I will be traveling again with UNCW in May of 2010 for 2 weeks to southern India. I will then stay an extra week in India with two of my classmates so we can visit Delhi, Agra and Varanasi. We are working out the details but we are very excited for this trip! 

May 9: Travel to India Sunday
May 11 Day 1: Bangalore Tuesday (arrive just before midnight on the 10th)
Afternoon driving tour of Bangalore sights.  See: Vidhana Souda, Cubbon Park, Lal Bagh Gardens, Tipu Sultan’s Palace and temple next door. 
Shopping on MG/Brigade Roads.  Meet at Cauvery at the corner of Brigade and MG. Up MG Road, Gangaram's for beautful note cards and papers, books. 

Consider Leela Palace Galleria for dinner, turn left on Airport Road. Turn right on Airport Road, find TGIFs.

MAY  12 Day 2: Bangalore
Wednesday


APSA:  Learn about development work from this NGO.  Association for Promoting Social Action runs a school, engages in urban slum work empowering the urban poor to know of their rights to access government services, does vocational training for urban poor, and runs a child-abuse prevention hotline and intervention service.
Afternoon:  shopping at Fab/India (1 hr) and Forum Mall (2 hrs).  Optional alternative activity: spa visit (Chisel or Ayurveda).

May  13 Day 3: Bangalore Thursday

Morning free.
Lunch at Royal Orchid.
Visit Greenpeace India.
Evening: Travel to Nirmal Jyoti working girls’ hostel to see the technical training center and meet with working girls at the hostel.

May 14 Day 4: Bangalore to Hassan Friday
Leave by 6:45am:  Breakfast packed by hotel for bus.  Drive 3+ hours.
Hassan: Visit bio-fuel station (maximum two hours).
Lunch at Hoysala Resort, Hassan.
Afternoon visit to 12th century Hindu temple at Belur

May 15 Day 5: Temples and Mysore Saturday
Stop at Gomateshvara Temple (Jain, 981AD) on the way to Mysore (2 hours for climb/shopping). BRING SOCKS IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR FEET CLEAN!
[LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING FREE TO EXPLORE TOWN, MARKETS, including Mysore FabIndia]

May 16 Day 6: Mysore Sunday
AM: See the city (Chamundi Hill, Nandi, Mysore Palace, St. Philomena's Church, Devaraja Market). BRING SOCKS FOR PALACE IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR FEET CLEAN!

May  17 Day 7: Mysore Monday
10-1Visit Infosys, India's flagship high-tech company.
2-5 Visit University of Mysore Centre for Women's Studies. Includes visit to Jayalakshmi Vilas museum (a former palace of the maharajas of Mysore) on the campus.  UNCW students will present on being a woman in the US to Mysore faculty/students.

May 18 Day 8: Cochin Tuesday
Drive to Bangalore for flight to Cochin
Afternoon/evening free. 
Optional: Evening Kathakali dance performance.  7pm at Cochin Cultural Centre, Manikath Road, near Medical Trust Hospital.

May 19 Day 9: Cochin Wednesday
9-1: Tour of Cochin 3 hours, plus 1 hour for Jew Town shopping.
2:30-5: Home of Hope Orphanage visit.

May 20 Day 10: ThekkadyThursday
AM: Drive to Thekkady. Discuss One Night at the Call Center on the way.
Afternoon spice farm, elephant ride.

May 21 Day 11: Thekkady Friday
AM: Hike or jeep safari.
PM: Free. Optional boat ride on Periyar Lake.

May 22 Day 12: AlleppeySaturday
AM: Drive to Alleppey
PM: Cruise on the Kerala Backwaters.

May 23 Day 13: Cochin Sunday
AM: Drive to Cochin for flight.



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