International Travel

Yesterday, I completed the last step in my preparations to go to India...my shots. Ow. Or maybe I should say, Ow, ow, ow, ow. I had four injections. Two in each arm. I'm not a very big baby when it comes to a little physical pain. But at least it's over.

I have my visa, my passport and my health records. Now all I have to do is pack and look forward to a 24 hour flight. Can you say, 'jet lag'?

I think it will all be worth it to visit a country so rich in history and culture. When I was young, I studied the Hindu religion for a semester. It's fascinating, and I'm thinking I might set some stories there. (That Brahma really got around!) LOL

There are literally thousands of Hindu Gods, but I was taught that 3 reigned supreme. Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Not everyone in the western world would recognise depictions of these dieties. But the most popular God you'd recognise in a second.

Ganesha--the elephant-deity riding a mouse. Ganesha is one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted as having a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

The last time my husband was in India, he brought me back a beautiful carved statue of Ganesha. And bringing this back to romance, that trip was an eye-opener for both of us. We had never been apart that long since we met in 1990. (Yup, we're going on 20 years.) We were miserable without each other. We talked on the phone a few times, and then the power went out. I had a cell phone with spotty reception, so talking became impossible. I finally went to my in-laws house and used their phone--but I woke up my husband. Oops. Time difference. He didn't mind. We were both just so glad to hear each other's voices.

When he got home, he vowed that if he had to go there again, he would take me with him. Now, two years later, we're going over there together. There's a 3 day weekend because of an Indian holiday, so we'll have a few days to get out and explore. I may stick close to the hotel while he's working just to be on the safe side.

I'll have my laptop with me so I hope I can take some notes as I soak up the atmosphere. I've set books in places I've visited before, like Maui; New Orleans; Daytona Beach; Las Vegas; San Francisco and always found it helpful to do a little brainstorming while I was there--even on vacation. So, don't hate me because I'm on vacation in eighty degree weather. I'm working. Really. Honest. I mean it.

Ash