This afternoon I am embarking on a great adventure - my own walkabout if you like. I am going to India! It takes 2 days to get there and I will be there for 22 days. The reason for the trip is the 2006 International Linear Collider Workshop (LCWS06), being held in Bangalore. I will be visiting a collaborator at the Tata Institute beforehand, and will tour a bit afterwards. In particular, I will be at the Taj Mahal for two major events: a lunar eclipse and my birthday!
Even though I've been to India once before, the preparations for this trip have been massive. I've switched from film to digital photography and had to invest in all the appropriate equipment and learn how to use it! I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D200 (10.2 Mpixels!) with VRII 18-200mm lens, 4 Gb of high speed flash cards, not one but two spare batteries, and a Wolverine hard disk. If everything works okay, I should be set! In addition, my suitcase is chock full of FOOD (ranging from trail mix, to peanut butter, to granola bars), a bottle of wine (who could go 3 whole weeks without wine??) and enough hand sanitizer to make an entire army germ free. LCWS05 was held at Stanford last March and I was the workshop organizor. This year I am most happy to just be a participant and enjoy my stay. Internet access may or may not be difficult and I may not be able to blog for awhile. Gosh, the taxi is here - Bon Voyage!
