The North Indian Cultural Experience

The North Indian Cultural Experience

Day 1 (Wednesday)
You will depart the United States on the escorted group flight to India today.

Day 2 (Thursday)
Welcome to India! You will land in Delhi in the evening, and your trip leaders will be at the airport eagerly awaiting your arrival.  Once everyone has cleared customs and collected their baggage, you will head to the hotel for a relaxing evening and the chance to recover from jet lag.

Day 3 (Friday) 
Catch an early morning flight from Delhi to Udaipur, the lake city of Rajasthan. In the afternoon you will stroll through the wonderful artisan market, grab a bite to eat at a restaurant with a beautiful view of the water, and gaze at the magnificent Lake Palace. Then drive down to Mt. Abu, the only hill station in the desert state of Rajasthan. Here in the Aravalli Mountains, one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges, you will begin your first community service project.

Day 4 (Saturday)
Today you will tour the wonderful mountain area of Mt. Abu. After breakfast, take a short hike through the mountains and visit one of the many temples in the area. Following the brief trek, you will head back for lunch and a boat ride on the lake in the center of town. Don’t be surprised if a few Indian tourists ask to take your picture – this is a very popular destination for tourists in India, and they love to ask for “just one snap!”

Day 5 (Sunday)
Today is the first day of service! With more than half of the world’s visually impaired population, India will be a great place to volunteer at a center for the blind. You will assist the center with mobility training and basic computer training, as well as facilitating various arts, sports and cultural activities. In the evening you can stroll through town and shop in the market or take an evening hike through the mountains.

Day 6 (Monday)
Another day of service awaits! Today you will work on environmental issues that are important to this mountain hill station. Depending on the amount of rain the area received during the monsoon season, you will either work on a tree planting project to prevent erosion or on a water cleanup project in Nakki Lake, the only source of water for the people of Mt. Abu. You will walk also around the lake and pick up plastic bags and try to develop ideas to prevent future pollution in the area.

Day 7 (Tuesday)
Today you will return to the center for the blind for another day of service. After a full day working with the people in the center, take a trek through the forest and enjoy some optional adventure activities. Try rock climbing or rappelling if you feel up to the challenge and enjoy an afternoon adrenaline rush. 

Day 8 (Wednesday)
Today will be your last day in Mt. Abu. After another day volunteering with the center for the blind, you will get a feel for life in their shoes. Partner up with a fellow Rustic Pathways student and take turns leading each other through the town on a blind scavenger hunt. You will never take your vision for granted again!

Day 9 (Thursday)
Today you will leave for Galthani, a small village with a population of 2,000 people. Home to potters, snake charmers, shepherds, and carpenters, this unique Indian village will give you a glimpse of the myriad lifestyles in the state of Rajasthan. You will spend the afternoon creating lesson plans for your first day of teaching in the schools tomorrow.

You will also meet your Indian home stay family today. You will be paired with another Rustic Pathways student and welcomed into a family’s home, giving you a real immersion in local life.  Spend the evening getting to know the family, having a cup of tea, exchanging English lessons for Hindi lessons, and enjoying a traditional Rajasthan meal.

Day 10 (Friday)
The day will start with teaching in the village school. Math, English, and sports and arts activities will all be on the agenda, and it will be your job to get the students excited to learn something new. It can be difficult to keep kids in school here, and you will be a big part of motivating them to come and keeping them excited to learn.

Don’t expect to travel to school on a yellow school bus – you will get there and back Indian style, in a camel cart! After your first day of teaching, head back to your home stay for another delicious Indian meal and some more time to hang out and get to know the family.

Day 11 (Saturday) 
Today you will spend half of the day working at the school and then shift gears to contribute to another community project in the village. Deforestation has been a major issue in the area because of the local shepherds and camel farmers, so you will work on water conservation and reforestation efforts. Additionally, you will spend the afternoon doing some light construction in the village, which could range from repairing small huts to working on painting projects or mending walls on a retention pond. After a day of service, you will visit a local Jain temple to learn about another religion that contributes to the diverse cultural tapestry here. Evening will be spent back with your home stay family.

Day 12 (Sunday)
Today is a holiday at the school, so the service projects will be completely focused on the environmental issues and community projects you began tackling yesterday. In the evening you will visit a cow farm where you will learn about how to raise these animals. You’ll even get a chance to try milking the cow yourself! Afterwards, you will take a short drive to the small village market of Shivganj, where you can purchase any number of traditional Rajasthani goods, including block-printed skirts and textiles, bangles, puppets, artisan goods, and dozens of spices. You will return to your home stay family in the evening for dinner and cultural exchange.

Day 13 (Monday)
This is your last day in the village, so you will want to make the most of it. Spend the day teaching in the school and take an afternoon break to play a game of soccer or cricket with the students. Don’t worry if you’ve never played before – they’ll show you the ropes and you’ll be swinging for sixes in no time!

After saying goodbye to your new friends at the school, you will head out for a wildlife walk in the afternoon. Keep your eyes peeled for an elusive Indian panther or hyenas! Tonight will be your last evening with your home stay family.

Day 14 (Tuesday)
Today you will drive down to the gates of the Thar Desert.  Have lunch in the ‘Blue City’ of Jodhpur and see the beautiful painted homes throughout the town.  After lunch you will explore the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort. Then drive to Osian, where you will ride camels in the desert and visit the small hamlets of these desert people. As the sun sets over the sand dunes, you can reminisce with your fellow travelers about all of the incredible memories you have made over the last two weeks. You will spend your last night in India at a desert campsite, relaxing around the fire and hanging out with your new friends in the desert. This will be an unforgettable night!

Day 15 (Wednesday)
After breakfast on the dunes, you will drive back to Jodhpur for the flight back up to Delhi. After one final meal together, you will head off to the airport for your flight home.

Packing Lists for Buddhist Caravan
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
>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 (3 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 if you wash in the sink.
» 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 work in)
» 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 items for the Indian Himalaya Traveler and Buddhist Caravan Trips:
» Sleeping pad or Thermarest (optional – sleeping pads will be provided when necessary)
» Hiking boots
» Long underwear top and bottom (one pair)
» Warm fleece jacket
» Gloves
» Warm cap
» Wind-proof and water proof jacket (gore-tex jacket recommended)

Notes:
» Quality sleeping bags will be provided by a professional outfitter when necessary. 
» While trekking, porters will carry the heavy equipment, so a big, fancy backpack is not
   necessary.  A daypack such as a schoolbag will be more than sufficient.
Remember don’t be that person with way too much stuff.  Part of embracing Indian culture requires us to cut down on our material possessions. 
Optional Items:

• Travel Pillow *a pillowcase can be a great dirty laundry bag or a comfortable pillow if you stuff it with a sweatshirt. So you could bring two pillowcases, one for each purpose

1 - Will the kids be drinking bottled water?
Students will be provided with safe drinking water on their program, either
pre-packaged bottled water or water that has been treated and filtered prior to drinking.

2 - Do we need to get visas for this program?
YES! All students traveling to India are responsible for obtaining their own visa
for India. You must obtain a minimum 6-month, multiple entry tourist visa. The
information for obtaining the visa can be found at:
https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/

You will need a reference for your visa, which is provided to you or you can email india@rusticpathways.com for this information as well.

3 - What will the accommodation on this trip be like?
Students on this trip will find themselves staying in a mix of 3 star hotel
accommodations, comfortable and clean guest houses, and pre-screened and
interviewed home stay families.

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 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. Student spending 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 with our other India programs and students
traveling in different regions of India will use Delhi as their hub. This program
also easily connects with any of our other programs in Thailand, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and China.

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.

10 - How many girls and boys are usually on this trip?
This program generally breaks down to about a 70% female and 30% male mix. Please feel free to contact us for more specific information on your desired departure date. 

11 - Is your staff qualified in First Aid?
Because safety is our number one priority, all of our programs have guides that are certified with First Aid and CPR training. Many of our guides are also
qualified Wilderness First Responders, EMTs, Wilderness EMTs, or Life Guards.

12 - How often (if at all) will students be able to do laundry on this program and what will it cost?
During this program, students will be moving around a bit, so laundry will only be able to be done one or two times on the program. Students should keep in mind that they don’t need new outfits for each day and ‘rewearing’
clothing is perfectly fine! In fact, the less you pack, the happier of a traveler
you’ll be. Many of your guides will be carrying just a small pack to travel
with, you’d be amazed at how little you need! Laundry will be the equivalent
of about US$10 per load generally.

13 - How often will they have access to phone and internet?
Students will have access to phones and internet throughout their travels and have the time to use them about every 3-4 days, but this can vary through the trip. Parents will receive safe arrival emails upon their student’s arrival and
should also remember that many students get to India and to fully immerse
themselves in their trip and new opportunities stay away from things like phone and internet which connect them back to their lives at home. This is completely normal and parents should remember that ‘no news is good news’ if they don’t hear from their child during the course of their trip

14 – What is the climate in the region where this program takes place?
The climate during this time of year generally is hot and sometimes humid. During much of the year, temperatures in India can be in excess of 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

15- Will I receive community service hours on this program?
Yes! At the end of summer you will be mailed a certificate of completion for the number of hours that you volunteered on the program. You will have the opportunity to receive the maximum number of hours listed for this program as long as you work hard and with a positive attitude on each and every day of service. We do however reserve the right to deduct hours from your certificate of completion if you refuse to do service or do not complete the service with a positive of effective attitude after talking with our staff.

16 – How physically strenuous is this program?
This program is not very strenuous, but students should be able to hike short
distances, and be in fairly good physical shape. Students with health concerns
should contact our India staff at: india@rusticpathways.com

17 – What are the optional activities available at an additional cost on
this program?
This program does not have optional activities that will require a student to
spend extra money.

18 - What kind of food will we be eating? Where?
Most of the meals on this program will be in restaurants. We will also have packed lunches on many days of the trip.

19 - Can we cater to specific diets?
India is extremely vegetarian friendly, however some special diets may be more
difficult to cater to during parts of the trip. If a student has questions, they
should contact india@rusticpathways.com or contact our administrative offices for more information.

19- What is the ratio of guides to students?
Depending on the program, we sometimes have a lower staff to student ratio, but with safety as our top priority, we maintain at least a 4 or 5 to 1 student to staff ratio.