Udupi for cousin engagement & wedding

Time: May 1-3, 2018 (engagement) & Feb 20-22, 2019 (wedding)
Place: Udupi
Company: Parents (engagement) & alone (wedding)
Occasion: Cousin's engagement ceremony & wedding
Highlights: 

Engagement:

Cousin's engagement ceremony at Udupi necessitated a second Udupi trip this year within a short interval. A simple itinerary: Bangalore to Mangalore in train (couldn't get seats till Udupi) on 1st night, took bus to Udupi on 2nd morn. Arrived at the ceremony just in time at about 11ish. Participated in the ceremony, then lunch. Quick and easy visit to Lord Krishna at the temple, back to the room for a siesta. I then headed back to Bangalore via Udupi-Mangalore (General quota train) and Mangalore-Bangalore (Sleeper RAC turned CNF) while parents stayed over for an additional day. 

Wife and daughter missing since they had to go to Hubli on same day to attend wife's cousin's thread ceremony. So we practically separated at the Bangalore railway station (my train was first to depart on 1st) and we joined back at the Yeswantpur railway station (again my train was first to arrive on 3rd). Hence, in effect, we all left home together and we came back home together!

Important event - I was away from my wife and daughter for more than one night after almost 3 years (last time was in May 2015 India trip)! Result? Another teary-eyed father-missing moment for daughter! :-)

Wedding:

Since my going to the wedding was on tenterhooks till the last minute, had not booked mode of transport. So on Feb 20th, went to Majestic and heard the conductor shouting 'Mangalore, Udupi', etc. and boarded the bus. I do this so rarely! I guess last time I went traveling without reservation was in Jan 2007! Once again (like engagement) I went alone without wife and daughter - because of school.

The bus journey overnight was not so comfortable as expected. I had not taken an overnight bus journey since such a long time that I do not even remember the last time! Not just the uncomfortable sitting position but bladder issue too - with no convenient and clean rest stops, the night becomes very hard to pass! Finally reached at 5 am, quickly went to the hotel where parents were spending overnight, refreshed and ran to the mantap hall. Apparently another cousin's son of mine was undergoing upanayanam nearby, so went there first. That done, rushed to another mantap where the wedding was underway. Wedding formalities were super traditional and hundredrs of slokas were chanted like vedic chanting by lots of achars - including the groom (my cousin) who is super proficient in slokas. Breakfast, lunch, dinner all happened in due course and in typical Udupi manner - 100s of items served in little quantities! 

The heat and the humidity goes unsaid. We were all sweating big time! After the wedding, helped little in offloading and loading stuffs like gifts, etc. Then took a short siesta before another of my cousin wanted us to all to go to the beach! So, we all went to the Malpe beach in the auto. Spent some nice time with cousins - after a really long time. 

We came back and once again my cousin pushed us all to go for Rath Yatra - or chariot pulling. Now I had no intention of doing all of this but thanks to her, it was an exhilarating experience! That chariot is REALLY HEAVY! Hundreds of us pulled and pulled and pulled and it barely moved! Finally it started rolling while our sweat started pouring out as if we were having bath! Finally succeeded in pulling the chariot two sides of the square Temple car street.

That done, went back to the room for a quick shower. And then took the bus back to Bangalore. This bus (which was AC sleeper) was arranged by my uncle for all us Bangalore folks. So it was a private bus. Good thing was company and hmm thing was the time. No one respected the time of departure. As a result, we left almost at 10 am and I knew by the time I reached home it would be late. As expected, reached outskirts of the city only at 7 am. By the time I reached home, it was almost 9 am. Nevertheless, it was a wedding that I would not have missed - and one more trip that would be cherished all my life especially because of the Rath Yatra and the Malpe beach...

Hubli for BIL Wedding

Time: Mar 8-11, 2018 & April 10-18, 2018
Place: Hubli
Company: Wife and daughter
Occasion: Wife's second brother's wedding 
Highlights: 

March

8th: Took the Ajmer express at 9:50 pm from KSR-SBC station. Train on time.

9th: Arrived Hubli at 6:45 am. The new Hubli railway station always amazes me. It is as good as SFO international airport! Took an auto to destination. Quick refresh & meditation in front of the rising sun - the terrace is beautiful at my in-laws! At 9:30 am, Brother-in-law and his family arrived from Dubai via Goa. Chatting, breakfast and got ready for the other brother-in-law's knot tying ceremony at a nearby temple. After all  dress-up, there was a photo session and then we were off to the temple.

At the temple, the ceremony was brief and succinct. Quick exchange of vows and in the presence of the Almighty, the knot was tied. More photos. Then feast back home. Some heavy stuff, hence took a light nap! Simple chatting in the evening - spending more time at the terrace. More ceremonies began at night. In fact, it was an all night event - including fable-telling with drums and songs and what-not especially about how to lead a married life. Eyes were getting closed shut but nevertheless the event - and the energy involved - was fascinating. Finally it got done by about 6 am in the morning.

10th: With little or no sleep at night, thought it is just as well to get ready for the next ceremony by taking an early bath. So that done, I was all set for the next ceremony - Satyanarayana pooja which was scheduled to start at 9 am but alas, it didn't start until 11:30 am. So slight naps in between light breakfast! The Pooja last for about 45 minutes followed by another feast! 

After the feast at about 3 pm, BIL #1 went off to Mantralayam with family. Another heavy nap. Then at about 6 pm, BIL #2 went off to Tirupati with newly wed wife. We did packing, had dinner and we left at 9:30 pm to station. Took the Rani Chennamma at 10:45 pm back to Bangalore. 

11th: Reached right on time at 7 am. Back home on our parked two-wheeler.

Overview: This was a pure family get-together with wedding ceremonies one after the other albeit on a low-key level. We could have stayed for one more day until Sunday evening - as we had originally planned and booked the tickets. But there was last minute change in plans because Tontu had to attend State-level spelling bee exam on Sunday. So had to re-book the tickets by cutting short the trip by one day. Hence it seemed like a tightly packed trip with no long sleep at Hubli at all. It was all only naps! Well, something to remember, huh?!

April

While the March wedding was extremely succinct and to-the-point, the one on 11th was more formal (more of the bride's way) and in a big choultry. So, we left Bangalore again on 10th night on the Golgumbaz express which arrived at 3:45 am on 11th. A hectic day with all the goings-on of a formal wedding. But once the lunch was done at about 3 pm, it was all pretty much downhill of activity! From 12th onwards until day of departure (17th), I just stayed home at in-laws and used my Mac for work and other tasks. Evenings were cool and breezy for nice strolls. Except for 16th (our birthday) when we went out to see the Glass House. Pretty impressive. Had dinner at Swathi restaurant and back home for cake cutting and what-not! This April add-on trip to Hubli was more of a combined 'Summer-hol break for Tontu' and the 'Formal BIL wedding'. Pretty neat, huh?!

Udupi & Mangalore

Time: Feb 16th - 18th 2018
Place: Udupi & Mangalore (Panambur Beach)
Company: Family
Highlights: 

Prelude: With Sri Raghavendra Swamy Saptaaha celebrations scheduled in Udupi for 2018 & considering Tontu had not visited Udupi - nor any beach in India after we relocated back - we thought it is a good time to visit the coastal city. So, booked the train tickets about a month in advance. Parents decided to stay for the entire weekend while wife, daughter and I decided to stay for just one day.

Day 0: Bangalore-Karwar train at 7:15 pm. [I guess the last time I went in this train was in 2007 but I am not sure!] It was a long time since we (family) went in a night train and it was fun, what with packed dinner and climbing ladders aboard a moving automotive!

Day 1: Reached Udupi at 8:30 am. Longish, compared to an overnight bus journey. Took an auto to the booked hotel. In the hotel room for the briefest of time - quick wash, dress up and we were off to the darshan. Unfortunately, just as we were about to enter, they stopped the queue and we had to wait for a long time. It was too hot and sunny. Finally the line moved and darshan was quick. In fact too quick that I didn't get any satisfaction because of the cop asking us to move constantly and didn't even allow for a 5 second view of the idol. Anyways. sat for about 30 minutes in the premises and did (or tried to do) some meditation. Then, it was lunch time.

Mother-in-law wanted to lunch directly from the floor (not from the banana leaf) - something unique thats done in Udupi - which I had experienced in 2007 during my solo trip. Then my wife decided on an impulse to do the same. So I decided too, and my daughter too! While it was a shocker in 2007 for me, today it was Business As Usual!

After lunch, I went for another darshan along with mother in law and daughter since the queue wasn't as big as earlier. This time I was very satisfied. The burly cop wasn't around and the new guy was endearing. He let me have my eyes' worth! Now thats my Udupi! 

Unfortunately, we could not attend Saptaaha festivities because there were no events lined up in the afternoon - which was strange because it is usually an all day - seven days function. Anyways, it was time for us to leave Udupi - considering we had to catch the train back to Bangalore from Mangalore at night. Bid adieu to Mother-in-law and Brother-in-law as they caught their bus back to Hubli and we took a bus to Mangalore. I remembered the Udupi-Mangalore road and the private bus drivers of the 2000s and how each of them were trying to overtake one another. In the internet there were jokes about Udupi-Mangalore drivers but now the roads are all international standard and it isn't scary anymore. So had a nice quick nap. 

Got down at Mangalore suburbs and took an auto to Panambur Beach. Initially had planned to go to Thannir Bhaavi beach but someone suggested P over TB. This beach was awesome - much better than we expected. The sand was too fine and silky - and very clean and neat. So neat that we wondered if eating snacks on the beach (which is the most common thing to do in Indian beaches) was prohibited! The waves were just perfect - not too scary. The weekend crowd too was just ideal. We went on long walks where the waves lapped at our feet. What a blessing the sea water here in India is warm compared to the chill ocean water in the US! 

The beach also had just the required amount of eatery stalls which satisfied our sunset chai time! And speaking of sunset - wow, that was superb too. Unimaginable that Nature gives us this splendid show every single day and we are so engrossed in our day to day life. After sunset, it was time to depart. We took an auto directly to Mangalore Railway Central. Reached about 8 pm. Had lightish dinner at the station restaurant and caught our train back to Bangalore at 8:55 pm. 

Day 2: Train was on time. Route was via Mysore, so saw the usual stations of Mandya, Chennapatna, Ramnagar, etc. Reached station at 8:30 am. Retrieved the parked two-wheeler and got back home an hour later.

Overview: Tontu knew the story of Udupi Krishna idol since about age 2, and it was nice for her to see the idol in person. The only negative points were the afternoon heat and non-availability of any Saptaaha programs. The best part of the visit was the beach. It was Tontu's first beach in India after we relocated. She loved it very much and so did the wifey. Much glad that we did this trip. It was short and sweet. Very memorable.