Jaipur days

I'm on the last leg of the 14 day covid19 institutional quarantine period, post a trans-pacific travel ✈️. The body is locked up in a 17"x12" room, however the mind is free to roam. And roam it does, and brings to mind the last enjoyable travel I did on my own to Jaipur aka the Pink City, last November. So much has happened post that, that reflections on this visit took a backseat. Now triggered, without doubt, by my recent reading of Alka Joshi's book - "The Henna Artist". 📖

If you've been reading my blogs, you may recollect that I had written a piece in 2017 on the reactions of people 👀 when my other half did a solo holiday trip. And if you've not, you could read it if you wish - Separateness in togetherness. Well, in Nov 2019, I had a work related visit to the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Jaipur was always on my 'must visit' list of places, so I worked things around such that I'd get a day before and after my work schedule, to see Jaipur - solo. Yeah, finally! 😁. 

Well, as is usual, I did my research of places to visit, things to buy et al. I was all set to land in Jaipur (a city established in 1727) a day early, so that I could take in the sights of the city. Fortunately or unfortunately, my flight was a good 5 hours delayed, throwing to the wind my scheduled sight seeing plans for the day. Well, I adapted. 

Unexpected sights 

I was fortunate that I got chatting with the driver of the very first Uber I booked for a late evening visit to my first planned port of call, the Hawa Mahal (loosely translated as the wind palace - owing to the windows where women folk of the palace would stand and look down at the going ons below). I must say that the sight of the Hawa Mahal by night (my first view, owing to the delayed flight), 

trumps that by day. Don't you agree? 

You see that pink colour? Well, just imagine that reflected in most buildings dotted across the city... giving the city it's moniker of 'the pink city' . 

Coming back to my story, the Uber driver was a mine of information, and he suggested sights which I had not planned for. Moral of the story - check with the locals as they may have better ideas than the visitor. What did he suggest? A late evening light and sound show at the Amber palace at the outskirts of Jaipur, which was simple amazing.

A view of the Jal Mahal (water palace - by the way, I read that 4 floors are under water) by night was also thrown in

As also a daytime view on a later day... I'm sure your agree that there sure is charm in the beauty of the night 🌃

Remember, this was a working trip... So once the work day was done, I explored the handicrafts of the region. From the traditional bangles made of lac (a gummy substance obtained from an insect - know more about it here https://www.worldartcommunity.com/blog/2018/11/love-for-lac/) ;

Gorgeous Kundan jewellery;

To hand crafted joothis (can't figure out if it's a case of the joothis making the feet look beautiful or vice versa 😂, comfortable too);

And the unique Blue pottery of Jaipur (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Pottery_of_Jaipur). 

I bought it all. What I did not buy were the more common Jaipur hand block printed sheets etc., which were not the flavour of the month for me. 

By the way, did I tell you that I'd packed more space, less luggage for my onward trip? 🛅😂

Uber sights by day

Come the weekend, and the real sightseeing begins. The same Uber driver, with whom I'd struck a deal for a days trip, reached right on time and we attempted to pack in as much as we could in 6 hours (I was scheduled to fly out the same evening). 

First, we went back to the scene of the light and sound show - Amber palace. Eschewing an elephant ride up to the palace (been there, done that), 

I was left astounded at the architecture of times begone - with walls and ceilings hand painted in gold and natural colours;

The natural ventilation for the summers (indoor waterways) 

Adapted as well for the winters (tiny mirrors which reflect candles lit at night to bring warmth). 

A visit to Jaigad fort, brings alive the water harvesting techniques within the ramparts of the fort.

Then the visit I had been waiting for... The city palace.

The blue room redefines the royal blue colour of my imagination.... 

The candle light reflections on the walls of the Sheesh Mahal (mirror hall). As you can see, this view is just with 2 candles. Now imagine this room with a 1000 candles💯)... 

The inlay of meenakari (a process of enamelling) workmanship on the walls of the Gold hall... 

The guides sure know the best spots and angles for pictures, pandering to the inner dormant royalty in us... 

Wouldn't you agree that the tour of the palace rooms is worth every penny of the 3K I paid? Unfortunately many visitors don't. I'm glad I did. 

Not to forget that the courtyard of the palace is house to this large silver urn (Gangajali) which finds a mention in the book "The Henna Artist". It's supposed to be the largest silver object in the world and can carry upto 900 gallons of pure water from the Ganges for the king's bath on the voyage to Britain. 🛀💦 Really? I'd opt for this 🚿 everytime 😂

After the city palace, I just had enough time for a quick tour of the Albert hall museum. It pales in comparison. Nevertheless, it's replete with artifacts from across the world, including an Egyptian mummy. 

A quick pick up of my luggage and it's back to the airport for the flight home. 🔙 Replete with the sights and sounds of a historical city, I'd only heard of. 

A feeling of accomplishment that it was a solo trip gone well 😎...Communion with the soul, a being of oneness with the self. 

Indeed there is separateness in togetherness too (refer my blog Separateness in togetherness for the reference). I'd surely recommend it to all women (and men, in case you haven't had a chance to have a solo vacation... after marriage, that is 😊)... At least once in a lifetime...I'd suggest you put it on your 'to do' list, post this covid period. As the ad says... "You are worth it" ☺️

90 days

Great expectations

March 11 2020 

The start of what we (the Mr and I) expected to be a long awaited month long vacation, starting with a wedding in the family at Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Why long awaited? Well, it had been a decade since my last overseas trip, coincidently to the USA again, and a decade since I'd taken a much deserved long vacation (discounting the 3 days short vacations or the Christmas times spent with the parents. Those are not vacations in my opinion, just breaks 😊).

Much excitement in the air from months before- a wedding to attend and a vacation to plan. You can imagine! A friend very wisely told me in Jan /Feb this year that much of the enjoyment of a vacation is in the planning and researching for it. Well, that certainly was true for us, in hindsight. Youtube videos, good old wiki, traveller reviews etc. gave us much to imbibe even as we planned our trip in minute detail. Months spent on learning a new language, Spanish, for our trip to Peru. (Well, duolingo is certainly an app I'd recommend to anyone wanting to learn a new language.)

Come march 2020, and we were set, or so we thought 🙄. 

Strange realities

Then in Jan/feb 2020 came the Corona to crown the vacation of all vacations. Come march 1st week 2020, and the question was - to do or not to do. Million dollar question - literally. Well, to cut a long story short, we decided to go ahead, mainly as we were to be the only immediate family representatives at the wedding, and partly also because the travel agent said that we would barely get any refunds of money spent. We decided to leave my "super senior" dad and "young adult" son in the care of each other for the next month and leave for the wedding. 

So off we went, armed with sanitisers, gloves and masks. Diligently disinfecting aircraft seats and well, we did not wear masks as the WHO then did not recommend it. Only to be greeted on arrival at Phoenix by the WHO news of declaring the covid 19 as a pandemic. 

One of the great parts of this story - it was one of the most enjoyable weddings I've ever attended (including my own 😉). From a slew of firsts - first henna on my hands (yes, imagine that!!), to my first group Indian dance at the wedding (I realised belatedly, that left and right leg/hand coordination is what it's all about 🙄), to experiencing a bridal shower (what fun it was to teach the Americans how to drape a saree😂), to a lovely and moving wedding ceremony, and the emotions of seeing a girl I'd fallen in love with when she was a 10 day old newborn, marrying the man of her dreams. And most importantly, no one from the wedding ceremony contracted the Corona. Phew ✌️

Then boom.... All well laid plans went kaput. Well, we did what mankind has always done well....we adapted. Decided to cut short our trip and return post haste after the wedding. Only to find our plans thwarted at every turn - cancelled flights, and a narrow miss of the window of opportunity return of the last flight into India, before clamp down on international flights into India. 

So then began our sojourn in Phoenix for the unforseeable future. Living in an airbnb (not my sister's place as some believed), practicing physical distancing became the norm - we simply avoided crowded places. Which meant that we stayed put at the airbnb. We were fortunate to live in a place where population density was less. Stepping aside to maintain physical distancing during a walk became an art form.  Hoping against hope that the Indian airspace would open up soon. 

And when it opened up, the endless emails/calls to the Embassy and others for help to find a way to get onto those few evacuation flights. Of hope and despair everytime a phase of flights would go by without our names on it. On and on, with no end in sight... Hope became our only support. 

Unprecedented learnings 

1. Remember what I said about researching for the vacation? Well, the universe decided that I had not done enough research...and it was true. I thought Arizona was all about the Grand Canyon (and it surely is beautiful and another majestic high point of our visit - I felt humbled beside it), 

the red rocks of Sedona,

the beauty and cold of Flagstaff

and the caves and museums. 

So life decided that it would teach me about the small things - the various Arizona cactii and it's beautiful blooms, 

the calls of the mockingbird, the strut of the Gamble Quail (click here for video - Gamble Quail ), the buoyancy of the hummingbirds, (click here for video - Hummingbird's buoyancy),

the life giving kiss of a bee, 

the freezing of a rabbit in fright, 

the rare sighting of the coyote, 

the sheer joy of sighting a bear, 

The slow slither of the long nose snake sunning itself on the sidewalk (click here for video - long nose snake), the silence of the rattlesnake, 

the upright posture of the round tailed ground squirrel (click here for video Round tail ground squirrel), the exhilarating feel of gravel and stones under the feet on a long tough mountain hike, 

and the myriad hues of the sunrises and sunsets.

And what a learning it was. Certainly not from youtube or wikipedia. But simply the best that one can have. From nature itself. Which I'd forgotten to do in the daily humdrum of life. 

2. I learnt to stop, take a pause and observe the subtle beauties of life, from one breath to the next, moment by moment. And I slowly learnt to cope day by day...with uncertainty, hope and despair, anxiety of leaving an elderly parent with a young adult son (well children are always young for a parent), loss of income and with complex human dynamics of people thrown together by a pandemic. 

3. I learnt that drawing on one's own internal resources for strength is easy to preach, more complex to make an ongoing habit through the toughest of times. Mind you, this despite my decade long experience in mindfulness practice and meditation. Some friends did comment that I was calm and collected, fewer know that I had my few moments of meltdown, when external events overcome the best of me. Many thought it was a second honeymoon for the Mr and me, an extended holiday. And while this gave us undiluted time together, I'm also grateful to the people who looked beyond the obvious and took time to  understand the not so obvious. Those who gave a call/texted  to check how we were doing. You know who you are - thank you! And I learnt the power of simple words of enquiry, a single call, a one line text... I learnt that even when I am strong emotionally, it is OK to lean on others at times, to take a moment to unburden my angst on another's shoulders. I learnt that it is fine to be able recognise my feelings for what they are and move on. I learnt that I don't have to be strong all the time. Above all, I learnt to go with the flow. To accept that even in uncertainties to rest assured that the One more powerful than I, holds the certainties in His hands. 

4. I also started looking for larger purposes 🕵️at work even in the most difficult of times. At times it did make sense to me. Oftentimes, it did not. What I do know however, is that the dots will surely join together for me some years down the line. 

5. Health - well one of the larger purposes was surely for both the Mr and I to become fitter 😊. Over 12 kg loss in weight for the Mr

and a modest 5.5 kg for me.

Well, modest it may be, but I became the weight I was when I got married💃. More importantly, a practice of intermittent fasting I'd started 2 years ago, took hold, expanded and became firm. 

Walking 🚶‍♀️as an exercise was a chore, I'd earlier conveniently skip whenever possible. 

Now, the 7 to 9 km daily walks became the lifeline of my existence. Documented faithfully through my face book posts. I craved the freshness it brought to my life. The simple act of acknowledging another human being (which I admire the Arizonians for), making new friends brought light to my life. Hopefully, walking is something that's reframed in my life for the positive. Time will tell... 

6. The well wishes from people known and unknown, the willingness of others to lend a helping hand when needed. A revelation that people just wait for opportunities to help, should we just ask for it. 

Greater sojourn endings 

Then the big announcement that tickets for evacuation flights would now be on sale! Morning wake up alarms were set, strategies worked out (after all it all boiled down to a game of fastest finger first with a little over 3000 seats for 40000 persons waiting for evacuation from the USA). The Mr would take the even dates, I'll do the odd dates - flights were scheduled from the 11th to 30th June. 

The nail biting finish. The first false start, I went all the way to payment only to find the seats blocked were no longer available. The phone touch screen let me down, as I'd incorrectly selected a seat. Nerves of steel required. The Mr telling me to be cool. Then he managed to get through to payment stage for a date, later realised it was for the 11th itself. Then yippee, payment through. Indescribable moment. Emotional release. I cried. A miracle had happened. 

I then rushed to check on the others in the group, as tickets were all unavailable within half an hour. They were all unsuccessful. Hour after hour of trying, and then miraculously 16th became available and tickets were booked for all. Phew! 

To cut a long story short, we quickly sorted out our travel to San francisco from where the evacuation flight started. First the journey to San francisco (which by the way was on our original itinerary - a day in reality versus the week originally planned). Apart from brief health scare the day before travel, some instances which warm the heart - the Mr's friend's insistence to show us some sights of the city (which for me was a blur as I had only one objective - to get on the flight AA1174). 

And more importantly for me, a dear friend who travelled to the airport, as she simply had to meet me when I "was in her backyard" (with covid precautions of course - air hugs, masks etc.) 😍

The return journey was not for the faint hearted. Standing for a total of 3 hours in 2 different queues - one for thermal check and another for check in,

surely took a toll on one legs (despite all the marathon walks). The masks and vizors did not make the journey any easier.

Prepacked meals kept on the seat (no piping hot service) jostled with leg space later.

A loaded wallet lost in the plane (and now found and awaited). A plethora of events and emotions. 

Oh, but the sweet sigh of relief on reaching Bengaluru.... Indescribable. The service and organisation at BIAL airport, one of the best I've seen. The covid care precautions taken (see baggage fumigation at Taj Vivanta ) and the warmth as well as courtesy at the Taj Vivanta hotel, touches the heart.

Day 2 of quarantine. The rest of the 14 day quarantine lies ahead and before long, it will be home sweet home. 

March 11 to June 11 

90 days - a dream......the present - a miracle. 

Every step along the way, a journey to get us to where we are to go. 

Breathe in the moment, it takes us to the next one. Each one a miracle. Let's slow down to experience it.