The Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge

If you want a detailed map, click here

Something profound always happens when groups of people gather for a cause.  Many groups chose to promote their cause by moving in a circular manner.  There is the Crop Walk, Walk for the Cure, and even 24 hrs of Booty where participants ride bikes on a "booty loop."  There is just something about a journey ending at the starting line that helps so many wonderful organizations raise money!

This February, I am joining a group of 18 or so strangers (mostly whom are also total strangers to each other) in Mumbai a.k.a Bombay.  We are embarking on The Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge or "GCIRC" to help feed our need of adventure while, more importantly, helping raise money for Railway Children, a charity that provides relief to children and young people who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress - in particular those living on the streets.

In an extremely simplistic attempt to summarize this trip, The GCIRC is a railroad journey around the circumference of India in 15 days.  The organizer of this trip, who smartly claims he isn't in charge, has been planning the trip for years.  If you want to see a visual representation of the meticulous planning put forth, click on this flow chart for the journey.  Click on the picture itself to zoom in. After looking at it, you are probably totally confused.  Not only does it represent the amount of planning put forth, it represents the amount of potential mishaps that can occur!

Here are some interesting points about the GCIRC.

• The famous Trans-Siberia trip is 5,800 miles. The GCIRC is over 7,500 miles of track and another 350 miles by various means of transportation.
• Transport includes: 18 different trains, Maruti vans, 4x4s, taxis, 2 ferryboats, one tram, and the inevitable autorickshaw.
• The train in Assam is one of the last non-tourist steam trains.
• GCIRC covers 17% of the Indian Railways network.
• We will be traveling 2AC class on most trains but some in SL and AC3. (click here for class description and photos)
• All but 2 nights will be spent sleeping on a train. Darjeeling and Dibrugarh will be the pit stops.
• First train leaves Mumbai on, Friday, February 18th and arrives back in Mumbai on Saturday, March 5th.
• The price of traveling over 7,850 miles including food, 13 nights on various trains, and 2 nights in hotels - less than $375. 

Click on the official Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge web page if you'd like more detailed and interesting information about it.

Again, this trip was organized to help raise money for Railway Children, an organization very fitting of this journey.  If you'd care to donate, I created a PayPal donation link below as well as one on the top right side of this blog.  I am working on gifts for all those who donate via this blog...something to do with photography I'd say...I will let you know in the coming week.

Look Snazzy!

If you want something very unique and cool to wear, there are T-shirts and other items.  Click here for details!