6th May- Haridwar & Rishikesh

May 6^th

Today the SIHIs went to Haridwar and Rishikesh, two beautiful Indian cities. On the way to Haridwar the SIHIs were extremely impressed by a man who was riding not a bike, not a motorcycle, but an elephant! They stopped to pat the elephant and take pictures. In Haridwar the SIHI participated in a classic Indian pooja by the bank of the river Ganga, and then visited several Indian mandirs (temples). They moved on to Rishikesh, where they explored some of the city’s beautiful sites. Another highlight was their chance to meet with Swami Bill and Swami Susan, an elderly Canadian man and his daughter who moved to India from British Columbia 30 years ago. It started down pouring then, and the SIHIs made their way back to SMTA in a pair of TATA SUVs.

A good day!

RAMAN

Blog Roster

Blog Roster

The group has agreed to write a brief reflective piece for each day and put it on the blog. Here is the roster:

For the month of May

4 – Lauren (completed)

5 – Raman (completed)

6 – Raman (completed)

7 – John

8 – Madeline

9 – Afrousheh

10 – Mohini

11 – Nora

12 – Trish

13 – Chelsea

14 – Nishu

15 – Madeline

16 – Sarah

17 – Nishu

18 – John

19 – Lauren

20 – Afrousheh

21 – Mohin

22 – Nora

23 – Trish

24 – Chelsea

25 – Raman

26 – Madeline

27 – Sarah

28 – Nish

29 – John

30 – Lauren

31 – Afrousheh

For the month of June

1 – Mohini

2 – Nora

3 – Trish

4 – Chelsea

5 – Raman

6 – Madeline

7 – Sarah

8 – Nish

9 – John

10 – Mohini

11 – Nora

12 – Trish

13 – Chelsea

14 – Raman

15 & onwards – optional (share your other-India experiences!)

end of 22^nd - Summary from Sachin

5th May

May 5^th

Today the SIHIs arrived in Vikasnagar and proceeded to the SMTA hostel, where they were welcomed by Maggie and Reuben, the husband and wife who run SMTA. They explored the SMTA campus a bit and then relaxed in their lovely new dorm rooms! The SIHIs then met up with the translator, Abhishek, and later in the day went to the Vikasnagar market to buy Indian garments. The girls went wild over the silvar curtas while the guys were content with the more simple kurta pajamas. After getting a good deal, the SIHIs headed back to the hostel and met with Dr. Sachin. Each of the SIHIs had to sing a song and were given a nickname based on that song:

Mohini – Frauleine

Madeline – Ozzy

Afrousheh – Pisa

Trish - Newfie

Allison – Chelton

Sarah – Ribbit

Lauren – Genie

Raman – Mr. Sub

Nora – Poka/Poca

Nishu – Belter

John – Rain

Abhishek – Romeo

The group is supposed to use these handles.

Next round of ice breakers was: "What is in a Name?" Here, everyone had to explain the meaning, little histories etc. behind their names. People with triple barreled names had the toughest time! But on the whole it was fun and full of subtle learning.

RAMAN

4th May- Arrival

May 4^th to arrival at the hostel

The flight from Toronto to Newark was pretty short and enjoyable. When we arrived in Newark we met Nishu and got our last taste of North American food. The flight from Newark to Delhi was almost 14 hours and we were all happy to get off the plane by the time we got to India. It took us about 2 hours to clear customs, get our luggage and exchange currency. When we got out of the airport some of us were confused about who our drivers were and we accidentally let some of the locals take our bags and walk with us to the van. Dr. Sachin cleared up the situation and we all piled into the air conditioned van with nice comfortable seats and got ready for our 7 hour journey to the SMTA hostel in Uttaranchal. We drove throughout the night and saw the sunrise as we were driving up the mountain. When we got to the hostel Reuben and Maggie (the couple who run the hostel) were waiting for us and showed us to our rooms. The girls were put into two rooms of 4 people and since there are only 3 guys they were all put into the same room on the main floor. Each room has its own washroom and they are really clean and spacious. (And there are no gas heaters! Ed.)

Lauren

Hello - a little belated

Hello!

I am sorry to be posting so late, I was actually away on a trip right after exams! But I would like to say hello to everyone and express how excited I am for today and the month to come! I am actually leaving for the airport in less than two hours! It all seems so real now!!!

I would like to tell you a little about myself! I am in third year Psychology, specializing in Evolution and Social Behavior! I love travelling and experiencing new cultures! Some of my hobbies include reading, dancing, yoga and swimming!

I am very excited to see you all very soon!!!

Afrousheh Amini

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Hello All,

So, tomorrow is the big day!

How exciting for you! I know you've all worked hard at preparing for this...but...EXPECT the UNEXPECTED, as they say!

I bought another brand new tent the other day and am sending both tents with Chelsea. When Sachin is checking all the trekking equipment with you, he can figure out exactly how much tent accommodation will be needed...but I think we'll be fine now, with this additional tent.


I've got all your parents' emails for use if necessary, but do encourage them to visit the blog and mountain diary.

Take care...enjoy that loooong flight!

Karen T-K

Welcome aboard!

Dear Students
Raman and I will be there to welcome you at the airport. While you may have seen me in some old pictures, you may have seen Raman hanging out somewhere near “Westdale”! But don’t worry, we will have no difficulty spotting you! So, here is an advance welcome to all of you..

You will have an hour or so to relax at the airport and then transfer to the Mini-bus and then a drive through the plains of northern India to the Himalayan foothills- through sleepy towns, villages, fields etc..

The first thing in Vikasnagar as soon as you have rested and settled in- we will have a detailed planning session, where we will try to answer your questions and plan various events- especially departures, since travel has to be booked in advance to avoid inconvenience at the spur of the moment.

As to Mohini’s query- 16th June, you will be in Vikasnagar (SMTA hostel) and by same evening / night, you all could be in Delhi, if you desired so. So, catching a train in Delhi on 17th June, should not be a problem. But if you all agreed, we can start the trek one day earlier, so that you had more leeway at the end of the trek.

15000 ft is an obvious mis-reading. Most of these popular trails are around 14000 ft. Don’t worry about it anyway. Since you will have enough time to acclimatize. If you don’t, I will know what to do, since I did study Mountain medicine some years back when I was climbing. Problems are rare if you follow the established protocol. The purpose of the one day “test” is to discus these things and to offer individual counseling if needed.

Now, just one thing: How many of you are actually coming? Is there anyone left whose intro is not up?
Sachin

Happy travels!

Hi SIHI 2007!

I just wanted to send out one last "good luck and have fun" message before you embark on your upcoming Indian adventure. I've been talking to a couple of you throughout the last few weeks, so I know that you have all been preparing extremely well and are obviously very excited! I'm excited for you! I don't have any new advice to give so just consider this a recap of all of our meetings together...

You have all worked so hard to become this prepared. I am certain that you will find this trip to be thoroughly enjoyable, eye-opening and rewarding. And yet, there will undoubtedly be situations that no amount of planning will prepare you for. These experiences will constitute the true excitement of this trip! Try to leave your Western ideas of an organized, scheduled "vacation" behind and drink in the essence of your surroundings. If you like to write, keep a journal. If you like to draw, sketch your surroundings. Take pictures, play with the children, talk to your mentors, try new food, learn new words and traditions. And most importantly, live in the moment - breathe in the cold mountain air, let your senses become overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, smells of the cities - be amazed by the vast uniqueness of each place you visit!

Safe travels, group. I look forward to hearing about all your adventures when you return!

- Robyn

Madeleine - I'm here!

Hello everyone!

Sorry for not posting sooner, things have been CRAZY!! But now (2 days before we leave) I have time to post... better late than never, right?

I'm really excited to be going to India, although it still hasn't quite sunk in yet that we're going:)

A little bit about me: I'm taking Health Science at school, and I want to go into Dentistry. I'm interested in all aspects of healthcare, so I'm really excited to experience different perspectives on health and ways of living. I love languages, so I'm hoping to pick up a little Hindi in the next few months. In my free time I like to play games with friends (cards, boardgames, hide and seek:) ), play and listen to music, read, and just do "whatever".

I can't wait to finally meet everyone in India, see you all soon!!!

Madeleine

Excited! Countdown 3 more days!

Hey SIHI 2007 TEAM!

Im totally excited about this trip. Countdown is at 3 days!

Thank you Dr. Sachin for posting the Schedule. Where will we be at the end of the 16th of June? My uncle and cousin are coming from Gujarat to see me. They will reach Delhi by the 15th.

Hopefully there will be no delay, but I will tell them to expect a day atleast if any.
We have a train booked to leave on the 17th for Darjeeling from Delhi. This is why I am concerned. My relatives are waiting on me to confirm the dates. I think we were planning on hanging around in Delhi anyway, until our leave to Darjeeling.

Also, Dr. Karen, thank you for the heads up for the translation. I've been practicing ;) my Hindi.
It'd be awesome to actually use what little I know.

Everyone I have been telling about the trek have been asking how high we will be trekking. I saw on Greggs picture comments one height to be of 15,000 ft. But I dont think its the same trail?
So what exactly will be the highest elevation?
(P.S. This Eco-Trek Fitness Test is making me nervous .... haha)

Finally, we were told to save atleast 100USD for the trek. Could we perhaps confirm this or tell us a rough estimate of how much money we need for the trek. And the money that past SIHI
students brought with them, were they traveller cheques or cash?

THANK YOU!

Mohini