Boston, USA

Time: Apr 29, 2011 to Oct 31, 2011
Place: Boston, USA

Company: Wife and daughter

Highlights: Qatar airways for the first time. Blr - Doha (4 hrs+1 hr transit) - Washington (14 hrs + 4 hrs transit) - Boston (1.5 hrs). Paavani was good for most part except for a few occasions where she wailed a lot. With 5 suitcases of 23 kgs each and 2 cabin baggages of 8 kgs each and 1 laptop, I felt like a boulder over my shoulders. Feels good to be back in Boston after 1.5 yrs.

Dubai

Time: Apr 16-24 2011
Place: UAE - Sharjah, Dubai, Al-Ain
Company: Family
Highlights:

Day 1: 16^th: Took the Airarabia flight at 0430 hrs to Sharjah. First international flight for my daughter Paavani and first flight for my mother in law. Reached Sharjah at 0630 hrs local time but due to immigration formalities which took almost 1.5 hrs, could get out of the airport only at 0830 hrs. Brother in law picked us up from the airport and took us to his house in Sharjah.

Relaxed entire day but in the evening, went to Ajman Beach near Sharjah. UAE is comprised of states which they call as Emirates. Sharjah, Ajman, Dubai, Al-Ain (?), Abu Dhabi, etc are Emirates. Ajman beach is a nice hang out for kids especially as it has some play arena.

Reached home and celebrated me and my wife’s first birthday with our daughter.

Day 2: 17^th: Left home at 10 am to go to Dubai which is just an hour away. First stop was on Jumeira Beach. This beach was filled with Europeans. Beautiful beach, nice waves, bluish green color of the sea. Beach is adjoined with a nice park to relax and have snacks. Wonderful atmosphere.

Next stop was Wild Wadi park but only to take snaps in front of Burj Al Arab since even an entry into Burj Al Arab is very expensive. Then went to Atlantis – the 7 star hotel that’s built recently in Dubai. Picturesque architecture standing like a gate to Dubai from the ocean. Atlantis also acts as the head of the palm tree that’s constructed on the sea. Best part is there is a monorail that goes through the stem of the constructed tree and one can see the branches branching out of the stem with each branch containing villas with private beaches which only the filthy rich can own.

Next stop was for lunch at one of the innumerous indian restaurants. Then at 4 pm went to Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building. It is about 250 odd floors but visitor access is only till half the number of floors (127?). Amazing view all around. Then got down to the Dubai mall and also saw the musical fountain. Finally headed back home.

Day 3: 18^th: Did nothing in the morning but went to Desert safari in the evening at 4 pm. Never expected it to be like a theme ride! These SUVs have raw power to rip through the desert sand dunes like anything and drivers tend to go over them like a ride. One will be tossed here and there during the ride. Fun for the first few minutes but gets boring after some time. Finally went to a camp-like setting under the open sky – with all the seating arrangement pointing towards the center stage which was later occupied by the belly dancer and other traditional Dubai dancers. Camel ride, motor bike ride, costume, henna, etc too were present. After a nice dinner, headed back.

Days 4, 5, 6 : 19th – 21^st: Relaxed. Went to a nearby park and played shuttle after a long time. There are lots of parks in Sharjah and nice places to relax and spend time. Place called Cornish was in within walking distance. A nice setting to spend with family amidst the back water.

Day 7: 22^nd: Went to Al-Ain wildlife park. This place has animals & birds from all parts of the country. It is extremely vast and needs almost 5-6 hrs to completely see this park. Once done, we went to Jebel Hafeet mountain. Wonderful drive up the mountain with steep ascent but beautiful road. Once atop, one can see the desert in its pristine glory. Very nice climate. Localites performing dance all around. Apparently, it goes up till midnight plus some motorcycle stunts. But we headed back after sunset to avoid the traffic. Another huge park right below the mountain. Finally reached home at 9.30 pm.

Day 8: Time to go back. Stayed home. Took the Airarabia 1030 pm flight back to Bangalore.

Overall: UAE is a wonderful country which accommodates for the well being of a family. Lots of Indians, Pakistanis, Afghanistanis, etc living in a country that is made beautiful by the Government. Just shows that if India, Pakistan, Afghanistan is made beautiful, then the citizenry can indeed keep it beautiful. Enjoyed the trip thoroughly.

Kushtagi

Time: Mar 4-6 2011 

Place: Kustagi 

Company: Maternal Uncle 

Highlights: 

 Day 0: Left in 2215 hrs Rajahamsa bus to Muddebihal. 

 Day 1: Reached Kushtagi at 0800 hrs. Walked to Adavi Temple where the Saptaaha celebrations for 2011 had just started. Very much country life. No air or noise pollution. Freshness of life all around. Had bath in a pond after a long time. Attended a series of Pravachans (religious discourses) which were very well presented in flawless Kannada. It is a pleasure to see the knowledge one has on the story and the control in narration given in in-depth Kannada. Had lunch, siesta and saw the opening ceremony in the evening and left to Bangalore at 8 pm. Took the bus to Hospet and the Airavath to Bangalore. 

 Day 2: Reached Bangalore at 5.30 am and home at 6.15 am. Nice lazy Sunday thereafter. 

Summary: Saptaaha is a 7 day celebration to Sri Raghavendra Swamy that is conducted in the Feb-Mar period in various parts of the country every year. The 1st day denotes the the day Venkatanaatha assumed pontiff role and became Raghavendra Swamy and the 7th day denotes his birthday. I wanted to visit at least one day of a Saptaaha celebration since a long time and finally the wish got fulfilled on March 5th 2011 in Kushtagi.

Paaparapatti

Time: Feb 20, 2011 Place: Paaparapatti Company: Wife, Daughter, Parents, Mom-in-law Highlights: A much needed long-drive! 108 kms one way on a beautiful stretch of road amidst country side. Paavani's first long-drive in a car. Thanked Guru Raghavendra Swamy for a smooth labour and delivery. It was here that the priest had blessed us for "Santhaana Prapthhirasthu" when we had visited in Jan 2010.

Mantralayam

Time: Feb 3-6 2011
Place: Mantralayam
Company: Parents, Wife, Daughter
Highlights:

Day 0: Nanded Express train 3 AC at 2300 hrs. Too high AC. Apparently some passengers complained AC to be low and hence for us it became unbearable. But clean and neat. Thankfully Paavani didn’t make much fuss.

Day 1: Reached MALM station at 7.30 am and city at 8 am. Booked nice room at Pannaga International. Went for Tungabhadra river bath. Been long time since I had river bath. It’s a feel-good factor. Had darshan and food. Siesta. Visited relative’s house + darshan in the evening. Retired for the night.

Day 2: Panchamruta Abhisheka Seva to Raghavendra Swamy Brindavan was the only highlight of the day. Had thought about this seva to facilitate a smooth pregnancy and delivery for my wife and since it was smooth, here I was!

Returned back in same train. Boarded at 2000 hrs. Couldn’t get AC. So hahd to manage in 2nd class sleeper. It was one of the worst bogeys I have ever been. Lights not turning off. Fans not turning on. Windows not present. Peeled plyboards. No lights in lavatories. Cockroaches and mosquitoes. It was a shock!

Day 3: Reached on time at 6 am. Sad to see multiple mosquito bites on Paavani’s face :-(

Highlights:
1. Paavani’s third out station trip in as many months! Wonder where she will be off to in her fourth month!
2. After seeing Guru Raghavendra Vaibhava in Suvarna Channel, one can relate more to the Brindavan in Mantralayam.

Chennai for the 3rd time in 2010!

Time: Dec 26-27 2010
Place: Chennai
Company: Wife and daughter
Highlights: 3rd time in Chennai in 2010! And all pertaining to US Consulate. Chennai weather in winter was comparable to Bangalore weather. This time took the aerial route. 40 mins actual travel time but couple of hours for the paraphernalia! Paavani wailed during take-off but thankfully slept within 5 minutes.

But she cried and fussed a lot all through the Chennai stay (made us sleep only 3 hrs) making the trip slightly chaotic. However, she slept like an angel for the crucial period of 4 hours - 2 of which were spent inside the consulate. I had to wait outside while Gouri tried to manage the show inside - carrying the important documents and the baby! Needless to say, it was tough on her. Added to the woes was my mistake in not sending all docs with her and also her counter number never came due to a technical glitch during shift change and she had a hard time convincing folks.

For the first time, I stood outside the consulate waiting for 2 hrs. There was a time when I felt I was putting my wife and daughter to too much trouble because of me and my job requirement. I even felt that I should have said no. Finally she came out successful, tired but victorious!

We got back to the saidapet guest house, had lunch, took slight rest and headed back to the airport. Paavani's wails had reduced but was always lying in the undercurrent. The journey to Bangalore was uneventful but the journey from BIAL to home was terrible. Traffic and Paavani's uneasiness had reached its peak and we wished fervently to reach as fast as possible.

Thankfully, all's well that ends well. First time in airplane for Paavani! Within 3 months, she has now traveled in 2 AC train and flown in airplane twice! She has even visited 2 Indian Metro cities! Boy, what a start! :-)