Pack Light, but Bring Everything
From Paul:
Welcome to the first installment of the travel blog for Kiran and Paul’s “Roots In India” voyage. We’ve created this blog for donors, family and other interested parties who might like to track our progress on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. If you’ve gotten on this list by mistake, or if you aren’t interested in getting these updates, please feel free to opt out using the unsubscribe link below.
Departure is near. The remaining time until takeoff could be measured in hours. In the swirl of details, what keeps arising is the utter improbability of this trip, and wonder and gratitude in the face of its reality. So many people have contributed so much to make this happen. We are incredibly fortunate.
Meanwhile, in the past two weeks, both of us have contracted and healed from bronchitis, and we narrowly dodged a bout with walking pneumonia that, unfortunately, took Kiran’s younger sibling Axel down for two weeks. Whew!
However, two other events of far greater import have overshadowed our departure. First, our dear friend Peter Moore, the man whose own adventurous travel plans first inspired me to take this journey, will not be joining us after all. As I write this, he is in hospital awaiting a CT scan to help confirm what his doctors currently believe to be a strangulated omentum. And if you don’t know what the omentum is, please look it up, as it’s an amazing organ I didn’t even know existed until this morning. Strangulation of this folded layer of protective fat is rare, and extremely painful. The only remedy is surgery, which in a best case scenario will put Peter out of action for a couple of weeks, after which he might join us partway through the trip. We’re all holding out for this happy outcome.
The second significant event is that Kiran’s grandfather Iqbal, whose origins in Uttar Pradesh are the foundations of Kiran’s connection to South Asia, passed away just a few days ago. The timing of this feels significant, and we are currently exploring ways that we can honor Iqbal’s life as we travel through the land of his birth. Blessed be.
Despite these momentous events, we’re feeling pretty chill. Vaccinations are complete, visas are printed, passports at the ready, and we’re gearing up for a test pack. Why a test pack you say? Well, I’m glad you asked…
My brother-in-law Ryan once wrote a song with the line, “Pack Light but Bring Everything,” which could be a suitable title for this stage of our journey. “Pack light” is the recurring phrase we hear from our tour guides, seasoned travelers, and well wishers. And yet somehow the recommended packing list is still two pages long. And that doesn’t include a yoga mat. Yes, we’re supposed to bring yoga mats. I’m gonna hold out for buying local. I figure it’s India after all, there’s gotta be an extra mat or two lying around…
Our guides encourage us to stick to carryons for our domestic flights so as to avoid hassles with baggage claim. It turns out that domestic Indian baggage limits are insane. We are allowed two carry-on items. COMBINED weight must not exceed 10kg(22lbs). The overhead bag must not exceed 7kg(15lbs), and a total of 115cm (length+width+height). Our personal item must not exceed 3kg(6.6lbs). But fear not, true believers! The proof is in the pic…
Kiran was hoping to add a paragraph or two to this inaugural post, but is currently awash in packing and farewells with friends. He may yet put his mind to writing a few words, and if so, we’ll post that as an update to this post.
Adventure!
Let us know your thoughts…