Just came home to find 160 Daffodils that Shalini picked from the yard. I feel very thankful for coming home to warm smiles of Shalini, Anupam and Theresa. After so many sounds ( not noise) of India , the quite here is nice yet I already miss the friends, family and the constant hum of daily activities all around in India. It is almost impossible to find a quite place there...
The flight back was nice but exhausting. We got to the airport at 12:30 am and got home in Los Altos at 1:30pm. So,it was total travel time of 24 hours. Depending on your perspective, it is either too ling a journey or too short a time for travelling all the way across the world. Emirates is a good airline with newer planes and better service and food. Their business class looked very nice ( may be some day we will afford this luxury) .
The Mahayatra was successful in the sense it was an adventure every day and still we ran out of time in terms of meeting friends and relatives. I will end the blog with few tips of independent travel in India ( beyond normal tour book stuff)
1) A sense of wonder, adventure, sense of humor and flexibility will go a long way.Do not get too worked up if people do not show up on time.
2) It takes four times longer than you think when travelling by road.
3) Always keep sanitizatiion wipes and DISPOSABLE antibacterial wipes. ( butt wiles)
4} Never trust maps. Best way to ask for directions is to ask the local truck driver who has just come from the opposite direction, The roads can become non exsistant or get .blocked very quickly
5) Regardless of what people and tour books say, ability to squat is a must ( if you travel at all) . It does not have to be a :GOOD: squat but some way to do number "one" without soiling the clothes :)
6) Always carry Imodium with you and use it when necessary.
7) Follow ALL other cautions from the tour books
8) NEVER JUDGDE and go with an open mind and heart.
My mind is totally shut down now, so I will try to sleep, thanks for following along. If you are in India , thanks for the amazing hospitality and if you are somewhere else, i will highly recommend experiencing India at least once in your life time. Let me know if I can help . Please know that our home is always open for friends and family ...with gratitude ...saroj
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