A great little breakfast was included in our price at the Smyle Inn, so we enjoyed that after sleeping in. Then we packed our bags and checked out. The staff members of the Smyle Inn were incredibly friendly and helpful, and we were very glad we had stayed there. They had done a beautiful job with our laundry, fetched a couple of beers when we enquired, and rescued Tessa and Margaret from their defective room without complaint. The last thing they did was order us a cab. Needless to say we promised to come back after our 15 day trip.

The cab driver arrived and he looked like he was about 12 years old. We followed him into the street with our backpacks and started walking. And walking. After 10 minutes and almost getting separated a few times, we began to look back at each other, wondering, once more, what we'd gotten ourselves into. However, we eventually made it to the cab, and 3 or 4 people helped our driver squeak back and forth out of his parking spot to get onto the road.

It soon became apparent that our driver (and his brother, who had squished into the already packed back seat) had no idea where they were going, but they kept asking different people along the route for directions and we eventually got to the Metro Heights hotel - the starting point for Intrepid Travel's "Unforgettable India" trip. The itinerary for this trip might have been ripped from the pages of the Lonely Planet guide to India, in which they describe a classic route called "A Taj, A Temple, and A Tiger". The itinerary includes some of India's must-have experiences, including visits to the Taj Mahal, the risqué temples at Khajuraho, and a tiger reserve; hence the catchy name.

Our new hotel was our home for the first few days of the trip, and was the most expensive place we've stayed in to date. We checked in and then met with our travelling companions for the next two weeks. They were very nice. We were travelling with Sandy and Eric, a couple from Mexico; Ruth, Jenny, and Kate from Australia (they didn't know each other prior to India); and Binu, our trip leader. Sandy is an artist and Eric is CEO and President of a company in the USA (they divide their time between Guadalajara and Fort Worth, Texas). Kate is from Perth, Jenny from Adelaide, and Ruth from Melbourne. They gave us lots of tips about Aus and we enjoyed their company very much. Binu was our guide; 27 years old and a rum drinker, so we knew immediately that he would be a lot of fun. He taught us Bollywood dance moves, stumped us with riddles, and shared his knowledge of India and his organizational genius with us.

That evening, we all went out for a supper of Southern Indian food that was interesting, especially when Connor accidentally tried Sandy's buttermilk-with-cilantro drink. We each had a marsala dosa, which is a huge crepe folded into a triangle with various vegetables and spices inside. We visited with each other and began looking forward to the tour.