To the uninitiated reader, I would like to state that I have finally ‘retired’ in October 2021, at least till my next job. Though comparisons are odious, you can compare my ‘retirement’ to the ‘strict fasting’ between three meals in a day.

One of the first things I did after retirement was to be brave and plan an American sojourn. I call myself brave because I dared to travel 30 hours by flight amid a raging pandemic, with all the hysteria around COVID, in the face of maverick restrictions imposed by dim-witted politicians across the world. And I managed to convince my better half to join me in the madness.

Just before our travel dates, the US announced that the RTPCR tests need to be 24 hours before departure time (as against the earlier rule of 72 hours). This led to a few uneasy and tense moments till we finally boarded the flight. Air travel has become unbelievably complicated in recent times. Murali patiently filled out the online forms for the airlines, for the destination country, for the transit country, thankfully we have been spared the agony of meeting requirements of all the countries whose airspace was used during transit.

We landed at San Fransisco (SFO) to discover that two out of four baggages were missing. I had heard stories of lost or delayed baggages from many friends, the highest common factor being British Airways. Therefore, we weren’t surprised. As the eternal optimist, I calculated that we saved around USD $100 since we would have had to hire a cab for our four oversized bags, now the two missing bags would get delivered to our residence on the next day and the remaining bags would fit into Deepti’s car. We observed that there were a couple of fellow Indians struggling to get a trolley at SFO airport since it was a paid service by card only and they did not have an international card. We helped them get their trolleys since we were well armed with cash/card. It left me wondering why trollies cannot be a free service at airports, it is after all an essential service. Or at least offer multiple payment modes to suit the international traveller. On similar lines, I wonder why Indian airports insist on an Indian phone number to get the OTP to connect to the airport wi-fi, ignoring the requirements of international travellers who wouldn’t have an Indian phone number. I wish there would be some communication amongst the Airport authorities of different countries to make life a wee bit easier for the international traveller.

Finally, after all the confusion over missing baggages etc, we were delighted to see Deepti and equally by the lunch she had made for us. We loved her house in SFO, it is really beautiful. Though I had to make a few adjustments since it was a shared accommodation with two other girls, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at SFO. Some of the adjustments I made were unimaginable by my standards. I couldn’t start my kitchen work at unearthly hours (like 4.30 am which is my usual time to get busy in India), had to ensure that I don’t make any noise that could disturb the girls, couldn’t use the mixie at will for fear of intruding into online meetings that the kids might be in, despite being a strict vegetarian I was ok with animal products being stored in the fridge, etc. Deepti doesn’t need any further proof of my love for her which made me go to such lengths just to spend time with her.

We left for Hawaii just three days after our arrival at SFO. We had to take a test yet again for our Hawaii trip. I wonder how my nose has withstood so many rounds of testing! Hawaii was simply beautiful. The picturesque beaches, sparsely populated island, the views-everything was breathtaking. We felt really pampered and proud of the arrangements Deepti had made, it was a beautiful location, where we could hear the ocean sounds, we were literally staying on the beach. The weather gods were kind enough to bless us with wonderful sunshine, cool breeze and bright blue skies. We loved the Waikiki Starlight Luau at Hilton. The service was amazing. Despite the huge number of people present at the Luau, the staff noticed that me and Murali weren’t eating anything. They brought in some vegetarian stuff and then vegan food, which we politely refused. Finally, they served us a large bowl of fresh fruits. What caught my attention was the fact that they noticed us among so many guests and offered so many options. Everything was super nice except that when we heard the amount she had paid for the tickets, we almost fainted. It was quite shocking, especially since we converted dollars into rupees and were even more shocked. Old habits die hard, and despite repeated admonishments by Deepti to stop converting, we continued to do so.

When we got back to SFO, Deepti’s roomies had left for their homes to celebrate Christmas and new year, therefore we had the entire house to ourselves. We had grand plans to cook some good food and celebrate Deepti’s birthday with her friends at home, but COVID threw cooold water on our plans. Most of her friends were down and in quarantine at that time. She escaped because we were in Hawaii when all of them fell ill. Nevertheless, we tried to pep up her birthday by just being with her and cooking her favourite dishes.

The first day, me and Murali went out together, after that we came back to normal and did what we do best-follow our individual goals. I loved SFO and walked throughout the city. On an average, I used to walk around 5 to 8 miles a day, while Murali was happy chilling out and going to the nearest Safeway or Indian Store. We enjoyed the ballet ‘Nutcrackers’ thoroughly, it is one of the best shows I have seen. Again, the cost of the tickets was prohibitive but worth the amount spent since it was so good. We loved the challenging treks to Mission Peak, the beautiful trail of Muir woods, walking down Lands' end and many other trails. There was a sense of pride that we were fit and able to keep pace with Deepti and her friends.

Though we were fortunate to remain unafflicted by COVID, the looming pandemic never really left us since it reared its head again when Deepti’s housemate (Divya) tested positive after she got back from her place. My maternal instincts naturally made me offer her fresh, hot meals during her quarantine. She was grateful and felt that it was a blessing in disguise that she got ‘temple like food’ when she was sick. In the process, Deepti’s other housemate Shreya too enjoyed some good food. Both these girls are fun to be with and I am glad that Deepti has found good company in the US. Similarly, all of Deepti’s friends are wonderful people, always ready to help each other, very respectful and affectionate. It is good that she has found a bigger family away from home.

We loved catching up with Vasumathi and Ram and visited them for dinner. They too came to meet us at SFO. Vasu might be my dad’s cousin, but her energy levels, her thought process are in sync with Deepti. Vasu is the youngest at heart and a trail blazer well admired by many who know her. Deepti loves her ‘fun aunt Vasu’ whom she addresses respectfully by her first name as she has a good wavelength with her.

Time just flew by and it was time to get back to namma Bengaluru. We pre-poned our trip by a week due to the hysteria surrounding Omicron. Again, we had to pay through our nose (pun intended) to get the RTPCR tests for our India travel (USD $ 150 per head). We were in for a shock at London Airport. When we went to the counter for upgrading our seats, we were told that we are not ‘fit to travel’ even by economy class since our documents haven’t been cleared (God knows what that meant). Finally, it took us more than hour to complete a few more formalities, by which time Murali was a nervous wreck. We boarded our flight to Bangalore in the nick of time. The story doesn’t end here my friends, it is just the beginning of more drama to come.

At Bangalore Airport, we had to test again on arrival since we had transited through a ‘high risk country’ (UK). After giving the nasal swabs we proceeded to spend some more money at the duty free stores at bangalore airport (would I be the only shopaholic who blows up a fortune buying things I don’t need?). We were waiting for our results when a good man turned up looking for me calling out my middle name (Sodiambakkam-I really don’t know how and when this cropped up on my passport, it is actually Murali’s village where he has never been). He dropped his tone and whispered into my ears that I had tested positive for COVID and need to be isolated. He ushered me to another cubicle to give another sample to check whether the variant was Omicron. I was given the Dutch choice of either going to the government hospital for free isolation or a listed private hospital. I contemplated the government hospital for reasons obvious, feeling guilty of the amounts we had already spent on upgrades and shopping and what not. Murali’s good sense prevailed and I opted to go to Appolo hospital. I was asked to arrange an ambulance since they wouldn’t let me go by cab/car. I was feeling fit as a fiddle and offered to demonstrate the same by doing 108 suryanamaskars in the ambulance! However, they would have none of it, rules were rules and the Indian Government had decided that international travellers should be singled out for special treatment. I left Murali high and dry with four oversized baggage, quickly packed my essential items into a small bag and proceeded to Apollo on a screeching ambulance. When I reached Apollo, I was asked to just go home and not waste their time. I couldn’t believe my good luck, I felt I could stop loss with just the 6K which I paid for the ambulance. I jumped into an auto and reached home in five minutes, much to Murali’s surprise. To be on the safer side, I re-tested the same day and fortunately that test was negative. COVID times are truly testing times.

Well, after all the drama, Murali has taken Bheeshma pratigya (oath) to never travel abroad. And I am already thinking of where to go next..

Usha Murali
February 2022