(In June 2012 I returned to India for another visit which unfortunately was cut short due to an emergency back home. That month long visit was blogged about HERE)
I left the guest house and headed over to my cousin's house. After visiting with them for the afternoon I made my way to the airport in New Delhi, got checked in, waited for a short while and boarded my flight.
I had a lot of mixed emotions. It was sad to leave India but it was also exciting to return home and share my experiences with my family and friends. My previous post really sums my trip up I think. But I should add that while it wasn't expected I ended up learning a lot about my father, his family and even a lot about myself. I learned to appreciate family and enjoyed seeing so many relatives all of whom took excellent care of me.
While I didn't plan on leaving India a different person there is a part of me that will never be the same. I'm writing this entry two months after I left India and I can honestly say that every day I have thoughts about India, it's people and of my relatives. I smile when I look at my photos and laugh at some of the experience I had. I'm yearning now to return.
When I planned this trip last year I initially thought I would go for a month, then I decided that maybe it wouldn't be enough time. So I increased it to two months. Looking at the guide books and thinking that there was a lot I wanted to see and do I increased my vacation time to three months. Then I began to worry, what if it was too much time, what if I didn't like it, what would I do. Little did I know that 89 days in India wold not be near enough time to do everything I wanted. I suspect a life time would not give me enough time to see and do all of India.
My dream now is to return to India. When will I be able to go back? This year or next? A few years? If I could drop everything right now and board a plane tomorrow I would. But I think common sense is telling me that when the time is right to return I'll know it. I'm really hoping it's sooner than later. I want to see the Himalayas and the desert state of Rajasthan. I want to return to Mumbai and Varanasi and explore new places like Rishikesh and Dehradun. I want to meet more of my relatives and add more to my family tree. I want to loose another 15 pounds and take more photos. I want to immerse myself in a culture that I barely got to explore. I really need to return to India.
I left the guest house and headed over to my cousin's house. After visiting with them for the afternoon I made my way to the airport in New Delhi, got checked in, waited for a short while and boarded my flight.
I had a lot of mixed emotions. It was sad to leave India but it was also exciting to return home and share my experiences with my family and friends. My previous post really sums my trip up I think. But I should add that while it wasn't expected I ended up learning a lot about my father, his family and even a lot about myself. I learned to appreciate family and enjoyed seeing so many relatives all of whom took excellent care of me.
While I didn't plan on leaving India a different person there is a part of me that will never be the same. I'm writing this entry two months after I left India and I can honestly say that every day I have thoughts about India, it's people and of my relatives. I smile when I look at my photos and laugh at some of the experience I had. I'm yearning now to return.
When I planned this trip last year I initially thought I would go for a month, then I decided that maybe it wouldn't be enough time. So I increased it to two months. Looking at the guide books and thinking that there was a lot I wanted to see and do I increased my vacation time to three months. Then I began to worry, what if it was too much time, what if I didn't like it, what would I do. Little did I know that 89 days in India wold not be near enough time to do everything I wanted. I suspect a life time would not give me enough time to see and do all of India.
My dream now is to return to India. When will I be able to go back? This year or next? A few years? If I could drop everything right now and board a plane tomorrow I would. But I think common sense is telling me that when the time is right to return I'll know it. I'm really hoping it's sooner than later. I want to see the Himalayas and the desert state of Rajasthan. I want to return to Mumbai and Varanasi and explore new places like Rishikesh and Dehradun. I want to meet more of my relatives and add more to my family tree. I want to loose another 15 pounds and take more photos. I want to immerse myself in a culture that I barely got to explore. I really need to return to India.
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