I spend 2.5 days with Raman’s family. It’s a nice time to observe the typical day to day activities in an Indian village. The family communicates with me through food, photo albums, and the occasional translation from Gagan, Raman’s brother. As is often the case when there’s a language barrier, I seem to be a step behind most of the time. For example, on my last evening I accept delicious dinner, seconds, and dessert from Raman’s Mom, then about an hour later I’m served a special meal by Auntie next door.
One day Raman’s Dad and Gagan drive me to a mountain temple. There is a huge tree, it’s branches filled with red fabric. Gagan tells me that you tie on a thread and make a wish, then when it comes true you return and untie one. He has untied 1 and tied 2 today.
Serendipitously I am leaving on the same flight as an Uncle. On the way to the airport we meet Raman and Gurvinder for a goodbye, then visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This is the central religious site for the Sikh faith and they feed a meal to about 1 million visitors per day. It would be a peaceful place to sit for a couple of hours.
I am immensely grateful to Raman and her family for their generosity.
After a red eye flight I arrive in Singapore. My first impression is that it is clean and modern. RobO still teases me about our time in Lima, Peru when I experienced reverse culture shock (They were walking dogs on leashes! Ermegerd!) and I can feel those same feelings bubbling up. There’s no honking, people use crosswalks, and there’s toilet paper in every bathroom. I see dogs on leashes, and raise it with people jogging on groomed riverside paths. Am I still in Asia? I’m ok with it though. It’s a nice reprieve, especially knowing I’ll be back in the chaos of Vietnam in 36 hours.
Naturally, I’m drawn to the colours and vibes of Chinatown and Little India. I pause and breathe in temples and mosques, snap photos of street art, and sample foodie paradise.
Late afternoon I settle in at Gardens by the Bay, one of the main attractions. It does not disappoint. Imagine the Bellagio Fountains meet Avatar.
People often ask me what is on our bucket list but it’s really too long and diverse to summarize. At night I check off one of the weirder items on the list: sleep in a capsule hotel. Of course, I pick the most spaceship-like one I can find. It’s really just a glorified bunk bed that’s more difficult to get into, but I like the feeling of privacy in my plastic cocoon.
Now I’m headed back to Vietnam, the central area of the country this time. Rock-Awn 3.0!
