Over the last 2 years, there were many holidays planned and unceremoniously shelved at the last min, for all plausible reasons- finances, work pressure, or lack of alignment with Nikhil.
But how we surprised ourselves this year by going over and beyond and travelling not to any lame country in Asia but all the way to the Americas! It worked out in a way that a) I was desperate for a leave post the recent audits at work, b) RG’s invitation to travel for a Summit c) the US Visa being conquered, one felt there was a need to brandish it.
And on that note on 14th June, Nikhil, Nyra and I set about on our travels to America. True to my own style, I didn’t start with the packing till 4 pm of the date of the travel, and then realised with a sinking heart that we would need to add another big suitcase to our travel kit. From the sight of it, you could safely presume that I was packing to move to the US, leave along for only 2 weeks. I had packed for all seasons and all occasions [work, casual, ethnic, super ethnic, super casual], you name it! After furious discussions and even more furious weighing of luggage, we set about for the airport and onwards to US.
There were butterflies in our tummies, but that paled in comparison to the excitement that Nyra showed- she entered the Virgin Atlantic plain claiming it was the best day of her life. that energy level tat 3 am in the morning was something. The photo below says it all :-)
After a super mad rush at Heathrow, where a hop over of 40 mins required a100 m Olympian racing skills, and where Nikhil learnt a rude lesson in female handbag packing [no matter how thoroughly you check them, there are always some stray liquid bottles hidden in random pockets of the bag], we made it to our connecting flight in (delayed) style. As we flew over the continents, a new sense of anticipation set in. I hadn’t met Didi and her family for 8 years. I was anxious what to expect and how Nyra would settle in. We were received so warmly by Jeetu & Yana that all feelings of anxiety disappeared in secs. The ride from Orlando to Tampa tingled all my sensations, the lush landscapes, the beautiful lakes filled me with a sense of calm and appreciation for being close to nature.
Finally meeting didi, Yahoo and seeing the beautiful like they have created for themselves so many thousands of miles away from India, made me realise how much courage & strength it may have taken for them to get this far.
(The girls on the Clearwater Beach)
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