Trip to Machu picchu

We wanted to spend our 30th anniversary a little differently, than just staying at home and working. We contemplated where to go for a quick week and narrowed down between Iceland and Peru. We decided on Peru and Machu picchu in July and started planning for the trip. A week before our trip started, we became aware of protests in Machu Picchu that stopped the trains that will prevent us to go to the mountain to see the world famous ruins. However, the situation was resolved temporarily and we left on September 19th to Peru. We took a flight from Raleigh to Panama and Panama to Lima and Lima to Cusco. Because Cusco was in a high altitude, we took a taxi to Ollantaytambo, a small town that is an hour and half from Cusco to acclimate the first couple of days.

Day 1: Ollantaytombo - We reached the town around 9am, got an early check in at our hotel El Chesqui, a small hotel in the center of the town. Slept for a couple of hours and got ready to get lunch at a nice restaurant called Amanto. The food was pretty good. We went to the ollantaytombo ruins after that, it was a little bit of a struggle to climb the stairs because of the altitude of 9000 feet, but we managed to up and enjoy the views. We wrapped up the day by having dinner in Apu Veronica and went to bed for an early start the next day.

Day 2 : Sacred Valley Tour - We hired a private taxi from taxidatum to pick us up from the hotel at 830am. We went to Pisac ruins which took an hour and half. We ran out of breath with walking just a few feet in the ruins and quickly got adjusted. Looked around the Pisac ruins, took about an hour and had to take several breaks. Went to Salt mine which was another hour journey from Pisac, spent 30 minutes and went to a restaurant for lunch in Maras. Not great, Selvi felt sick because of the altitude and took medicine. We then went to Chinchero, which was at an altitude of 12000 feet, that we came to know later. I was really struggling with shortness of breath, but Selvi felt fine here. We went up to the temple, which wasnot that impressive and headed to Moray, a circular field that was developed in old times. After that we returned to the hotel around 530pm. We ate dinner in Chuncho, food was very good and the drink Macantay Sour (?) was good. 

Day 3: Train to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu - Woke up early to catch the train to aguas Calientes, took a mototaxi to the train station since we had luggage. Reached Aguas Calientes around 11, dropped off our luggage at our hotel called 1911, which was very close to the train station. Went to have a quick lunch in a nearby restaurant. Food was ok, went to hotel, checked in and went to catch the bus for our 2pm Machu picchu circuit 2 tour. Hired a guide before boarding the bus. Reached MP around 2:15 and initial walking up the rocks was hard, the tour guide was decent and gave a lot of info. Finished around 445 and headed back to Aguas Calientes. Walked around a little bit and ate dinner in Full House restaurant, decent food and good ambience.

Day 4: Machu picchu circuit 1 and travel to Cusco - Woke up at 415 in the morning for the circuit 1 tour at 6am. Went to the bus stop and got an early bus and started the self guided tour around 620. The view was beautiful in the morning and then it fogged up and cleared briefly for 10-15 minutes for us to take enough pictures. Left around 8am to head back to the hotel. Checked out at 10 and left the luggage and walked around AC till lunch time. Ate lunch at a mexican restaurant in the main square and walked to a butterfly farm. It rained on the way back. Came back to the hotel and collected our luggage and headed to catch the train to Ollantaytombo and a connecting bus to Cusco. Took a taxi to our hotel in Plaza de Armas, the hotel was very good and the location was perfect. Had dinner at a Chinese/Peruvian restaurant called Kion. Food and ambience were very good.

Day 5: Cusco, anniversary day. - Took it easy and had a slow start. Walked around cusco to the twelve angled stone and the surrounding areas. Came back to hotel before lunch because it was tiring to walk continuously. Had lunch at Organika, the food was good, but the walk to the restaurant was steep and taxing. Took a nap and took a taxi to the view point San Cristobal to watch the dusk and the lights of the city from the top. It was cold and windy, walked back to the hotel. Skipped dinner since we were not hungry.

Day 6: Cusco - local get around. Went to San Pedro market in the morning and had lunch in Kion again. Went to San Blas neighborhood, it was a steep walk. Came back to the room around 3pm and took a nap. Selvi was feeling altitude much more and took tablets today also. Evening went to Cristo Blanco, to see the sunset, but was not that great. Took cab to and from the view point. Ate dinner in El Jardin, a vegetarian restaurant, food was very good. 

Day 7: Fly to Lima - Got ready to fly out to Lima. Booked a taxi in taxidatum. Went to the airport lounge. Reached Lima at 3pm took a taxi to Miraflores. The hotel Atrium Miraflores was nice. Walked around Lima Miraflores area. Went to Larcomar, a mall. Skipped dinner since we ate a evening snack of Empanada, Fries and coffee.

Day 8: Lima local sight seeing and return. Checked out of the hotel at 1130, stored the luggage in the hotel. Took a uber to Hucca Pullcana ruins made of clay. Had lunch at Wa Lok, a high end chinese place. Food was good but huge portions. Took an uber to the Lima central business district, Plaza Major and Plaza de Armas. Most of it was fenced off with heavy police presence. Could not see much. Spent a couple of hours came back to Malecon de Miraflores. Walked around that area until 6, expecting to see the sunset in the beach. Cloudy day, so not much of a sunset. Walked back to Larcomar and hung out there till 7pm. Went to a starbucks for a coffee and skipped dinner. Went back to hotel at 830 to pickup the luggage and left for the airport again using Taxidatum. Spent couple of hours in the lounge - a huge one and very well maintained and took the plane to Panama city and then to Raleigh the following day.

Another vacation, another country, another continent,  This is the first trip that Selvi and I went by ourselves without children in over 25 years. We realize we were getting older as we struggled to walk for long and getting tired. It could be because of the elevation too. Nevertheless, wonderful trip and great memories!

Budapest

 Day 1  - taxi from station to Airbnb. Checked in. Lunch in nearby Hungarian restaurant. Not good. Went to basilica. Roof top view was good.dohagany synagogue. Just ok. River walk. Buda castle view good. Dinner at  jerney bistro Italian river front. Food spicy and good. Took 72h metro pass

Day 2 - metro to parliament tour. Beautiful. Need to prebook. Walk on river side and around parliament building. Danube shoes. Back to hotel. Buda castle in the afternoon. Mathias church and fisherman bastion. Took river cruise at night 9:30pm. Dinner at Ariz Lebanese river front. Food ok.

Day 3 - took metro to heroes square. Saw vakyanad castle from outside. Went to schiznel bath. Lunch at thai, bad

Day 4 - central market. Walked across bridge. Took tram 49. Lunch at indigo Indian. Bad. Dinner at street food burger garden near home. Food was good.

Vienna

 Day1- took taxi from station to air bib 14 euro. Ate lunch in Kowloon Chinese restaurant. Awesome food. Shopped in billa for water

Day 2 - went to hofburg area. Impressive near history museum. This area is huge. Went to cici meseum. Ok. Ate cold sandwich croissant from billa. Good.

Day 3 - sciatica. Lunch from eroz. Wraps. Did not go out. Got weekly train pass bcas price was same for 3 day

Day 4  - took train to Stephen’s cathedral. Went to north tower. Not much view. Ate sachetoter and juice outside. Went to schobrunn palace. Took gold tour. Need to go around the palace to see garden and fountain. Went to opera house and ate Chinese nearby. Then took train to Rathaus house/ burg theater Saw it from outside. Walked to parliament and saw outside. Walked to Maria Theresa platZ. Nice area. Back home.

Day 5  - took train to karlsplatz. Saw museum on both sides from outside. Beautiful. Took train to bellverde museum.

Saw from outside. Came back Stephen’s cathedral area. Ate lunch at Austrian restaurant near graben. Soup was good. Walked around graben, saw plaque column. Went to see Spanish riding school. Saw horse statue from outside. Walked to albertina. Saw it from the top and walked to Karlsburg. Took tram D. Went for a ride.

Back home. Went to cafe spel. Not good. Last day in Vienna 

Prague

 Day 1 - took train from Amsterdam to Berlin spandaou station. Got noodles form the mall. View was not great. Took train from Berlin to Prague. Same platform. Coupe for ourselves. View beautiful. Checked in. Got some water. Ate maiteriA veg restaurant. Food was good.

Day 2 - visited Tyne church and square area. Walked around to see chapel. Ate sad tongue burger. Went to lidl. Dinner at home.

Day 3 - went up in old clock tower,roamed near Spanish synagogue area and went to Charles bridge. Roamed Mala Strata neighborhood.Ate mincovina restaurant near square. Dinner at home.

Day 4  - Prague castle, st vitus cathedral, ate street food in front of castle. Indian food for dinner.

Day 5  - lunch at home,dancing houSe, walk near river, walk to square near national museum, Kafka head. Dinner at lokal restaurant 

Day 6  - took 24 hour pass. Near palladium took tram to ujeid funicular bottom. Took funicular to top. Took Eiffel Tower lift. Not worth it. Ate Chinese near palladium shopping center. Spent time in square 

Amsterdam

 Day 1 - took cab from airport to hotel

Ate at cheese diner opposite to hotel. Very good. 

Day 2 - took 4 day pass. Ann frank museum, dam square, nine street, red light district, central station area.Malaysian restaurant for lunch. Dinner at  Saravanan bhavan.

Day 3 - rijits museum. Pantry restaurant Dutch food. Ferry ride to Adam lookout area. Dinner at samurai

Day 4 - tour got cancelled. Took bus 391 to establish schaans to see wind mill. Beautiful. Ate lunch at walk to wok. Went to Adam look out tower. View was beautiful. Dinner at Saravana bhavan and back home.

Barcelona

 Barcelona

June 1 - cab to Santa justa station to Barcelona. Cab from Barcelona station to hotel. 11$. Hotel 1m from plaza de catalunya. Walked around laramblas, casa Mia batla 

June 2 - morning sagrada familia. Afternoon walked up tp arc de triump. Visited casa batla. Went to cathedral. Walked around gothic quarter.follow the directions in photo

June 3  - parc quell in morning. Mont juic in the afternoon. Took cab to funicular. $15 for round trip to castle via funicular. View beautiful. Walked around castle. Took funicular back. Walked to Olympic stadium front. Beautiful. Walked to art museum magic fountain area and plaza catalunya.

June 4  - took train to monsteratt from plaza de catalunya metro. Sign is near the lift to metro next to hotel.

June 5 - la Barcelona beach and shopping

June 6 - dropped kids at airport - airport bus 11:80 round and 6:80 one way

June 7 - Chennai masala dosa . Took t- familia metro card. 8 trips. 10euro

June 8 - Columbus monument, la boquria market, el raval neighborhood. Walked all the way to port in la rambla

June 9  - , pallo de musica building, fountain in cuitedalla park

June 10 - laundry, sant de augusti,magic fountain in place de espana.

June 11: girona. Took train. Jewish quarter, cathedral, Arabic bath. And medival wall

June 12: sitges beach

June 13: mt tibidabo, train to pue de funicular, took vetricular funicular to the top and bus 111 to mt tibidabo

June 14: chill - Rosa Maria Mexican 

June 15: Barcelona cathedral - chipotle dinner 

June 16: took aerobus. Travel to Amsterdam

Day 1 - gats restaurant near plaza catalunyq good

Day 2 - la Lolita - paella very good 

Day 3.  - el nacional not good. Dinner spice bcn near plaza de espana - South African restaurant- good

Day 4 

Madrid and Seville

May 18 -  Reached lisbon airport around 9am. The flight to Madrid was short, no checks for covid protocols in Madrid airport. Took a cab from airport to airbnb for 30$. Checked into the apartment, the apartment was a 1 bedroom just a few blocks from Plaza mayor. Grabbed a quick lunch in a chinese restaurant nearby, not a great lunch. Madrid was very different from Lisbon, no one spoke English. Walked around plaza mayor in the evening. Working day.

May 19  - Took cercanias ticket to airport from sol station.$3. Went to T4. Took shuttle to T1. Picked up the kids. Took cab back. Ate at plaza de mayor.

May 20 - Went to Madrid Royal palace in the morning, it was a decent 20 minute walk. Spent two hours in the palace. Walked around the gardens behind it. Tried a couple of places for lunch and ended up grabbing quick empanadas and came back to AirBnb. Walked around sol in the evening. Saw professor from Money Heist.

May 21.  - Went to Prada museum in the morning, A very big musuem and tiring. Went to retiro park and Crystal palace in park. 

May 22.  - Went to Sunday market,cathedral near palace. Walked to Gran via from there. San gines churros.

May 23 - Segovia train. 40m. Visited castle. Disney land inspired.Aqueduct. Impressive 

May 24 - Toledo- took bus to Toledo. It was cheap. went to Mira dor first. Walked to cathedral via bridge. Beautiful.best cathedral. Walked around the city. Jewish quarter. Headed back.

May 25 - el Escorial. Took train. Not so good. Went to Telefonica building walked through gran via

May 26 - chill day. Deep went for shopping. Senthil and I went to basilica and shopped at primark 

May 27- went to cathedral near palace. Walked to gran via.went to mirador tee peo in the evening for sunset. very good.

May 28 - Took two cabs to the station for catching the train to Seville. Reached seville around 1030, directly went to AirBnb, the place and the host was super nice. Seville was very hot, ate at an italian restaurant and walked to see a church, but wasnt great. Evening went to Alcazar, had a really had time finding it. I started feeling sick with cold symptoms. 

May 29th - Went tp Plaza de Espana, a very impressive structure with waterfront. Spent the morning and walked back to the Cathedral in the afternoon. 

May 30th - Took a train to granada early in the morning. Saw the gardens and palacio nazaries after that. The palace was good but not as good as the hype. Took a bus back to Madrid. Reached madrid pretty late. Walked near the cathedal and had some tapas. 

May 31st - Went to bull fighting ring. Visited a lighted modern place for a evening view after dark. End of Sevllie, preparing to go to Barcelona. 

Day1 - Chinese / falafel

Day2 - Rosa da Lucas/ plaza mayor - Rosa ambience very good

Day 3 - empanada / yatai market Asian street food- very good

Day 4 - Italian near retiro / home

Day 5 - croquettes/ cava baha street 17 tapas ok

Day 6 - Segovia- not good / plaza mayor

Day 7 - Toledo- Shanghai- la mordida mexican - both good

Day 8 - el Escorial- not good - taste of india very good

Day 9 - San Miquel Mercado/ bambijm tapas in plaza de Santa Ana - ok

Day 10 - churros ( San gines)/ drink

Seville

Day 1 - da pino Italian/ Al wadi - middle eastern - both were good.

Day 2 - Ming Chinese good

Day 3  - Grenada. Ate breakfast in a place opposite to castle

Day 4 - tapas near bull ring. Pepe hillo good

Lisbon in 10 days

 Day 1 - Monday, May 9th Lisbon

Got off the airport early in the morning, waited in the immigration line for a long time (more than one hour) to clear immigration and collected bags. Doing a lot of research prior to arriving, it was indicated that there is an airport shuttle that will take us really close to the AirBNB location and hoping to catch the airport shuttle once we came out. Upon enquiring, the airport shuttle was not running anymore, starting our first surprise. Got some cash out in the local ATM in the airport, even though that was not a recommended option. Needed some cash for both Taxi and/or bus that we may have to take. After enquiring some more, we took a local bus to the Restauradores and Rossio, our AirBnb was near rossio square. The bus is not equipped for big luggages, so had a hard time to find a place to put the luggage. We bought the tickets inside the bus, I think it was approx 3 Euros per person. The ride was approximately 30 minutes. We walked to the AirBnb, it was around 1130 AM. Our check in was not until 2PM, but the host had agreed to keep the luggage. We left the luggage and grabbed lunch in the Locanda italiana restaurant just across the airbnb.  The food was ok. The apartment was ready by the time we finished lunch and we settled down. The wifi worked great, we just logged in and started our work day. Stepped out in the evening to get a sim card and found a vodafone store nearby. Got €20 for 30 days with data and voice. Went for a walk in a crowded  street and ended up in the Praca de comercio/Ruo augusta. The view of the water and the architecture around the square was beautiful. Walked past Santa justa elevator on the way. It worked well during most of our trip in Portugal and Spain. Visited a super market to get some basic supplies like milk, eggs, breakfast items and rice and yogurt. We had taken some ready to mix indian spices that can be mixed and eaten with rice. Retired early since we were tired. It was noisy until the wee hours of the morning. 

Day 2 - Tuesday, May 10th Lisbon

We took the famous tram 28 after a long wait to go to the mirador. We got off the tram and walked a while to the view point Miradouro de Senhora do Monte. It was a beautiful day and the view was beautiful. Of all the miradouro's we have been to in Lisbon, this was the best. The probably the most underrated view point of all. We then grabbed some sweets for breakfast and walked to St Vincent church and the Panteao nacional, it was closed on that day. We just roamed around and took pictures on the outside. As it was a working day, we had to head back to log in by 3PM. 

Day 3 - Wednesday, May 11th Lisbon

Left around 9am to visit Belem tower, took a cab to Belem tower. Took around an hour to visit Belem tower. Went to Padroa dos Descobrimentos after that which was a monument on the river. Went to Jeronimos monastery, after waiting in the line for an hour we realized our tickets was for the next day and sent back. We went to Rossio square around 9PM and hang out there for a while. The place was very nice in the night and there was enough crowd so we didnt feel unsafe. 

Day 4 - Thursday, May 12th Lisbon

Went to Jeronimos early in the morning. Took an hour or so to visit the monastery. The architecture was very nice and unique. Took the cab and visited the Castelo De Sao Jorge, it was an ok place. Nothing great, it had some great views and other than that it was just ruins. A hyped up visit, IMO. It was a hot day, we tried walking back to AirBnb, but abandoned and took a cab back. Went to a palace like place very close to our AirBnb for lunch. Lunch was ok. Started working again. Walked up to Bairro Alito neighborhood, which requires walking up the steep stairs. Had dinner in a restaurant, the food was decent.  

Day 5 - Friday, May 13th 

Left early to go to Lisbon Oriente to take the train to Porto. The train was superfast and nice.  We didnt check out of the Lisbon AirBnb, and hence travelled with a backpack for just one night stay at Porto. We reached porto around 1130 AM, took a 3 day travel pass for €7, but it ended up not being fully utilized. We came to the city centre by a local train. The place was filled with tourists. After grabbing a relaxed breakfast just opposite to the station, we walked to Porto Cathedral. We walked through the narrow lanes to reach the Palace de Bolsa, a commercial building. It was a guided tour and had to wait for more than an hour to get english tour. Visited a church that was just next to the palace. Walked to our hotel called Riberia Cinema Apartments (interesting name). The apartment was just few feet from the Dom Luis Bridge. The view from the apartment was spectacular. After settling down, we walked to the Clergios tower, which was a long walk. But it was closed for visitors by the time we went there around 7PM. After walking around for a bit, we came back to the river front and picked a restaurant and had dinner. We were tired by 9pm and sitting around the bridge for the lights to come on. Once the sun had gone down, the lights on the bridge was a nice view. The parties had started and we went back to room and slept. It was a long day.

Day 6 - Saturday, May 14th

We woke up and went for a walk and a coffee. 9am was too early for Porto, most of the shops were not open, a nice lady was kind enough to offer us coffee while the shop is still getting setup for opening. We checked out around 10am and started walking to the other side of the river, where there were wineries and wine tours.The day was beautiful and views was amazing. We hung around the river side got some porto wine and crab cake. The views from the other side of the river was simply great. There was a parade of expensive luxury and sports cars. We saw a lot of ferrari;s, mclarens, lambos and much more. It was time to leave to the train station. We grabbed lunch near the river and headed back to the station. Overall Porto was beautiful but there was not a lot of activities to do and things to see for more than a day for us. Reached Lisbon Oriente around 8pm and took a local train back to rossio square and came back to our AirBnb.

Day 7 - Sunday, May 15th

We left early to go to Sintra, took the train from Rossio square directly to Sintra. It was about an hour ride and once we got down, there were buses to take us to the Sintra palace. We had bought online tickets to the palace. The bus tickets were kind of expensive €16 per person for the Sintra palace and to Cascais and the surroundings. Sintra palace was not crowded when we reached. It was a cooler and rainy day. We went around the palace at our set time and spent time outside the palace as well. We then walked to the Moorish Castle, and walked up the castle to catch a good view of the Pena palace. It was a steep walk up the stairs but there were plenty of places to sit during the hike. We then took the bus back to Sintra and grabbed lunch and took bus 403 from Sintra to Cascais via the western most point of Europe Cabo da Roca. We got off the bus at this point to take a view of the Atlantic. The water is not easily reachable unless you go walk quite a bit. We took the same bus in about an hour heading to Cascais. Spent some time in the cascais beach, the water was cold. Headed back to Lisbon from Cascais via Train and took a local train to Airbnb.

Day 8 - Monday, May 16th

Another day off from work, we took the day pass and took the Tram 28 from Martem Moniz to the other terminal. We visited Basilica Estrella Church, which was unexpectedly beautiful. A relaxed day, we walked to the Ruo Augusta after dark to view the place in the night. It was beautful. 

Day 9 - Tuesday, May 17th

The last day in Lisbon, we went to the Miraduoro Alcantra, for the final glimpses of the Lisbon's beautiful red buildings. We took the Elevator/Tram to visit the view point. We had lunch in the Asian market place in Martim Monez. Headed back to Airbnb, as it was a working day. Stepped out in the evening to spend the last night in Rossio square. Overall it was a beautiful stay, lisbon was impressive, the location around Rossio square was nice and lively. We didnt know how great it would be when we booked the apartment. 

Day 10 - Wednesday, May 18th

We left early to go to the airport to leave for Madrid. Spain is our next destination.

Europe Trip 2022

Europe in 2022.

Ever since dad passed away in 2020, I had no reason to travel to india like I was doing for the past eleven years. Eighteen trips in eleven years with a whole year in Bangalore with family to attend to parents has come to an end. I have been thinking about living in another part of the world, preferably Europe, has been in my thoughts for the last few years. I did not like the 3 day and 4 day trips to a country in Europe during our trips to India. I wanted to stay longer and not having to rush through and do trips that cover only the top attractions. I wanted to soak into the local culture without having to rush through the places we visit. 

As always, when a new year dawns,  I think about the what went well, what didnt and what I would like to change. During the middle of January, I asked Selvi if I should look for a job in Europe that would allow us to live in the place for a couple of years and explore the continent. The reality of leaving the home in Cary, the proximity to the kids and friends must have hit her, she suggested to explore the place first and then decide to move. Sounded like a good idea, I said lets plan a trip for 3 months, since we were working from home anyway. Negotiations went on, from 4 weeks to 6 weeks of not working and taking time off and to finalize on 8 weeks traveling and working 3 or 4 days a week. We started putting together an itinerary on where to go. We settled on Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Czechia, Austria and Hungary. 

The execution phase started on February 23rd with booking the air tickets that set the start and the end dates. We started formulating the plan for each country and cities and started booking the AirBnbs and hotels. With many weekends of intense planning and accommodating the children for little over two weeks in Spain, things started to fall in place. 

We used this website/app visitacity.com/visitacity that allows us to create a day by day plan and the places to visit. 

May 8th - Off to Lisbon, please see the other posts for more details,

India trips to visit parents between 2009-2020

2009 August 26 - September 26 One way to chennai - Frankfurt (Parents met with accident) return                                   via London?)
2009 November - To chennai (via London?)

2010 May 20 - To Bangalore one way move, return 2011 July

2011 Dec??

2012 August - via Zurich (Switzerland trip) Indu wedding

2013 February 18 - March 7 - To chennai via London, back Bahrain, London
2013 November 25-Dec 15 - To chennai

2014 June - via Rome (Italy trip)
2014 December 10 - 30 - To chennai via Doha (college reunion)

2016 June - via Dubai (Dubai trip)

2017 March 1 - 20 To chennai (Kerala, mothers passing)
2017 June 6 - 10 To chennai (Paris, bombay and return with father Franfurt, DC)
2017 September 30 - oct 20 (DC Frankfurt to drop off father), Paris to return

2018 - Feb 24 - Mar 9th To bangalore via Paris (office trip + Erode)
2018 - Oct 28 - Nov 13th To chennai via ?

2019 - May 29 - June 10 To chennai via paris?, return via Hong kong
2019 - December 13 - Jan 2 To chennai (via london) Family, college reunion

A life to cherish, celebrate and learn!

April 9th, 2020 - A call from Pushpa, my father's caretaker at 3 AM India time, would be the most dreaded call I have always hoped that I would not receive. There were no words, just the cries, said it all. He was no more! The timing could not have been worse. The entire world is in a lock down for Covid pandemic. Travelling 8000 miles is just not possible, with no flights and all the travel restrictions.

Just a few hours earlier when I talked to my dad, he sounded absolutely fine. He mentioned he was in pain because of the last hospital stay. Told not to worry about him and asked me to be safe, take care of the kids and wife. As always, he would put others well being above his pain and sufferings. Later I learned that after my call he had his usual dinner and went to sleep. Since  he couldn't sleep he played "Thayam" with the caretaker. Slept until 12AM, went to the bathroom, slept until 3AM, woke up unable to breath. Screamed for Pushpa she found that he was having a fever and gave him medicine and helping to breathe. Palanivel, a selfless soul and the family friend taking care of parents for over a decade was informed and was in the door steps in 10 minutes. Father would ask why Mr Palanivel had to make a trip at this untimely hour and that he is going to be ok. He refuses to go the hospital, but just a little later agrees to go because he cannot take the abdominal pain. He was conscious and alert when the ambulance arrives and when they reach the hospital ten minutes later, he is barely breathing. The hospital declares him dead!

He never shared a lot about his childhood, but just in bits and pieces. He lost his mother when he was very young (8 years or less). He would go to his brothers home for a meal and sisters home for another. He finished his PUC and then asked to join military by his father, who also served in military. He did not like to join military and instead joined the paper mill in Erode at an age of 20. He worked there till he was 40 and then went on a few abroad assignments before retiring when he was just 47. He tried a few businesses unsuccessfully and eventually stopped working.

My very early childhood dont have a lot of great memories about him. He would be at work - a technician in paper mill working in shifts - come home to rest and go out to meet his friends. But he would be very approachable and funny. As years passed, when he decided to quit his job for a brighter future outside India, we were scared as that would be the first time that we will be away from him. He promised that he will take us with him once he is settled. The year was 1983 and the country that welcomed him was Iraq. As promised, he took us along after six months, my mother, my younger brother and I. I was in my 10th grade considered the first important milestone in a child's education. I did not go to school for the six months and no schools in Iraq would take us in. We returned less than six months later as his contract would not be extended. I went back to my old school to finish my 10th exams and did ok. This is the time I remember we started growing closer. I had a long school vacation, he was looking for a job. We would walk outside in the evenings for his evening smokes, I was getting taller pretending to be a grown up. He would share many things about life, finances and how much money we had before we would go broke etc. But he would always insist that I should study well to have a better future. In a couple of months, he got his next assignment in Tanzania, this one for two years and family cannot accompany him. It was also the most important two years for my schooling, so we stayed back. On the day he had to leave, I cried so hard in front of him, which usually has never happened, bothered him a lot. That is also the first time I saw tears in him. Time went on, the next two years were busy with schools and he returned when I had completed my 12th grade and waiting for results.

He came back from his assignment just in time to help to get to college. Even though I scored well in my 12th grade exams, I faired poorly in the entrance exams. That put a dent on my dream schools. I was assigned to Karunya institute in Coimbatore. When we visited the college for the 1st day, there wasnt even a stone that was laid for a building. I pleaded with my father to give me one year to stay at home and try again the next year. He said, he would try his best to get me to a different college. He got into action pulled the strings and finally got me into IRTT, where I would graduate in computer science and go onto have the best life imaginable in USA. It was his perseverance and focus that shaped my future!

The four years when I was in college, he spent 3 years in Malaysia. I would visit a couple of times, my mother and brother stayed with him longer. He would finally come back in 1989 and that would be the last assignment. We built a home in Kulam, in the outskirts of Erode, where we never lived. By my mothers insistence, we bought a home in Periyar nagar where my parents and brother lived till their end.

My younger brother, who had a heart disease, situs inversus, from birth was a wonderkid according to doctors. He wouldnt make it past a few months and then 4 years and finally passed away when he was 18. My parents would give him all the freedom, never treated him like a sick child and let him grow up and do normal things. He would be sick every couple of years we would take him to the best hospitals in Chennai and get him well. The last time he got sick in 1991, we decided to keep him in Erode. He passed away with all of us surrounding him on November 16, 1991 at a young age of 18. It broke us to the core as a family. We were never the same. It was an inflection point in my life and I started to question everything from God to meaning of life and became a different person for the rest of my life. My mother went into a cycle of self-pity and depression, my father was broke inside.

I took them with me to Chennai after the death and then asked them to move with me to chennai in 1992. This is the time I was settling in jobs and changing my jobs frequently. This was also the time I fell in love with my would-be wife Selvi. My parents came to know about it and was shocked. This was a time in India, where love marriages are not accepted in India and marrying someone from a different caste was still not prevalent. A few months later I took a  job in Pune and my parents moved back to Erode. I moved back to Chennai in 1994 and started travelling to UK for assignments. This was also the time I had more money than I needed. My father had to undergo a surgery for a narrowed blood vessel that caused him a lot of pain in the legs. We did his surgery in Chennai and he recovered well to go back to Erode. During this time, I would visit Erode every week. My father was acting as the intermediary between mom and I to get her to accept for marrying Selvi. He would ask me to be patient, which went on for more than a year.

I moved to US in 1995 and settled there. In 1997, my mother reluctantly agreed to our wedding in Erode to finally announce us as a couple. In 1998, my parents came to help with Deepika and then in 1999 and then in 2002 for Ashwin. This years between 1995 and 2009 were the best years for my parents. They slowly got over my brothers memories and indulged themselves in religious and spiritual activities, formed new friends and travelled for pilgrimage.

Parents met with an accident in 2009, that will change all of us lives for ever, in ways we couldn't have imagined. My father was injured in the accident, but seeing my father in blood shot up the blood pressure for my mother and after admitting him in the nearby hospital my mom had a stroke resulted in bleeding in the brain. She went into a coma and was paralysed for the next 7 1/2 years until she passed away in 2017. I rushed to Erode following the accident and saw my dad had recovered and my mother was in a coma. Took them to coimbatore, where she would be in coma for the 3 weeks. Stayed for a month and returned to US leaving them in the custody of Venkatesan one of relatives, who helped in the most needful time. I returned again a couple of months later and arranged for physical therapy at home.

My dad is now becoming normal and had his close friend Mr. Palanivel, who is a selfless soul, help him. Mr. Palanivel ran the day to day operations for the next 10 years and made sure every need of my parents was attended to. He was there every step of the way from getting groceries, to medicines to taking them to doctors and above all managing the care takers. Without him, my parents would have gone a long time ago and I would not have the life that I had. He acted as their son in every way including doing the last rites for my father when I could not go when he passed away.

I moved back to Bangalore in 2010, to be with the parents during the tough phase of their life. I brought my mom to Manipal Hospital to treat her so that she can walk again. That did not work and they returned to Erode after 2 weeks. My father came to our apartment in Bangalore just for a day during that period. During this time, my children, 12 and 7 at that time, were finding it difficult to adjust to the new environment, school and settings. Seeing Deepika, my father strongly said I should go back to the US and that I should not make my children suffer. He emphatically said that they will not leave Erode to come live with us in Bangalore and hence it doesnt matter whether I lived in US or Bangalore. My father asked Mr. Palanivel to assure me that he is there to take of my parents and convinced me that I should go back. I gave in and moved back to US a year later. I would travel back every 6 months to visit them, while Palanivel and my father were holding the fort. During my visit in 2017 March, my mother passed away. Even though I was not next to her, I rushed back from my treatment in Kerala in a few hours to take care of the last rites. I compelled my father to come live with me in US. He refused and said he need some time. I went back in June to bring him to US. Within a month he wanted to go back to his den. I took him back in September to his comfort zone.

December 2019, was the last time I would see him physically alive and well. He spent a few days with the entire family during this short visit. He was prepared for his departure, he had plans on what should be done when. He must have come to terms that his only son may not be there with the on-going pandemic with Covid.

I have made 17 trips from 2009 and 2020 and spent many months on and off. But I never had imagined that there would be a scenario that I will not be paying last respects and perform my only obligation for him as his only child!

As someone who likes to live without regrets, this would be a regret that I would have to carry for the rest of my life!

2016 Travel to Dubai/India

Time for a family trip to India. After stopping over in Europe for the last 9 years or so, we decided to middle east this time. Emirates made it easier as they offer the best prices to India these days. At the time of booking we did not realize that it was the time of Ramadan. But as we realize that our travel will coincide with Ramadan, we kind of freaked out a little based on the reading. No food or even water in public, restaurants not going to be open until sunset are some of the things concerned us. The one good thing that happened was our hotel was just opposite to Dubai Mall, a major destination for tourists. The mall had a food court opened with a ton of choices that saved us during the stay. We stayed in Al Murooj Rotana hotel/apartments, which was beautiful. Great stay in a 2 bedroom apartment. Burj and the dubai mall was walkable, we watched the fountains a few times. We went to desert safari, gold souk, Palm Jumeira. There was nothing spectacular about the palm, as we took the train. The aerial view would have been the best. We went to the Burj Al Arab beach next to the Burj Al arab hotel. It was hot, but luckily not unbearable. The temps were at 38-40 degrees, but it was humid.  After 4 days in Dubai, we were done and ready to go to India. 

Spent a couple of days in Chennai and went to Erode. Parents were deteriotating slowly and steadily.  

Travelled to Bangalore for a couple of days as my wife had to work. Bangalore traffic was a nightmare, don't know how people live there. They don't seem to have time for anything else except commute and work. But the young crowd seem to take all of that in stride. Makes me wonder how would their lifestyle be when they grow old and the effect on the society. The government don't seem to care, the growth continues at a breakneck pace, with no consideration to infrastructure or ecosystem. 

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