Introduction

Hello all! It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the very first post of the India 2010 blog...

The next 3 weeks promise to be enthralling, surprising, hectic, rewarding, tiring and hot (current weather reports suggest daily highs of 39°C and night-time lows of 21°C for our first few days!).

Ever since touring the states in summer 2008 (see http://tri-statetour.blogspot.com/), I've had a fondness of the blogging medium. For the sake of any technologically challenged readers out there, a blog is basically an online diary/journal. It's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family whilst away, and to have an on-record account of every stage of what is bound to be an incredible experience.

This blog will serve as a personal account of my experiences in India but, as most of what I do will be with the rest of the UCLAN team (see 'The Trip' on the left of this page for further info!), it will also offer an insight into the experiences/activities of the group as a whole. As such, I hope that friends & family of all the team members will find it interesting to follow the blogs and will feel part of the adventure. I also hope that our friends & colleagues back at UCLAN will enjoy keeping track of our journey.

To the best of my ability (computer/internet access permitting), I will endeavour to update this blog every day - hopefully with pictures and other visual treats. Please do leave comments on the posts - it's always great to hear from people back home (To leave a comment, hit the comments link at the bottom of each post and the rest is reasonably straightforward).

Lastly, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all those at UCLAN who have helped generate funding for the trip and have worked hard to make it happen (you know who you are!). It's an amazing opportunity and one we will all strive to make the most of!

Now I'd best start packing (we leave in just over 36 hours!)

Best Wishes,

John
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