Fair enough. I know there are blogs out there like that. But? Sometimes I really am interested in someone’s great breakfast idea or where they had the most incredible organic/basil lemonade in the whole world (for the record? that was last year at the Farmers Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico).
However. I do understand the complaint. Some blogs really don’t give me anything new to think about. But here are two that created my entire itinerary for my upcoming fall trip to India…
The trip idea started as sort of a dreamy wish…to be holed up in an ashram somewhere, writing for a month and maybe other friends would be there too, but they would do their own thing and we could meet for coffee in our temporary India-village…
Like all my dreamy aspirations, it soon completely morphed into, “Why doesn’t everyone(!) go to India and then we’ll hang for a while, but we’ll also travel a bit, but then maybe I won’t have time to write, because if we’re going all that way and people are doing stuff I’d hate to miss any of it and shouldn’t we see Rajasthan?”
Have I ever mentioned my attention span issue?
I started checking around. My travel-writing friend Michele Peterson told me about this blog called Breathe, Dream, Go and next thing I knew I was hooked with the idea of the Aurovalley Ashram in Rishikesh. So now, there are four of us booked into four separate rooms for a two-week yoga retreat…where I will actually have time to do some serious writing 🙂
Then I started doing a little random search and found this blog called India Travel Blog – 10 Year Itch. I emailed the contact person and soon was promptly engaged with a very helpful guy named Madhu, who was keen to tell me everything about India. “Hey,” he said, “we’re just starting a tour company. Why don’t I throw an itinerary together and you can see if you like it?”
By this time, there were four of us. I told him we’d be the willing guinea pigs in his touring experiment. And now? Madhu has organized a car and driver to take the four of us on a two-week custom tour of Rajasthan after our chilled-out time at the ashram.
During all the emailing back and forth I told Madhu about my hacked site and all the problems with the very unhelpful people at Just Host. He told me to try Blog Vault for the ultimate backup once Bad Dog Design’s Amazing Web Mistress had moved my blog to the very helpful people at HostGator.
Blog Vault’s founder, Akshat Choudhary in Bangalore, India is the best. Akshat responds to every email in record time. I recommend Blog Vault to everyone I know. I just wish we had time to meet him in Bangalore because he’s too cool.
So. Not only did blogs create our India trip, but because of info from Madhu, a fellow-blogger, I have a perfectly backed-up site…and you know what?
I still don’t know what any of them had for breakfast.
Thank you for the useful information this will surely make travel a lot easier in India and then there are various modes of transportation that we can avail in Indian by booking tickets online.
your blog posts are providing valuable information about India travel…
Thanks for the vote of confidence Rahul…
Hi Colleen,
Yes, had to check out your blog!!!
Definitely agree with visiting the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur and the Rathambhore (sp?) National Park. Stayed at some really neat places on our tour of Rajasthan which I could try to find references for…..but it sounds as if you have the trip well in hand.
Cheers.
W.B.
Hey Sheila…Thanks for visiting my bloggy-world 🙂
I love that Madhu has got our entire itinerary taken care of for us. We just have to show up, but we’ll definitely add these suggestions in our next email to him. Thanks!
I just got back from a trip to India this last May/June to Rajasthan. I had a great time! A very eye-opening experience. Lovely people. If you’re into wildlife, I’d suggest the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur and of course, Ranthmbhore National Park. I wish you the best on your trip! I can’t wait to hear all about it :).
Hi Monica…thanks for taking the time to write. I’ve never been to Rajasthan before but have only heard great endorsements like yours. Thanks for the suggestions…I’ll share them with my friends. Really looking forward to the trip. 🙂
Cultural tourism includes tourism in different area of Rajasthan particularly historic or large cities and their cultural facilities such as museums and theaters.Heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring.But I think cultural and heritage tourism have same meaning.
It’s so good article but I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get responses from other experienced people that share the same interest.
Thanks..
I would suggest you check into blogs concerning India and offer your insights and comments so that you can become part of that kind of community. Best of luck!
I use a page on my blog to post the schedule for my upcoming fused glass classes. I mentioned this to an acquaintance who’d asked about classes and she said, “Oh. I don’t do blogs.” All I could think to say was, “Huh, okay.” It’s bugged me ever since that she’d make such a blanket statement without considering that a blog could be the source for information she wanted.
I, on the other hand, can’t wait to check out the blogs you mentioned. I was perusing a variety of blogs yesterday for tips on taking a very long distance bike trip with my 10-year-old daughter. Some were a waste of time, but others were wonderful. There’s something out there for everyone.
Amen Sharry! Blogs open up the world to so many possibilities. It’s through blogs that I find people pursuing their interests and being kind enough to share the wealth of information they have put together; and I get to benefit for free. How can that be a bad thing?
It’s a funny thing about blanket statements. They are usually very heavy and soggy and they really know how to suck the spark out of a room 🙂
More props for Akshat. A timely service that really takes the worry away – though it is rather disgusting that we can’t rely on a host to even communicate properly what they offer and how it is accessed, and who gets to be a part of the problem-solving.
As the site support person, and often the individual who is responsible for setting up new accounts and maintaining them once the site is operational, having to ‘prove’ I have the rights to assist my clients with an entry-level support person is a recipe for instant apoplexy. Why I can’t have an admin superuser login for all of my clients and see them all in one panel and have access to support on their behalf, WITHOUT forcing the clients to use me as a Reseller middleman (I can not offer 24/7 support and clients should have access to it), is beyond me.
But, I digress! Somehow I don’t think my upcoming trip to the Boston area is going to rival an Ashram, but the heat will likely be similar, and equally nice people.
Thanks for including me on the post, Colleen. And you also reminded me of the most wonderful glass of lemonade I’ve ever had, from a 25 gallon glass jar in the front passenger seat of an unlicensed taco street truck in Santa Fe. It was truly a miracle to find the truck, and one was highly unlikely to ever find it again due to their need to scoot every time a bylaw gestapo came around. Haven’t thought of that in years!
Would you look at that? We ALL have favourite lemonade moments! Maybe we should have an entire blog dedicated to making lemonade out of all life’s lemons…though I’m thinking any drink made from the toxic wasteland of Just Host would be a rather bitter brew 🙂
Hi Colleen,
Thanks a lot for the kind words about 10YearItch 🙂
It is always wonderful to know that one’s work is being appreciated.
Oh yeah … Akshat is a Rock Star! Love Blog Vault!
Have fun on your trip !
Regards,
Madhu
http://10yearitch.com
Madhu, you’re the other Rock Star in this story. I can’t imagine what we would have cobbled together without your assistance 🙂
Great post, Colleen. As always. I’m always surprised by the skeptical way in which so many approach the online world. Instead of embracing all that is possible, they dismiss it so easily…without even looking closely at the power behind the screen. We have the ability-as you’ve illustrated so nicely-to connect with people we have never met, miles away from our breakfast table, and build relationships that we would never have been able to form years ago. But you have to be willing to take the risk. Trust. Believe that there is goodness in the world. Offline AND online. And what a gift we have to be living in a time when we can CHOOSE!
Oh how I wish I was one of your group of four! I know you’ll have such a great time! Safe journey!
Gwen, I think you’ve summed it all up. Maybe how we approach these things are simply a reflection of the context in which we view the world…we either trust in the basic goodness of the world or we don’t. I am a fond believer in the John Burroughs quote, “Leap and the net will appear!”