As long as I can remember (which has gotten much shorter since giving birth) I’ve wanted to spend my 40th birthday watching the sun rise over the Taj Mahal. This year I turn 40 and we are going to India!
Taj Mahal at Sunrise
Only a couple days into the new year I am putting together a budget to know exactly how much money I need to save to get us there and even a night or two at Amarvilas for my birthday. I am reading Gideon Nurick’s blog Travel with Kidz about taking his three kids (including a red-headed three year old) to India with great interest. I picked up Lonely Planet’s new India guide while at the library. I have Rosetta Stone’s Hindi on my desk. My mother-in-law got me PBS’s The Story of India for Christmas.
I am also over the moon that Diwali this year is just a couple of days before my birthday. Not long after is the Pushkar Camel Fair. I think our itinerary is going to be as much event driven as place driven. With a preschooler in tow, the trip will be more about events, places and people than sights anyhow.
This is a dream I had before I had kids, before I was married, even before I met my husband. But you know what? They get to follow my dream and are pretty darn excited about it.
Namaste.
(As this has been my dream for a long time, I thought it would be a great introduction to Mara’s Mondays are for Dreaming at Mother of All Trips.)
photo by foxypar4
WOW! What an adventure you have planned! I can’t wait to read all about the planning and see amazing pictures of the trip. Just color me green with envy! I got to fulfill my dream of seeing the Matterhorn a few years ago…a dream I had for as long as I could remember and my husband was pretty darn excited too (especially when he got to ski the surrounding areas!).
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Meg, I can feel your excitement about your birthday. I am lookig forward to reading about your experiences. I am from India, so if you have any questions along the way, please feel free to ask. I wrote a post on my first journey with my son, you may get some ideas about the plane ride. http://bloggermoms.com/newblog/?p=120
Nice!!! Ray and I have been wanting to go to India as well. I think it will be our next “big” trip, but will have to wait another year or two. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Doing the happy dance for you. I think it’s great that you’re living the dream. And also good point about traveling with the little lady in tow and how that shifts the focus of your itinerary.
Can’t wait to follow along.
Meg, oh my goodness, I’m so very excited for you. I was in India ten years ago and it is very much a dream of mine to go back with my kids. It’s so intense and beautiful. I know that you will love it.
I love it when other peoples dreams make me feel so good! I’ve got a grin from ear to ear. I can’t wait to read all about both your planning and the trip itself. And when is your birthday? I’ll be celebrating the big 4-oh in June.
YAY, meg!! you can do it! i am so happy and excited for you. i can’t wait to go – not this year (i am 41, tomorrow – amazing to me)…but maybe next. WHOO!!!
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Thanks all for the support. I was thinking about the past few years where we haven’t taken a trip for some lame excuse (like the expensive Euro or one of us being underemployed.). I am committing publicly to going and everything I do this year may be through the view of “this or India.”
Yay for you!
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Meg — this is truly an exciting adventure to look forward to! How many months do you have to save up? I genuinely can’t wait to read all about it and see pictures. Turkey is my India, and someday I will get my family to accompany me. For my 40th, we’re renting a beach house on the coast and chartering a whale watching boat, fulfilling one of my dreams at least!
YAY!!! Very excited and happy for you.
SO exciting!
I’ve got big plans for my “new 30″ which is next year. However, I’m not bringing the kiddos on this one!