It took quite some convincing by me and my sisters to make my parents agree to go on this trip. The interest was definitely there and money for the trip was not an issue for them. But spending it was. Like most people of that generation, they had worked hard in life and had only learnt to save and avoid unnecessary expenses. And so blowing up Rs.1,30,000 in 10 days was something they could not reconcile to.
But once convinced, they looked forward to the trip and I am glad that they had a good time. It was not only about seeing the Sphinx/Pyramids, Dead sea, or seeing cities like Cairo, Amman, Jerusalem etc, which they ofcourse enjoyed. But being devout Christians, this trip was also significant for them because the itinerary covered places having a strong connection to Christianity.
Till they did this trip, Galilee, Cana, Jerusalem, Bethlehem etc were just places that they read about in the Bible. But thanks to this trip, they actually found themselves at those places. Any Christian would be aware of the "Miracle at Cana" where Jesus turned big casks of water into wine, at a wedding feast. The marriage party had ran out of wine and Jesus intervenes (on his Mom's request) to convert water to wine to avoid embarassment to the host. Now, my parents were actually able to visit this place and even bought a bottle of wine from there - which was much in demand back home.
Now that they have experienced the pleasure of going to new places, they can't seem to wait before heading out on another trip to another country. My Dad is planning a longish European trip, but before that we thought a short trip to some place nearer home would be good - like Sri Lanka, Singapore or Malaysia. Sri Lanka, while a nice place, is ruled out for some time since hostilities have escalatedthere between Government forces and the LTTE.
I was going through the newspaper yesterday night, when I came across this couple who in my opinion are the real globetrotters. Which convinced me that all it takes is the will to travel. The rest will follow. We keep postponing vacations, thinking that we will do it later, when the kids are older or when we retire etc. But in planning for the future, we miss enjoying the present. Read on to know about this globe-trotting couple whose modest means does not prevent them from seeing the world. Truly commendable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For 58-year-old Vijayan, owner of a tiny tea stall in Ernakulam, travelling has been an obsession for long. Ever since 1988 when he accompanied a godman as his cook on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas, Vijayan has made it to Badrinath-Kedarnath six times.
A sworn Marxist, he has visited Tirupati 81 times and is keen on scoring a ‘Balaji century’ pretty soon. His first foreign trip was on a package tour of West Asia taking him to Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Israel and the UAE.
He is getting ready for the next journey, this one to Europe and London. And he takes wife Mohana on all his trips. "I save Rs 200 a day from my tea shop earnings in a chit fund and that takes care of the travel tickets. I spend just 10 dollars or less on picking up some tiny souvenirs from the places of visit while my co-travellers waste huge money on costly liquors," Vijayan says about his budget-tours.
"Rome, Vatican, Paris, Geneva and London are the places I will be visiting next April. Paper work for the journey is progressing," the tea-man told Deccan Chronicle.
Vijayan does not remember when and how he caught the travel bug. "I visited all the temples in Kerala during my school days. With the passing away of my father, I had to take care of the family and had to temporarily call off the journeys," he said. Old-timers in Kochi remember Vijayan cycling along arterial roads selling tea and coffee.
"My sons-in-law also help me. People ask me from where I get the funds. I tell them God is my funder," said Vijayan. Impressed by his passion for journeys, an old acquaintance has offered to take him around South Africa. "He has asked me to pay for the air-tickets. Once I reach South Africa, he will take care of me," Vijayan said.
Article and pictures courtesy : The Deccan Chronicle newspaper dated 3-Nov-2008.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reminds me of my long-pending promise to my wife to take her on a vacation outside India. Ofcourse I stand by my promise. But can we postpone it till the global economic slowdown/recession is behind us ? :-)
-
No comments:
Post a Comment