I could start this essay the ol’ fashioned way. You know “the days were hot, the nights were cold,” yada, yada, yada. The days were hot and the nights were hot but not as hot. What would you expect? It’s India, my friend. IT’S ALWAYS HOT. But you don’t want to know about the temperature, you want to know about the experience. And that is what you shall get.
We left for India 2 days before school left. That means that I had to take all of my finals 2 days before everyone else (No, I’m not complaining). My last week on U.S. soil was divided between packing items and studying. But the night before, even though I was tried and never wanted to see another t-shirt or sigma sign, I was excited. For the first time in 8 years, I would see my relatives. My uncles and aunts and cousins and grandmas and grandpas, the whole gang.
We woke up at 2:00 a.m. To some, that would have been impossible. But for me, it was too much fun. I had always associated getting up early with a good time so the earlier, the better. We checked all of the items, and left. We got to St. Paul International Airport, went through the metal detectors and boarded. And then show-time. We took off!
After 4 planes, 3 layovers and 10 hours’ worth of delays, my family and I got home. When we stepped out into the night, the first thing I felt was the humidity. It was 100 degrees with 55% humidity at 2:00 a.m.! And I vividly remember thinking “What have we got ourselves into?” I met my uncle for the second time in my life, boarded a bus and rode for 12 hours to get into the heartland of southern India. We had reached my birthplace, Madurai.
Since I grew up in the slums of India, we didn’t go to any resorts or amusement parks or anything of the sort. The whole vacation was spent either on a bus, traveling or inside a relative’s house, talking. And I must say that talking that summer was a lot more interesting than a roller coaster ride.
The next month and half just disappeared. We traveled over 300 miles, going from uncle to grandpa to cousin, throughout all of India. The landscape? Beyond words. But if I had to describe it, imagine the rolling hills of Africa’s plains, mixed with palm trees and lakes speckled throughout like blueberries in the brown, Indian sand pancake batter.
And the food (it needs its own paragraph). I used to think that my mother’s cooking was the epitome of Indian cuisine. Boy, was I wrong! Everywhere, street vendors were selling delicious, exotic cooking. I gained 10 pounds by just eating! But like the sweet, light, milky flavor of “palkova,” my time in India was fading.
The last day was bittersweet. I was looking forward to using a real bathroom, seeing my friends and feeling the sensation of “cold.” But this would the last time that I would see my family for a long time. My cousin was getting married soon; my other cousin was going to college. Life in India was so different from the last time I was here and I can only imagine how differently it will be when I come back. That last day, there were a lot of tears. Not me though, until some…uuh…dust got into my eye. When we stepped on the bus, I looked back to see everyone gathered, waving for possibly the last time in my life.
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Grt place to visit.. This place is located after entering the Ranthambore National Park.. However, to visit this place u can evn get your own vehicle…
John, glad you liked the story. This park is in Ohio where the weather can be unpredictable! It’s warmest between late April and November, but even April has the risk of some snow. If you’re camping with kids, the safest bet is June to August, because it’s warmer and there’s little rain. Enjoy your trip.
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It’s truly magical being there. I love the art this country offers. Their wall arts and crafts are just lovely.
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The history of Cuhahoga valley national park seems interesting and must be a new experience when we observe scenes of National park from their scenic campgrounds.
which season do you think is the best time to visit this national park?
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Wow, what a nice article. Makes you feel like you should pack up and go immediately. It seems Linblad runs a good operation and trips are kid friendly. Is there a list of particular dates that are family friendly or are there kid activities year round on board the boats. Any other advice on travling with kids to Ecuador and Galapagos would be really welcome.
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Hello Michael, glad to hear your family is interested in a dude ranch holiday.
Since your kids are older and, hopefully, everyone in the family rides, you have lots of options. The Dude Ranchers Association is a really helpful resource in sorting through the many types of ranch vacations. For example, you can go here: https://duderanch.org/by-activity-amenity and search for ‘Advanced Rides’ and “Cattle Drives’ and that would get you some real working ranches that would have more of the lifestyle you seem to be looking for. One of our authors recommends the Hideout in Shell, Wyoming for this type of trip.
Looking for a real ranch experience with horseback riding (lots of it) and time in the open air with my son (15) and daughter (12) and my wife (49). I am 62. We live in NJ, my children have been sheltered but I grew up in a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. I want my children to see another side of life.
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Of course, you can do travel freely and easily through these two countries yourself, but I enjoyed having the trip curated for me, including well-chosen local guides, comfortable transportation on call and some superb private tours, such as a Khmer cooking class or historic walking tour of Saigon, with flexibility in the itinerary for our group of five to follow their own paths, such as making an emotional detour to the moving Genocide Museum housed in the old S-21 jail in Phnom Penh.
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For Richard re: dual citizenship US-Nicaragua… can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Hi Richard, In our travel experience, this type of document should work well for your travels, but if your wife is available, it can’t hurt to download the sample forms we have online and also have her fill out and notarize one for your trip with your child. The agency responsible in your case will be the carrier — we assume an airline — and if they can make a note in your travel record that they have approved the Nicaraguan documents you should be fine on both departing and entering.
Safe Travels!
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very informative article Travel forums provide first hand experience and advice to travelers and are a great source of information and travel tips.
As a signal parent, your life, world, actions are based on your childs well fair. Not your happiness or anything that has to do with you.
It should list where they are going, the dates that they are allowed to go and grant your permission for that trip. You want to include your address and phone number and probably the contact info for the adult traveling as well.
The grand archways and the paintings of Lord Krishna and his cows are a visual treat. Wander through areas opened for tourists and you shall witness the impressive aura and architecture of the Royal state of Rajasthan.
Thanks for Sharing
Hello guys my wife and I have dual citizenship US-Nicaragua, I’m planning to travel to the US with our son also dual citizenship for 3 weeks, with a Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) from Nicaragua, can I use the same to travel back to Nicaragua with the same Power of Attorney (Specific to Minors) since wife is staying back in Nicaragua to keep eyes on the house.
Congratulations to the winners! A question to all the professional travelers here, how are you planning the route ant the places to see while visiting a new country? As for me I just google the most touristic and popular places. It works mostly, but there were a few times when I realized that I have seen only some the places this country or city is famous for, and that’s sad. On my last trip to Armenia, I decided to take a tour and it was quite productive. It’s much more informative when somebody is telling you history and some interesting facts. If someone wants to save their time – make sure to ask them to help if you’ll ever be there.
Curitiba é uma lugar lindo, além de ser considerada uma das melhores cidades para se morar em Brasil.
Realmente a muito o que conhecer por lá, como também diversas outras belezas do nosso brasil.
Principalmente as praias do Brasil que são muito procurada por inúmeros turistas internacionais e nacionais.
As Praias do Litoral Paulista, divididos entre Praias do Litoral Norte e Litoral Sul.
As mais conhecidas são as Praias de Ubatuba com mais de 100 belas praias no litoral norte paulista.
Já no litoral sul, a região mais procurada são as Praias de Guarujá, a região conta com 23 praias de pura beleza e preservação ambiental.
nice article, i also read about Celebrate Christmas Eve 2018
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Mahalo,
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Was an honour and pleasure to host you both in the Maori Whakata/Welcome to Wanaka. Welcome back anytime to this wonderful part of the world.
Kia Kaha/Stay strong
[http://www.wanahaka.co.nz]