At around 7pm every evening, I am on the lookout for my tired but happy son returning from school after a sweltering cricket session. Looking out of the big living room windows, I see Julie the caretaker’s cat flopped on the roof of a car parked on the dusty ground, near the apartment. I think the heat is hard on this furry old lady who has a litter of kittens every now and then. The usual topic of conversation, when I collect the huge water containers from the caretaker of the apartment complex is Julie and her lost kittens.

Sriram my cousin called this morning. He now works in one of the islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi. I always thought islands were cooler than the main lands, because they were surrounded by water. But he says it is hotter on the island and after staying a couple of decades in the Gulf countries, this stay on an island is particularly trying. They say the islands off the coast of Bahrain are home to a variety of water birds, also migratory ones.
I haven’t seen a lot of water birds and living here provides a chance.

Whales have always fascinated me. I haven’t seen a real one, but I am hoping and praying I get to see one in the course of my life. A CD of their songs is in existence.
Being a vegetarian, I really cannot understand the necessity of killing animals, more so for research reasons. And to think that it is the so called civilised world that is doing so. The killing of animals in Africa though a reality is primarily for food. To know, that developed literate nations are killing whales in the guise of research is a disgrace.

It was one of the hot summer nights when you just can’t seem to relax into sleep and you know it will affect your next day. Saturday being a school holiday, Krishna was up past his bedtime watching a cricket match. They seem to have one every night. I like the idea of a ten hour sleep time for a growing child and I face tough resistance to it. Like when he misses a few hours of sleep and I make him rest for a while during daytime. He doesn’t want to miss out on anything but sleep.

The local newspaper reported that the airline we are booked on had offloaded some twenty passengers yesterday, because they were overbooked. Chandra says we should make it earlier to the airport and get our baggage checked in.
In Nigeria, we got to the airport by 6pm, even if the flight was at mid night, to avoid armed robbery. The airport was crowded and the check in counters long. We used to stand for hours and were tired out by the time we reached the aircraft. In five hours, we were in the bright morning of a cool Addis Ababa.

It was an adventure getting to India then. A whole lot of preparation would be to set the house in order for a long break. The morning of the journey would include some mad rushing with an excited child. The first part would be a long car journey through a bunch of states as we try to reach Lagos from Asaba. Then at about five in the evening, we would be at the Airport at Lagos. The flight was usually at mid night and we would reach Ethiopia early next morning. Then wait to catch the connecting flight to Mumbai.

There are warnings about the swine flu checks at the airport. Take care of your health the family warns. If you arrive with a fever, you might be detained at the airport. The swine flu has not become a serious issue for us yet. Though we have a child at school, the risks during a school season are few. It is only when the school reopens after the holiday, we have to be concerned. We have to be more concerned about the chikungunya fever in India during the monsoon seasons. I am sure nobody can escape mosquito bites in India.

Looking out of the windows at night waiting for Krishna, I could see some activity in the dusty ground below. Two young children were playing behind one of the many cars parked in this dark area, adjoining the well lit Gosi car park. They were about five years, a boy and a girl. I could see no adult around. As they were squatting on the ground hidden behind the cars, they were at risk if some driver failed to see them. After fifteen minutes, I saw a lady in an Abaya near them and now they were throwing pebbles high.

We had booked air tickets a month and half ago but even then there were limited options. Most schools in the kingdom now close by mid July. I just found out that our return flight was an early morning one at 4am. I have to check in at 1am. The family would certainly discourage late night travel. So I have to be at the airport by 10 or 11pm and wait the whole night out. The 3 or 4 hour journey from Coimbatore to Kochi and the long wait at the airport with a sleepy twelve year old, tough going!

Friday morning routines are leisurely, because it is the weekly holiday. Our Friday routines are starting earlier than usual by 4am. Krishna’s cricket coaching starts at 6.15am, so he has to be at the bus stop before 5am to catch the school bus. There is some concern about sending a child alone that early, so the father has to start with him. At 4am I am awake, getting ready a light breakfast for the sporting child and generally to keep track of time. By 6.30am breakfast chores are over and Chandra has left for additional holiday work.

The last few months we have had very few visitors in our apartment. Chandra worked later, Krishna had exams and I was permanently wandering about the apartment finding things to do. When we had a family visiting us late last evening, we seemed to have a lot to talk about. Our travel time was almost similar and our common destination was Kochi. I was keen on finding someone who was on the same return flight in September. I do not want to leave a child alone in the airport, even for a washroom visit. I am still on the lookout!

As we set out for our last round of vegetable shopping at Aswaq, it was 9pm. The pedestrian paths were less crowded. When we neared the fountain, we saw a trailer parked right on the pedestrian path and all walkers had to step into the busy road to get to the other side of the path. So thoughtless!
When we cross the roads in Bahrain, most drivers stop for pedestrians to get across. When you are carrying heavy shopping bags, it is nice to see a big car stopping yards away to let you move across the road first.

It is 5pm and past the time I usually write. Half the morning was spent in looking for the manual of the electronic blood pressure monitor. I usually keep the manuals in secure locations of the apartment and this time it is too secure, that even I can’t find it. I went through the Kitchen equipment manuals in one specific kitchen drawer. Searched the computer hardware manuals in the computer table storage and went through the living room storage spaces thoroughly. The monitor itself was packed for a family member in India who would surely ask for the manual.

Yesterday, I diversified to a new search for the cell phone electronic chip so that I can use it, when I get to India. I had it in the cell phone and changed over to the local connection on reaching here, but kept the chip safely for reuse in India. Only I have forgotten where!
I went through all the safe places, I could possibly find for a tiny chip for over an hour, then gave up and went to bed. This morning, I tried the spectacle cases and found this tiny chip wrapped in a piece of paper.

I am tired of walking around the apartment putting things away, so that they will not gather dust during our holiday. Throughout this week, I have been in touch with the family in India to set right all those transport issues which will arise, once we land in Kochi. It is like a puzzle waiting to be played. Once you land call us and contact so and so, who will wait in car number so and so to pick you up at this time interval. His car will have this name inscribed in Malayalam script(I do not read Malayalam).

I am glad there is a facility to check in luggage 24hours prior to the flight. The airport at Muharraq Island is just a twenty minute drive and this makes it easier. Give away the luggage as early as possible, get your boarding pass and arrive casually a few hours before flying time for the personal checks.
The refrigerator has to be emptied and the cooking gas line to be switched off. Some clothes will remain in the laundry basket. We shall probably nap for two hours onboard, but we do get to our destination in just five hours.

I am in India after the five hour journey in an uncomfortable economy class of a Gulf airline. The service was poor and the staff rude. But there was room to stretch our legs as we were near the emergency exit.
It was raining as expected, when we landed in Kochi and the car arranged for us was waiting. The polite Nemmara man who was our driver, made our journey to Coimbatore a pleasant one. This was inspite of the heavy rains through the stretch of Kerala we passed, and visibility was low. It is nice to be home.

The change in climatic conditions has affected me and Krishna. We are both suffering from a racking cough. It has affected my throat and there is pain. I have a lot to say to my mother. Even the pain does not deter me.
She seems to have more wrinkles and creases and is obviously delighted to have me and my family around. She fusses around Krishna and he seems to take it in very happily. I wish I could let him stay around her but having a comfortable job abroad is necessary as both of us are around fifty.

The whole of yesterday I was so weak that I couldn’t get out of bed. Krishna was still in recovery and coughing it out. My mother was bustling about trying to attend to us. There were so many activities,I had scheduled for us and we are three days into our holiday. There is a chilly wind blowing and a slight drizzle of rain every now and then.
It must feel great to be outdoors but I have hardly stepped outdoors. The mosquitoes who had remained invisible struck yesterday and we have bite marks all over exposed skin.

You have to constantly keep watch over your compound walls in most houses. Once you are away you see temporary and permanent structures being put up using the compound wall as one supporting wall. The next door building which was demolished to make way for a new structure has put up one. This is right near our front gate and is a temporary toilet area for their construction workers. This brick eyesore right near our front gate will stay till they finish construction. I don’t want to argue about it as we will stay here only for two months.

The mosquito bites are showing up red and spotty. Everyone I meet ask me” How are you? Have you developed some allergy?”- No, the familiar mosquito bite but it seems to have become strange to my body now.
We went to the house to sort out things. The trees add a whole lot of positive energy to a landscape. The garden is a lot wilder now but it is more beautiful. The neem tree forms a natural arch over the front yard and the sunlight ripples in pleasantly. The palms that grew from bird droppings have become graceful trees.

The plan of visiting Mysore and Nagarhole seems to be fading quickly. We are making a slow start and getting a few tasks accomplished. The sun is bright but the breeze takes away the heat. I called up friends to let them know I have arrived. I am always amazed at how happy they are to see me. It seems to me that I have really accomplished something here. I am putting this idea to thought, someday I don’t fall asleep quickly. Krishna dawdled over his lunch for over an hour this morning, testing my patience to the extreme.

Last night we went to meet my college friend in an apartment close to my mother’s house. She had just returned home from her work for a government department. This was her typical workday, a grueling twelve hours. The telephone department she works for functions very efficiently and I believe it is the contribution of many like her that gets it going smoothly.
The roads were empty when we started walking back. The breeze was cool, the trees in almost every house nodding in unison to its force. An odd two wheeler flashed past with its bright headlamp.

We set out for our regular shopping route along the busy cross cut road. For this we had to cut through a few isolated lanes of the Tatabad residential area. Then we had to cross a busy intersection, which was a constant source of stress to me. It had around four interlinking roads and traffic poured in from all directions and pedestrians were dashing to and fro adding to the chaos. If I managed the crossing safely, I heaved one big sigh of relief, thanked the gods for seeing me through and then joyfully went on to cross cut road.

The first visit was to the clothes store. We have very few malls here. The shops are small and deal exclusively with a few items. The clothes store we went to dealt with ready made garments and lingerie. The sales people were familiar and remember you and your last visit.
From early in the morning, the power had been switched off in the whole area for some of the power department’s internal work. It was difficult to manage without the cooling breeze of the ceiling fans. It was after we started out for shopping that power was restored.

One hour into our shopping, when we were poring over fabrics and textures, the power was switched off. It was a shock when a brightly lit shop could go so absolutely dark in a second. We stood still in the darkness as an emergency light lit up and using this light the shop assistant walked out into the inky blackness of the outside, to switch on a small generator. The lights came up in seconds and all was back to normal.
We collected our merchandise and walked on once more chatting away with my niece, who was with us.

My mother had a social gathering in her house. It was also religious with the priest performing a traditional ceremony with all of us family and friends taking part. There were cousins whom I had not met in a while and distant relations. The priests drew intricate patterns on the floor with rice powder and turmeric powder and on these patters were placed giant brass lamps. When the ceremony started the power went off. By now even we were resigned to the two hour power cut in the evening. The brass lamps with its five big cotton wicks were lit.

The Marudhamalai temple stands majestic near a hilltop in Coimbatore’s suburbs. We started in a small auto rickshaw through crowded lanes past the green Agricultural university and the sprawling campus of the Bharathiar University towards the blue mountains of the western ghats hill range. We could smell the herbs as we neared the hills. The evening was cool and chilly as we climbed the steep rough steps of the temple. There was not much of a crowd as we had our communication with the lord. We climbed down deeply satisfied. Religion does provide moral support to the human mind.

It has been a busy day today. In the morning, we had to rush for an eye test, the first of the medical visits we have scheduled for our health care. The clinic was in a residential area, more of a house than a hospital. I had been seeing this family of doctors, since I was ten years old. In a routine check at school, I was advised to see an eye doctor and my mother took me to see the old doctor. Now his son runs the clinic and the grandson also practices there. A family of eye doctors!

Tomorrow is a Hindu festival day. There is a festive spirit and the market is crowded with shoppers. The fruits and flowers are a visible presence in any market area.
It is exciting for us to be here during these months when there are a lot of festival days. Tomorrow is to be a very busy day with offerings to be made, Poojas to be performed and hosting the guests we have invited. Numerous trips have been made to cross cut road for purchases and the walk back home skipped for convenient rides in the small ever present Autorickshaws.

It was around 5am when I started preparation for the Pooja today. It took me a good three hours in the kitchen to get things ready. First the jaggery syrups for the coconut filling of the dumplings and the dals to be ground with spices for the vadai to be fried in hot oil. The payasam and the appam all sweet and flavorsome. Our festivals and food are so interrelated. Chandra decorated the goddess with colorful and fragrant flowers and the usual sandalwood paste and with a deep red Kumkum. The whole family turned up in time for the Pooja.