For the past many years, I have looked forward to June – because that is when Bhavana, Abhishek and I go on our vacations. Before Abhishek was born, our vacations were whenever we wanted. But once he started school, we had to adhere to his calendar. For me, vacations were the time I got to spend much more time with Abhishek – without the overhang of work.
Our favourite vacation destination is New York. Every third year or so, it has been the place where we will spend 10-12 days. We don’t go around much – at best, day trips to places like Boston, Washington or Philadelphia. NY is a city I know well from my days at Columbia. I don’t drive; so that’s a constraint on where we can go. Jain food is not a problem in New York. And all three of us have something to do. For me, it’s just the joy of walking around the avenues and taking in the sights of the city. In the past few vacations, Abhishek and I took the subway to faraway destinations – especially those lines which travel overground.
Among other cities, Singapore is another favourite and repeat destination. We always stay at the Shangri-La Apartments – they have a nice kitchenette, another requirement given our food constraints. Its proximity to Orchard Road is also good; Kinokuniya, one of the largest bookstores I have seen, is just a few minutes walk. Among other vacation spots: Hong Kong, Bangkok, London, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney. Common to all of them: they are all big cities! We are not much for the rural, countryside feel. A vacation we did a few years was Tokyo. While I had been to Tokyo a couple times on work before, this time around we spent time seeing the city. We also took the bullet train on a day trip to the other end of Japan to Kanazawa, a beautiful ride from the east to the west (and back).
Many of our India vacations tend to be around religious spots with the extended family. Jain temples abound, and are architectural marvels also. These tend to be shorter trips. When Abhishek was younger, we had also done a few Club Mahindra vacations – while the properties were great, the access roads from the nearest airport was always a challenge. I think this situation has probably improved a lot in the past decade.
Before Abhishek was born, Bhavana and I vacationed a lot in Bangkok. A few hours by flight, and we were in a city like Mumbai but with a lot more shopping options! It wasn’t expensive to travel, stay or shop. We liked visiting the various markets and huge malls. This was in the late 1990s and early 2000s – when the shopping options in Mumbai or even India were quite limited.
For me, vacations with family are all about ensuring that they have a good time; it is about planning and anticipating. (My ‘vacations’ are when I travel on work!) From the choice of hotel to the itinerary, my focus is to ensure happy memories with the adequate surprises. Some of my best moments have been with Abhishek, answering his never-ending stream of questions.
With Abhishek grown-up and off to university in the US soon, maybe the next vacations will be more diverse for Bhavana and me – so much of the world yet to see, absorb and learn from.
