A Week-In-The-Life of Nicole: Woman Seeks World

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Nicole of Woman Seeks World is a 20-something Aussie living in London, and she recently set herself the goal of becoming location independent by the end of 2012. In the meantime, she’s travelling up a storm! Please enjoy this week-in-the-life of Nicole and her boyfriend on a train trip through India. 

Nora’s Note: I also did a train trip through India – on the world’s most luxurious train, the Deccan Odyssey! 

This post was originally published in 2011. It has since been updated for accuracy of links. 

Day One: Saturday

11:00am – It’s our last day in Mumbai (we arrived 3 days ago) and as we’re pretty tired from all the sightseeing, we start the morning with a sleep-in and some breakfast on the rooftop terrace of our hotel. We’re not going to have wireless in Delhi so we catch up on emails and I spend some time replying to comments on my blog and seeing how my traffic’s been doing while I’ve been away.

12:00pm – Some last minute shopping in Colaba – I pick up a present for my mum whose birthday is coming up and some jewellery. On the way to pick up our bags I get stopped by a Hare Krishna beggar and blessed – I usually don’t like this kind of thing, but the guy is very friendly so I give him some change before getting our bags and making our way to Mumbai train station to catch our overnight train to Delhi.

3:00pm – We board our train and are happy that despite being warned by many people it’s likely to be hours late we leave at 3pm on the dot! Woo!

4:00pm – Within the first hour of the trip we see the following things:

1. A crazy grinning drunk man removed from the train

2. About 20 people come and sit next to us for 5 minutes, then move when they realise the train warden is coming and they aren’t allowed in our carriage

3. Some serious poverty on the outskirts of Mumbai – It’s so hard to believe that in 2011 there are still people living in these conditions

10:00pm – After some seriously delicious Indian train food and chatting for a few hours with our fellow train-riders, we climb up to our top bunks and try to fall asleep to the rocking of the train…it’s going to be one loooong night!

1:00am – Still not asleep after trying my best for the past couple of hours. The train feels like it’s flying and I start thinking about it whirling off a bridge, so I close my eyes tight and start counting sheep to try and distract myself.

Day Two: Sunday

8:00am – We arrive in Delhi extremely bleary eyed and to a million porters trying to ‘help’ us with our luggage. Tired and not in the mood, we jump into the nearest tuk tuk to head to our hotel.

12:00pm – After a shower and clean clothes we go in search of some of Delhi’s famous street food. We’re staying in the old town which is absolutely crazy – I stand out like ‘a pea on a pumpkin’ – there are no women to be seen anywhere, especially none that resemble the shade of my Casper-esque skin tone!

2:00pm – We wander around the gardens near the India monument and play cricket with some local kids before hiring a tuk tuk driver to take us around to the main attractions – Monday is a holiday in Delhi so we need to fit in as much as possible.

9:00pm – Tonight I’m feeling exhausted and cranky from arguing with a driver who was trying to rip us off and the constant hassling from people on the street. We have some dinner at a rooftop cafe and head home for an early night.

Day Three: Monday

9:00am – We wake up and are in much need of some TLC after our hectic week, so decide some spa action is in order. Shangri-La has room for us so we set off for a day of pampering.

11:00am – Feet, hand, scalp and back massage…bliss!

(Nora’s Note: This reminds me of the heaven––and hell––of panchakarma in India!)

2:00pm – After a huge lunch in the hotel we spend the afternoon lazing by the pool and catching up on some reading

9:00pm – Thai for dinner, and then we head back to our room to watch some hilarious Bollywood TV – if only we knew what they were saying! My stomach isn’t feeling great, so I fall asleep hoping I’m not getting sick for Agra tomorrow!

Day Four: Tuesday

6:00am – Our 6:30am Agra train means an early start so are up at the crack of dawn to fight with the masses on our unreserved train. Its absolute madness! People are everywhere but we finally find some seats for our 2 hour trip. Stomach is holding up, but only just.

11:00am – Arrive at the Taj Mahal – what an amazingly beautiful and serene place! It’s one of the few landmarks that I’ve visited that has lived up to the hype, so we hang around for a few hours taking it all in.

2:00pm – We find a quiet cafe in Agra town to relax; it’s a very hot day and Delhi belly has now well and truly set in. Lucky we have an Imodium stash, so we stay here for an hour or two to relax in the shade.

5:00pm – Waiting for our train to Jaipur, which is now 2 hours late. Standing on the platform we have had to move about 10 times from beggars grabbing on to our clothes and sitting at our feet asking for money – definitely looking forward to getting to our hotel at this point!

10:00pm – The slowest train journey in history! What should’ve taken 3 hours is now nearing 5, but we relax and watch some movies on our laptop and try to get some rest – Another big day sightseeing in Jaipur tomorrow!

Day Five: Wednesday

10:00am – After a much needed sleep-in we have breakfast on the rooftop of our hostel and talk to some of the fellow travellers staying there. We haven’t seen many tourists on our trip so far so it’s good to share our experiences and hear others too.

11:00am – We head to ‘Monkey Temple’ where monkeys have pretty much taken over some old stone buildings on the way up a hill to the Sun temple at the top. We buy some bags of peanuts and feed them along the way.

12:00pm – The monkeys are on a peanut high and are staring to go crazy and jump at us for more! We decide it’s time to leave and check out the Water Palace and pink city.

4:00pm – Back at the hotel to catch up on some emails and writing. I’m still not feeling great, so have a nap before heading out for dinner.

Day Six: Thursday

8:00am – Jaipur Airport – Destination: Goa! We’re excited to have reached the relaxation part of our trip and to be on the beach in a few short hours!

1:00pm – Arrive at our resort after a winding taxi ride through palm-tree lined streets and weaving through what seems like India’s entire scooter population on one stretch of road! Thankfully, it’s stunning and our room is beautiful and overlooking the pool – we’re feeling pretty damn good at this point!

2:00pm – Swim, read, nap, repeat. Bliss!

8:00pm – Dinner by the pool and some very funny entertainment from the resort band! We decide we’re not in the mood for Macarena-ing just yet, so after a couple of drinks we escape to our room to watch repeats of the Royal Wedding.

Day Seven: Friday

11:00am – So glad to wake up and have nothing to do today! We stake out some sun loungers in the shade and take up position for the day.

2:00pm – Nap time! I could so get used to this…

4:00pm – We hire some scooters for the afternoon and head down to South Goa to explore the beaches – they are stunning! It’s pretty scary on the roads, but after a while I’m loving the wind in my hair and the feeling of absolute freedom it gives me!

8:00pm – We arrive back with grumbling tummies and just in time for dinner. We decide to head to North Goa tomorrow and do some more exploring – it’s fast becoming my favourite part of the trip and having to go home in a couple of days just doesn’t seem fair!

Nicole’s blog, Woman Seeks World, focuses on helping others to become location independent, and includes travel articles, extra income ideas and how you can work from anywhere in the world.

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