny with all of our cameras on. When you add vests and big gear bags in strange colors, you might as well put an outer-space Looney-Tunes label on us. A good photographer is unobtrusive and blends into the setting he/she is shooting. Plan on blending folks, not on posing for a fashion shoot!

6.  Laptops are optional, but you are responsible for their safety from theft or damage.  We have zero responsibility for these. 

Optional Items:

1 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?

Students will be provided with safe drinking water on their program, since the Indian water is not safe to drink.

2 - Do we need to get visas for this program?

Yes, students are required to obtain a minimum 6-month, multiple entry Tourist visa. Please note that obtaining an Indian visa will be different this year than prior years.  The Indian Embassy for America has begun outsourcing their visa services to the following link:  http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com

You will need one reference in India, which can be obtained by emailing rustic@rusticpathways.com or Scott Poniewaz at:  scott@rusticpathways.com after you have registered for your program.  On visa applications, students can list that they will be traveling to Delhi, Agra, and the Ladakh region on their journey. 

Also please note that you will need to apply for a minimum 6-month multiple entry tourist visa for your time in India.  Students holding passports from other countries will need to check with their nearest Indian Embassy for how to obtain a visa for your trip.

3 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?

Students on this program will be in a mix of 3-star hotels in the cities, clean and comfortable guest houses in Ladakh, homestays, and camping types of accommodations called yurts that the local nomadic people use on that portion of the itinerary.  During the homestays, students are paired up by gender, if parents and students prefer, we can also arrange an individual homestay, but for student comfort being paired up is preferred.  The homestays range from shared bathrooms among 2 or 3 families with bucket showers and squat toilets to western toilets and a consistent warm shower.  Students are not allowed to request these items in their homestay.  We pair students with families based on student’s ages and genders, then also the family’s gender.  Families have been screened for safety by our staff members.

4 - What immunizations do we need to get for this trip?

Rustic Pathways only requires an up-to-date Tetanus shot, however the Center for Disease Control often has recommendations that are kept updated regarding India.  Since we do not know your child’s medical history, we recommend you reference the CDC website at:  www.cdc.gov or the World Health Organization website at:  www.who.org for more information.  We also suggest consulting with your local travel doctor prior to your travels for further information.  

5 - What costs are not included on this trip?

This trip includes all of the student’s accommodations, in addition to three meals a day, drinking water, transportation, entrance fees and other related group entertainment costs.  Optional activities, such as massages, internet use, phone calls home, snacks, souvenirs, etc… are extra costs.  For this program, we typically recommend between US$100-200 per week for allowance depending on the student’s spending habits, and basic souvenirs.  This can vary greatly, however, as some students may spend very little and others may spend much more if they plan on making a big purchase.

6 - Will there be a flight leader to this country?

All flights departing from and returning to the United States will have flight leaders.  In the event a student is connecting from another country, they may or may not have a flight leader.  In such instances, we generally have coordinated with the airlines to escort the students from check-in through customs, and delivered to a verified Rustic Pathways staff member in Delhi airport.

7 - How does this program connect to other programs?

This program connects seamlessly to programs within India and is highly recommended to reduce the effects of jetlag and make their trips more cost efficient, while also giving them opportunities to see other parts of India or participate in different activities.  Students can also easily connect to programs in other countries that Rustic Pathways travels to, however there may be a day or two lost if connecting with a Costa Rica program, or other trip.

8 - How long is the flight to this country?

Students travel on a very comfortable nonstop flight from Newark Airport in New Jersey (EWR) to Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi, India.  It is approximately 14 hours each way.

9 - What kind of food will we be eating?

Students will be eating a mix of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and maybe even a little western food.  Dietary restrictions are typically accommodated quite easily and vegetarians are in paradise here with the extensive options of vegetarian dishes.  Indian foods can be easily sampled at a local Indian restaurant, but they consist of rice, lentils (dals), curries, and flatbreads (naan, roti, parantha).  Tibetan food is made up of momo’s (steamed or fried dumplings stuffed with veggies or meats), Thukpa (noodle soup with vegetables, or meat), and chowmein (fried noodles) dishes.  In their homestays, they will typically be eating fresh seasonal vegetables with sauces and rice due to the community’s sustainable farming practices.

10 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?

This program generally breaks down to about a 60% female and 40% male mix