Mumbai in T-minus 36 hours

This is it. I'm leaving in 24 hours on a flight to Istanbul and then on to Mumbai. The itinerary is still largely a mystery and I'm heading towards a part of the world that even my wildest daydreams didn't think would ever happen so soon.

India has always been a 'someday' destination... you know, "Someday I'll see the Great Wall of China. Someday I'd love to climb Kilimanjaro. Someday it would be awesome to travel India for 2 months..."

Now it's really happening. Now, what?

Right now, the packing is all-consuming. I'm trying to walk that fine line between being prepared for a lot of scenarios and traveling light. Will I need hiking boots or just sandals? Reef shoes? How much toilet paper? How much do I trust the Indian Railways toilet facilities? How do you pack for 2 months in a completely foreign country? How do you pack for a trip that could potentially take you from tropical jungle, to teeming metropolis, to beach paradise, to Himalayan mountain landscapes?

In just over 36 hours I'll be touching down at Chattrapathi Shivaji International Airport, on the lookout for Hiral's dad in the arrivals hall and on my way to their flat in Mumbai. Only a day later, I'm due to depart on a 23-hour train ride to the southern city of Mysore to begin a 10-day trek around the south of India. I have no idea where I'm going precisely, I only have a few blurry goals of things I'd like to do and see. I don't know where I'm staying, none of the trusty accommodation listings in my rough guide have websites or online booking.... Basically, I have no effing clue what I'm getting myself into.

...and I thought finishing my master's would be the tough part.

Stay tuned to see what happens to Sepahi on the move.