Saturday, June 8, 2019
Bombay
Hello again Bombay! First Full Day at Home Base.
Namaste from Bombay!
A new day dawned during my flight back from London to Bombay!
I did not manage much sleep on this sector—maybe two hours—and I was quite uncomfortable throughout (was the seat smaller than usual?) I enjoyed the meals and the breakfast which was quite delicious indeed and then was getting out in Bombay where we landed at about 11. 30 am. As I had left all my Indian money behind in Bombay, I had no choice but to take an Uber back home to Bandra and I found out how painless it was to do so—it is really very convenient indeed. As I pay for Uber using my credit card, I do not even need to have local currency on me.
I was home in about half an hour and it was great to come back except that the house was very dusty even though it was all shut up. I could barely keep my eyes open in the cab and as soon as I got home, I just threw myself on the bed and crashed. It was 1.00 pm and I did not wake up until 4.30 pm when I received a call from Russel’s doctor’s office asking if we were all set to get him admitted on Monday evening. I said we were.
After that, still feeling very groggy, I went in for a refreshing shower and got dressed and was just about to leave for my Dad’s place to see him and Russel when Llew called. He had reached New York after his four hour layover in Miami and was just about to get to bed. It was great to hear his voice again.
At Dad’s, I met Gora Naik, a neighbor with whom I grew up during our teenage years. He had left for the US to take his undergrad college degree, many decades ago, and we had stayed in contact through the years as his American mother, Roberta, continued to be Dad’s neighbor here in Bandra. Sadly, she, who had been ailing for a long time, had passed way during my absence, and Gora had come to India to be with her during her last few days. I felt terribly sorry to hear the news as she was a beloved neighbor and a great friend and was especially good and kind and loving to Russel through the years and then, in turn, to Chriselle, while she was a little girl in India.
As a trained art historian herself and an artist, "Mrs. Naik" (as I knew her) was the person who introduced me to Art History when I was all of eighteen. It was she who gave me free access to her vast library of art books and it was through her that I first learned about Michelangelo's genius in creating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (and other works) and about the sad life of poor Van Gogh. I will always be indebted to her for creating in me a passion that has served me so well throughout my years. It was my fondest wish that she would come to New York and take my Highlights Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which she had once told me was one of her favorite places in the world). No one was prouder than she was when I became a docent there. Alas, my wish was never fulfilled!
We all have such happy memories of Mrs. Naik (she was married to an Indian Maharashtrian doctor who passed away a few years ago), that it hard to think that she is no more. Gora sat and chatted with us for a very long time and, as was to be expected, in addition to talking about his mother and her passing away, we talked about our lovely memories of past years in Bombay and of common friends—it is amazing to me how so many of us are scattered around the world.
As a trained art historian herself and an artist, "Mrs. Naik" (as I knew her) was the person who introduced me to Art History when I was all of eighteen. It was she who gave me free access to her vast library of art books and it was through her that I first learned about Michelangelo's genius in creating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (and other works) and about the sad life of poor Van Gogh. I will always be indebted to her for creating in me a passion that has served me so well throughout my years. It was my fondest wish that she would come to New York and take my Highlights Tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which she had once told me was one of her favorite places in the world). No one was prouder than she was when I became a docent there. Alas, my wish was never fulfilled!
We all have such happy memories of Mrs. Naik (she was married to an Indian Maharashtrian doctor who passed away a few years ago), that it hard to think that she is no more. Gora sat and chatted with us for a very long time and, as was to be expected, in addition to talking about his mother and her passing away, we talked about our lovely memories of past years in Bombay and of common friends—it is amazing to me how so many of us are scattered around the world.
When Gora left, Dad went off for the Saturday evening Mass and I said bye to Russel. I had the feeling of soreness in my left eye that seemed like conjunctivitis. I went straight to the pharmacy and picked up some chloramycitin tubes that I have used in the past when I last had this condition. Let us hope it will do the trick.
Then, I got home and began unpacking. I sorted through my dirty clothes to be thrown into the laundry, separated my edible goodies, kept aside the things I brought back for Dad and Russel and generally got myself all sorted. It took me about an hour and a half and I was ready to have some dinner—it was just soup and crackers and a bread roll (the crackers and roll from the aircraft). I found out that it was a very lovely day in Oxford —so it was probably lovely in London too—and I felt great, really, to have a glimpse again of one of my favorite places even if it was on my live webcam on my TV screen and even if I had no time to actually visit Oxford on this trip. My friend Michael had told me that his sister, my friend in Oxford, Susan, was on holiday in France—so she would not have been in Oxford (had I made the time to dash there quickly).
By the time I went to take a look at my laptop to do some blogging, my eyes were closing again. It is clear that I am jet lagged and that it will take me a few days to get back to feeling normal again.
For the moment, I end this travel blog with the happy feeling of gratitude that I had the opportunity to see Llew again after 10 months and to spend such wonderful quality time with him. We had such a great time together in Argentina and Brazil and I felt blessed that life has presented us with these great chances to see so many different parts of the world together. I also felt grateful that, although I did not plan it, I was able to make a brief visit to Central London and saw some of my closest friends there and that I was able to bring some goodies back with me that will also take me, as comfort food always does, to those times in my life when I have been happiest.
Until tomorrow
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