Memorable moments in life - Our first long road trip, relocating from NJ to Colorado

Traveling when you have to..  Relocation.  We have all done it, for some, it's as simple and easy as buying a ticket and heading off into the unknown.. This one was a bit more involved, being our first with the 2 girls and a big one at that.  Ed had come to NJ to study and stayed put for 23 years including college, work, home, marriage, two kids... an interesting job offer came his way.. So when opportunity strikes, the smart get moving and we did.   He took the job and we were moving lock, stock and barrel.

Changes on so many levels and we had to hit the road running.. too far to make it by foot.. the van needed moving, so we drove to our destiny in a place faraway from everything and everyone we knew, out towards the west like the pioneers of this great land, we never realized how many roads it would open up for us in the future.

No GPS in those days and thanks to AAA, we had a detailed triptik, road maps, travel books.. We booked our second night stay in St. Louis, the gateway to the west.  We would drive through PA, OH, IN, MO, KS, into CO, most of the trip would be on I70-W.  We planned on 4 days. Driving on the first day for ~400miles and then on to St. Louis for the second nights, spend the morning hours exploring the city and then head out to stay somewhere in Kansas the third night and finally do the last stretch on day 4 and drive into Denver however late it was.  We thought it was a doable pace as we wanted to enjoy our super long road trip.  I am reminded of Ed's words and I quote "it's is a once in a lifetime thing, we will never travel so far by road ever, we have the chance now, so lets do it", I was a little bit skeptical as we didn't do well with overnight road trips.. 6-8hours was our happy limit, this was us being way over the top adventurous.  The girls were excited but wary of leaving everyone and everything they knew behind to a future unknown.  

But first, Let me take a step back to the realities of life. We had to pack up and we needed to sell the house, thank fully our home sold very quickly, an interested couple stopped by, saw it and bought it almost as is.. a huge load off our shoulders.  Ed started work a month before the family moved.  He found us a house to rent in a great school district.  We had temp housing until the movers came with our stuff.   So far so good.  We set the date to drive across two-thirds of the USA as August 4th, 2004.  Ed flew in to NJ the day before the packers came in on 1st, by 2nd evening the movers were to be done. We would clean house on 3rd and hit the road early on the 4th.

Unlucky for us, we found packers and movers from hell.. A few hours into packing, they run out of packing material, and left with more than half our stuff not packed.  They never showed up on the 2rd, and we were in panic mode. Finally they came the next day, late afternoon, demanded we pay more and finally got on with the job. The worst was yet to come.. by the time they were done it was 3am on the 4th.  We threw out some stuff and cleaned up as best as we could.  Thanks to good friends who cared for the girls, and gave us food, we had an early dinner and left on our adventure at 8pm.

Our plans were off thanks to our late start.. But we we finally on the road.  We  drove out of NJ into Pennsylvania and stopped around midnight, I forget where, the owners at the motel offered us a home cooked breakfast and we were very grateful.. Well fed, we were all set to drive to St Louis hoping we would make it.  We did it, though I had to steal the keys from ed after a late lunch so he would get a well-needed break from driving.  He was not to happy but was too tired to argue, it had been a tough week. he took the wheel again a couple of hours later, rested and we got to St. Louis just past midnight, glad to be back on schedule..  

We had plenty of time to look around and to go up the gateway arch in this beautiful city on the banks of the Mississippi River.  It felt great to be there, like the pioneers before us, we had also set out to make our home in the West. We drove on after a late lunch to Topeka, Kansas, but as luck would have it there was a major tennis tournament in the city and all hotels, motels were full, we had to drive over a 100 miles, stopping by a few towns until we found a place to stay at Salina, KS. 

We slept in the next morning and headed on to Colorado.  We encountered heavy rain on the plains.  but it was dry by the time we drove to our temporary home at 7 in the evening.  It felt great to reach our destination and we were amazed to have made it and more so, since we absolutely enjoyed the long road trip.  Thanks to this beautiful beginning, it opened us up to many awesome family road trips and also gave us hope that one day we would drive through every state in the USA.  Today we have covered 46 states and DC.  We are just an average American family and if we can do it so can you.

If you've never done some thing unexpected, do take the opportunity when it presents itself, you never know what's out there until you take the first step.   More in my next with some pictures..  I promise.  :) 

This travel question plays out in my mind... Time and again..

Travel, is it in our genes.. or born out of necessity.

Growing up we travelled a lot as a family, but it was limited to vacations.   Our home was intact, we were born, nurtured and grew up in the same city, same home, same family unit, give and take a few as one got married, baby was born or an elder passed on.  Not much changed on the home front.  

I wasn't afraid or uncertain about traveling alone, in fact I enjoyed it and was ever willing to go on assignments out of town for extended periods of time, would I have chosen to do so if we had never travelled or if my dad never travelled on the job.  I also migrated to the US to join my husband.

My dad,  he migrated to Bombay like many others from small villages and towns, travelling across India as a lad of 18 to make a future for himself, he had completed high school successfully and also had a certificate in typing.  So, he worked as a typist during the day and went to school in the evening to complete his diploma in chemistry and dyes from the VJTI.  He lived with cousins and in the following years, his mother and brothers also migrated to Bombay to make futures of their own.  My mom, she got married to my dad and her two brothers joined them to continue their post graduation studies and to make a successful lives in the big city, too.  Soon her mom and the rest of her family were in Bombay, also.  They both migrated, settled and made a good life for us sisters in Bombay.  My mom cooked various cuisines that she learned from our neighbors allowing our young palettes to grow and learn new tastes along with traditional fare.

We travelled all over India and very often to the land of our ancestors in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.   Both my parents come from Palakkad Iyer family's whose ancestors migrated from Tamil Nadu to Kerala, 350-450 years ago to become priests in the temples there.  They settled and took up many traditions and cultures of their new land, they changed to accommodate the language, culture, traditions, food habits, etc. of the people in those lands. The palakkad iyers have a unique language that is neither Tamil nor Malayalam and they also have an awesome cuisine, a mix of both their ancestral lands.  They are a great group of people, settled all over the world successfully and I may be completely biased on this last fact.  :)

So back to my first question, is travel in our genes or born out of necessity?  

Maybe it's a mix of both.    I know folks who travel but are not too happy to accept and merge into the societies they live in, the one they have migrated to, they try to make a home away from home, hang on to things they know and are not always happy about being in the new land, they yearn to go back home.  To a home that has changed and is not really the same as when they left it.  An oxymoron in itself and that leads to another question.  How does one define home?  I guess I will leave it here for now..  And go back to writing about our travels, discovering and to learn the history and geography of the land we live in..  See y'all soon with my next blog.

Traveling to India with a baby.. Bombay here we come

Traveling to India on a whim, with a 5 and half month old.  Having travelled by air to New Orleans with baby R... an opportunity to visit India at short notice was not to be missed. The pediatrician said fine, he gave a note to our doctor in India for her mandatory 6 month shots and we were all set to leave.  Didn't let the family know we were coming... Don't you love surprises.. I do.

A third cousin was traveling on the same flight to Bombay and we asked her parents to give us a ride to my parents home, and they obliged.  We rang the doorbell in the wee hours of the morning at 5am.  Dad opened the door, milk vessel in hand thinking it was the milkman making his morning rounds. He was blown away to see his only grandchild and his youngest at the door.  My mom thought she was dreaming..  Her dream to see the little one had come true..   Words can't express the feelings and emotions that overwhelmed us all.  Both had waited a long time to hold their grandchild and love and pamper her.  My sisters, their family, extended family, neighbors, all spoilt her rotten.  She was carried everywhere a little princess with everyone at her command.

Baby R loved all the love and attention showered on her... The mosquitoes loved her, too...  Thats another story.  The hustle and bustle, the masses of people, the noise, the heat and humidity of summer didn't bother the little one at all.  Happily tucked in the baby carrier we went the length and breadth of the city by bus, train, taxi, auto..  She loved traveling in the big red BEST bus(public mass transit)...  we also travelled by air to Chennai to meet her aunt and more family and friends and then on to Coimbatore by train.. She thrived...  And smiled..  Was happy... And content..  All that love impossible to describe.  We had a blast the entire 5 weeks in India and were back home in the US all to quickly.

On hindsight, Ed had warned me when we got married, my famous surprise visits weren't happening after I moved to the US. Vacations and travel need to be planned well in advance.   Little did he know things would change so fast. His first official trip to India was announced and came unexpectedly when I was 8 months pregnant with baby R.  I couldn't, wouldn't say no to a surprise visit to see my parents and family.  An added bonus, we were able to attend my favorite cousin's wedding, she had written the week before the trip happened and I quote "my eyes will scan the doorway in the hope that you will walk in to surprise us.." never doubt the power of positive thinking it can move mountains.

Traveling so far away in your third trimester is not something I will recommend but it happened for us and I will treasure the precious memories forever.  The girls and I were so lucky to be able to travel frequently to India in those early years when they were babies and able to enjoy all the love and pampering of their grandparents and bond with extended family and friends, make connections with the land of their ancestors.   

To enjoy the festivities, culture, warmth and gaiety of the motherland.  Both have travelled frequently over the years to India, their most recent trip lasted 10 weeks without us accompanying them.  They travelled to various parts with their aunts and uncles.  Folks amazed at how easily they were able to blend in with everyone and enjoy themselves without us.

Travel grows the mind... Don't you agree..  Our kids will amaze us with their resilience if we let them.  All these trips where by air with short road trips thrown in but I guess it all helps them be travelers.

Louisana, New Orleans - A special place.. our lil one's first air trip..

Travelling by air with an infant.  We flew out to New Orleans with our 10 week old baby girl in mid-Feb.  We were a wee bit worried as any new parents would be, travelling for the first time by air with a baby.  We took all the necessary precautions, carried the car seat, checked in a huge stroller.. :)

As advised by the pediatrician, we carried a pacifier to avoid pressure in her ears, but she kept spitting out... and we had to hold it in place for both takeoff and landing.  She slept for most of the three and half hour journey and when awake was alert and a happy traveller, full of smiles, we needn't have worried at all.   It was a memorable trip.  

We were there for three days, arrived the day after Mardi Gras and stayed at a hotel in downtown New Orleans.  After dinner, we went for a walk with the lil one happily tucked in her stroller.  It was so touching when random people stopped to ooh and aah over our baby and shower her with beads and golden coins.  We walked down Bourbon street.. the music coming thru to the streets and the folks laughing and talking on the overhead balconies.. absolutely loved the ambiance. 

The next day, we went for a drive around the city, saw some beautiful homes and visited the french quarter, the french market buzzing with activity, we got some treasures to take back home and a miniature porcelain mask, a Mardi Gras souvenir. 

In the late evening, Ed went with a cousin studying at Tulane for a blues concert on bourbon street..  The next day we walked thru the Tulane university and had dinner at a quaint little restaurant, I can't remember the name, just that it was late and tram rambling along ther rails running thru the center of the street.. three days flew by and we were headed back home. 

The city of New Orleans reminded me so much of Calcutta(Kolkata, India) and home... the crowds, the trams, the laid back atmosphere and all.   We promised ourselves, we would go back someday and we did. 

Last winter(2011-12) we got a chance to go back with the girls over Christmas, en route to Florida.   The ambiance of Bourbon street remains the same, the crowds a lot more than I remembered.. The french market buzzing with activity and a multitude of colorful treasures and good bargains, the girls loved it and understood why New Orleans holds a special place in my heart.   During our bus tour around the city, it was sad to see the devastation in some parts but happy to see the restoration and reconstruction, too.  The girls hope to return some day, too.

Trips during our first year together

Travelling into the next phase of life with a significant other. We arrived at JFK airport in the evening of New Year’s Eve. Had a bonus side trip to Amsterdam, a fun filled 9 hours between flights exploring the sights near the grand centraal station and quick visit to Madurodam. Our cousin gave us a ride home and invited us to attend the celebration at the Bridgewater temple to usher in the New Year.

Our first road trip in the US was to the temple. He hadn't been there before and we lost our way. We arrived past midnight... thus beginning our adventures on the road. I always believed who and where we spend the New Year with charts the happenings of the year ahead and as expected, that year was filled with travel. Road trips during the spring and summer months and air travel in fall.

AAA helped us plan the routes and with triptik, travel books and map in hand we went on our adventures.   

• Mid-April, my husband had an official visit the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and we made it a short vacation including a drive thru and stay over in the Shenandoah National park, and a visit with family close to DC. We had the most wonderful time and I absolutely enjoyed being navigator and reading maps.
• May, we went to DC and in June to Boston. We stayed in downtown hotels where my husband was busy attending to his work while I enjoyed the local sights.
• July 4th, long weekend we went to Niagara falls via Corning, NY(loved the glass museum).  In Niagara falls on the canadian side, we stayed at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast place not too far from the falls. The fireworks, both in Canada and US were spectacular and the highlights of our trip.
• Later in July, we drove to Pittsburgh, PA for a birthday celebration in the family. We also visited the ISKCON Palace of Gold in West Virginia for a day. On our way back to NJ late in the evening, we got caught in an electric storm (lots of thunder and lightning without any rain) driving thru the open Pennsylvania country side.. The ups and downs in the terrain made it a spectacular sight to behold and also the most unique experience.

It was the last road trip we made that year. We went to India in October and surprised the family, arriving unannounced. We had our beautiful baby girl in December of the same year.

Note: Please bear with me on the lack of pictures; I will add some in the coming days. With no digital camera, we have lots of prints stored away carefully in cartons, and they need to be sorted, catalogued and scanned before I can share them.

My journey as a traveller..

Travel makes you realize people are the same all the world. As you know, I grew up in Bombay and travelled a lot around India with my family.  Now moving on to my journey, travelling alone or with friends. 

My first solo train trip was to Hyderabad by second class sleeper, the year I graduated from college.  My cousin lived there with his family and went to visit.  Also visited with close family friends in Secunderabad. I had met the family as a 5 year old with my parents and now I was a young lady ready to take on the world.  It was where I met my first boss, who asked me to stop by his workplace when I got back home. The offered me a job and soon enough I was off on my very first plane trip to Delhi for training.

Air travel was new to me.  I remembered asking dad as an 8 or 9 year old, if we could go by plane and was surprised when he said 'No', I couldn't understand, he travelled on most of his business trips by air. I didn't know it was expensive.  He told me, I travel by air since time is important in business and my company pays for all my business travel. When you grow older maybe you will also travel on the job. And I did.

In my second job, I travelled a whole lot more. As an analyst, my projects were in different parts of India.  During the years I worked there, I lived in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Bangalore for extended periods of time.  I had a great group of friends and colleagues, we traveled quite a bit, hiking and trekking together. Discovering new places when we went on business conferences and conventions together as a group.

Finally, landed up with a consultants job in the middle east.. and was able to visit Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, and peep into Saudi, too.

My future husband and I fell in love while travelling across Italy by train. We had met the year before thanks to a mutual friend when he visited India to mee his family.  A few months later, I was working in the middle east.  We kept in touch and decided to meet half way in Italy. It was great fun getting to know him and discovering our mutual love for travel, meeting people, visiting places, learning the history and geography of the country and city, exploring museums, churches, gardens, and trying out various cuisines... Together, we managed to see 10 cities in 9 days. Rome, Genoa, Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii. 

We got married a year later.  As newly weds we had a fun time travelling in India.  We went to Delhi & Agra, Explored Goa, Tamil Nadu(Madras, Madurai, Kodaikanal, Coimbatore, Chidambaram to name a few)  and also Palghat district in Kerala.  Visiting with family and friends.  I was surprised by his love for shopping and bargaining.  Unexpectedly my papers were ready and I was able to travel back to the US with him 6 weeks later. Two days before the New Year.

Now you have some background and can better understand why travelling is such a huge part of who we are... More in the next...

Why do we travel.. Here goes my first blog..

'Travel grows the mind' my dad always said, a man of great wisdom.  I start with my dad as he is the inspiration to most of the things I do and who I am, today.   

We, my parents, sisters and I, travelled to various parts of India.  He travelled a great deal around the world on business trips.  Growing up our vacations took us all over India - Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh..... when we travelled to Delhi to visit with one cousin, we also travelled to Chandigarh to visit another and then on to Shimla, Mathura, Agra, Fathepur Sikri, etc. on the side.  Every vacation had a primary location and many small trips on the side.  We depended on trains and buses, rickshaws, horse cart, bullock cart, whatever got us to where we wanted to go.. Helped that India has a great network of trains and bus even as early as the 60's when I was a little kid.   

We also had good people connections.. A network of family; first, second, third and sometimes fourth cousins and friends.  It wasn't one sided, they often visited and stayed with us in Bombay.  My parents were great hosts.  My mom had awesome people skills,, was a great cook, and loved history, geography and languages, all adding great value to our travels... We all loved to attend family weddings and various social gatherings, both closeby and in far away places.

Almost every Saturday afternoon, we would go to town by bus. Dad would quiz us about the important buildings we passed by, flora fountain, Victoria terminus, prince of wales museum, Jahangir art gallery are some places that come to mind... We visited art exhibitions, book fairs, anything interesting, walked in and out of stores, ate street food and more.  We looked  foward to our Saturday afternoons.  Never knowing where we would go until we got on a bus.. Malabar hills, Crawford market, nariman point....

Travelling on the job, gave me a very different perspective.  It took me to various cities across the country and allowed me to meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, nationalities and I learn that people everywhere are the basically the same.  I love people.

Once bitten by the travel bug it stays with you forever.  Our trips in those days were often on a tight and small budget.  The idea was to get out of our busy city lifestyle and connect with each other, we usually  travelled by second  and third class.   I remember playing cards, dumb charades, scrabble, word games, reading books..  Talking and making friends with total strangers... Also, watching the beautiful scenery, mountains, valleys, cities, towns, villages as the train chugged on..  The dust and discomfort a minor inconvenience,  it was all part of the vacation and discovering the country, family and more. The places and people mattered a whole lot more than luxuries and vacations to exotic locations. 

This is how it started, the next one is about my journey..