Back in Bombay Again!

Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Bombay

Back in Bombay Again!

     Namaste from Bombay!
     It feels good to return home wherever home might be--in my case, in this phase of my life, it is Bombay. And when the Uzbekistan Airways flight touched down into Bombay on a dark summer's morning on the last day of April, I felt happy, despite the fact that I'd had an incredible time in Uzbekistan and had returned with the warmest memories in my heart.
     I cleared Immigration, picked up my case and walked out into the quietness of a new morning where, at the Auto Rickshaw stand, I jumped into one and swiftly slid home--there was practically no traffic on the streets at 6.30am. I waited to call Dad to tell hm I was back as I did not want to wake him up. In another half hour, he'd be up to greet a new day. I did, however, call Llew to tell him I'd landed back in India again and would call from home.
     In my studio, where I reached at 7.00am, I paused to talk to Llew again. Then, I jumped into the bath for a shower and shampoo as I really did want to feel fresh and clean again before tackling unpacking. And that's exactly what I did. I took all the edible goodies out of my bags: fresh cherries; vanilla fudge laced with chocolate; loads of single-serving Russian chocolates, candies and cookies from Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent; caramel-filled wafer cigars; dried peaches stuffed with walnuts and raisins. I kept a few of these goodies aside for me and packaged the rest to be taken over to Dad's. I called him and told him I had landed safely and he told me to come by for lunch as I have no meal delivery service today.
     I put aside all the clothes I needed to launder and continued unpacking. Things went really fast and almost all of it (except for my papers) was done by the time I left for Dad's place to have lunch with him. The three of us had a lovely reunion as I told them all about my travels in Uzbekistan and the VIP treatment I received at every stage. Things seem to have held up at home with our GP, Dr. Abbas, ruling out completely any infection in Russel's leg and renewing the prescription for his ointment and tablets for the swelling in his feet. Hopefully, fingers crossed, Russel will turn around for the better. Dad's vertigo is at bay and he is restricting his TV viewing even though the IPL cricket matches are compelling. I was relieved to find that there is nothing ultra-urgent that needs my attention.
     After lunch, I returned to my studio and began to load my daily journal entries on my blog. It took longer than I expected. I called Shahnaz to find out how she was doing after the health scare and hospital stint of both her parents (94 an 93). They are back home now and things are being monitored. Since we are all dealing with the challenges of ailing, aging parents, there is much on our plates. I asked if she was free to have dinner with me but she had plans--so tomorrow...
     I also organized my papers and put aside the ones I need for the reports I am now expected to write for Fulbright. This shall be tackled in the next couple of days.
     I had a pot of tea as I caught up with pending email. I spoke to Llew again and caught him up on my exotic travels. He is interested enough to want to see this country himself--hopefully, in a few years.
     I continued watching Hinterland which I am really enjoying, as I drank a pot of tea and nibbled at a few nuts. In the evening, as usual, I went off to Dad's again and the two of us then left for the 7.00 pm Mass at church, where a couple of people asked how my trip had been.
     I returned to Dad's for dinner--kidney beans and fish curry with chapattis--I shall tell Valerie to resume my meal delivery service tomorrow. Back home, I brushed and flossed my teeth and took my medication and thought I would settle down to continue with Hinterland, But my 9.30, my eyes closed and I switched everything off and went to bed. Clearly, the previous night spent flying from Tashkent to Bombay via Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf had taken its tool on my sleep requirements. I was quite happy to make up for lost sleep.
     Until tomorrow...