In Rudyard Kipling's book, "Kim," India's ancient Grand Trunk Road is portrayed as a "broad , smiling river of life....There were new people and new sights at every stride--castes he knew and castes that were altogether out of his experience..." The boy Kim's fellow travelers on that road ranged from an imperious aristocratic lady to a Tibetan monk on pilgrimage. I've long loved Kipling's vivid, loving depiction of the myriad people of India traveling along that highway.

And after months spent planning an itinerary and making train and hotel reservations, two friends and I leave for India on Tuesday, and will soon set our own feet on parts of that road! I've remained calm for most of that planning time, but now I'm getting excited, and truth be told, a little nervous.

I'll travel with my friends for 6+ weeks, then they'll return to Seattle and I'll strike out on my own for two more weeks of travel followed by a 3-month volunteer stint teaching English in the Himalayan town of Dharamsala. I'll then spend 2 weeks visiting my brother P and sister-in-law C in Kyoto, Japan, before flying home in early July.

My travel companions K and B are long-time hiking buddies. We've spent many Saturdays together with other friends on the mountain trails of Washington State, and have taken several camping/hiking trips to the Desert Southwest together. We share many interests and know how to travel companionably and efficiently.

Nevertheless, we found it challenging work to pare down the astonishing variety of wonderful places to visit in India into a workable number for a 6-week trip. Here's where we'll go on THIS trip (we're already talking about future trips). We'll travel mainly by India Railways trains, with a few short segments by bus or car, and one flight. I've included links to short videos and other online references so you can get the flavor of some of the places we'll visit, if you'd like.

After a couple of days to adjust to the time change and sightsee in New Delhi, we'll head for Mysore, a city with a famous palace, gardens, and temples in South India. From there, we'll head up to Coonoor, one of the old hill stations of the former British Raj. Coonoor is set in the beautiful Nilgiri Hills of southwest India, a lush area of tea plantations, wildlife parks, and hiking areas. The Lonely Planet guidebook notes that the balconies of the hotel where we'll stay in Coonoor are screened against the "monkey menace." I'll report back on that.

We'll drop down from the Nilgiris to the coast of lush, tropical Kerala state, spending four nights in Kochi and three in Alleppey. We'll then travel up the coast through the coastal state of Goa (just one night there) to Mumbai, the largest city in India, where we'll spend two nights and a day before heading inland to Aurangabad.

From Aurangabad, we'll visit the famous caves of Ellora and Ajanta, then will travel to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and Emperor Akbar's ruined city of Fatehpur Sikri. We'll continue on to Bharatpur bird sanctuary and then to Ranthambore National Park, where we've booked jeep safaris to explore for tigers and other wildlife.

From Ranthambore, we'll head westward into the desert state of Rajasthan, visiting Bundi, and then Jodhpur, before continuing to Jaisalmer (not by the fancy train in this video) to visit its famous fort and take an overnight camel safari into the Thar desert. From Jaisalmer, we'll take a train north into the Punjab to visit Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple, the holiest site for Sikhs.

From Amritsar, we'll return to New Delhi. B and K will fly home, and I'll head east by train to visit Varanasi, the holiest city of Hinduism, and nearby Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightnment. From there, I'll travel a little further eastward to visit Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

After leaving Bodh Gaya, I'll travel by train westward and northward to Kalka, where I'll catch the "toy train" up to the hill station of Shimla, former seat of the Indian government during the time of the Raj. From Shimla, I'll travel by local bus through Mandi and Rewalser to the town of Dharamsala and nearby McLeod Ganj, best known as the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There, I'll remain for three months as a volunteer helping out with the work of Lha, a Tibetan-run service organization.

After all that travel in India, and two weeks visiting and exploring Kyoto, I should be ready to head home for a rest.