Every time I visit India, I tell myself that this time I will :
(a) relax,
(b) eat lots of great home food,
(c) eat lots of great street food,
(d) meet other bloggers.
(e) take stunning, candid pictures (of family, friends, street scenes, beaches, trains …you name it).
Each time I run around like a hamster on a wheel. Actually, make that a hamster on a wheel on steroids. I make to-do lists. Running into TWO pages. And I actually go about finishing the tasks on those to-do lists. I end up visiting at least 2 cities on every trip, usually 3.
I return to the US and my family back in India wonders if I ever was in India.
“You hardly spent any time with us”, they say. “It’s like you were never here.”
I was, I want to assure them, because I spent a lot of time getting to know the traffic in every city.
I return with a bad back and a worse cold and spend days battling the mountains of laundry and clutter that somehow seem to mysteriously accumulate.
I’m certain none of this happens to other people.
Other people visit India and come back with great stories and even better pictures. Other people blog about eating mother’s cooking. Other people actually have a vacation.
What is your secret, other people?
Sujatha
nittin
shyam
Anonymous
Saying “no”. Oh, and visiting oftener than once a year.
To be fair, my relatives don’t force me to do anything. But more India trips? More jet lag, laundry, colds? No, no, clearly, I am not cut out for globe-trotting
India trip? How about a bloggers meet in Chennai?
Next time, certainly (as I keep telling myself
) This India trip is, of course, over and done with.
Take at least 2-3 days off in Goa.
Sounds like a great idea
We did take off 5 days in Belgium/ Germany while returning to the US, and that was a little relaxing. But we walked a lot, which wasn’t too relaxing 
Unfortunately, it’s always a crazy mad rush on every India trip – unless it’s an extended one and you dont need to worry about getting back to work or using up all your vacation time etc. I guess I dont belong in the “other people” group.
Feels great to know it’s not just me
Although, in my case, the length of the stay doesn’t seem to make a difference 
Other people actually have a vacation.
This is a myth. If it’s not, I’m-a gonna hunt them down and thump them for having so much time to spare.
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It’s not the clutter that gets me, as dealing will all the paperwork (left over from days living in India) – banks, insurance, financial stuff…
Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean. I still have Mutual Funds from the 1990s that I need to figure out a way to sell online. The process was too time-consuming for this trip
Tell me about it. I share the same symptoms. Nonetheless, it’s better than not having a vacation at all
All of it happens to me. But, in addition, stories and pictures also happen. In India, I’ve learned, you just need to be present for stories to happen (Perhaps I’m lucky, I do not know.)
But I always come back wishing I had more time.
By the way, you were in Germany AND Belgium this time? Next time, may I expect a short note a little in advance, so that we could check the possibility of meeting?!
I should have, I should have (let you know). But this time, for many reasons, was very unplanned (we weren’t even sure if we would stop over in Europe) and many days, travel plans for the day were made on the fly. We ended up paying full price on Thalys and other rail tickets (as against the 50% off we’d have got if we had booked just a week ahead)