Four "S's".....Saturday, Soccer, Sheehan and Sikkim House

Thursday marked my return to Delhi from my trip to Vizag......and Jeff returned on Friday night from his own India Adventure, with our mutual friend, P.V. Patel. He and I had been trading "text messages" all week while he was between Jodphur and Jaislmer.....and then to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. During one of our conversations, Linda and I were invited to meet he and P.V at BUKHARA.....the very famous restaurant at the ITC Maurya Hotel....which is the first hotel I stayed at when I visited India in August. It was going to be a real treat.....and it was....great food and I definitely went NON-VEG on that night!

Jeff was a trooper.....after an exhausting week of traveling the India countryside......by car most of the time.....he told Preston that he would like to be part of the family and watch his soccer game......

The AES Falcons....played the Bai Bharti School.....and won the game...final score 2-1......and Preston played an awesome game in goal.

Here are a few pictures from the game....some action shots of Preston....The last picture is becoming a "post game" ritual of sorts......lunch at the "Sikkim House". Sikkim House is located about a block or so from the school and they have a unique way pf promoting their area as a tourist destination in India......they have a great restaurant.....and as usual, the prices are great. Linda, Jeff and I had lunch while Preston dined with the team.

SATURDAY....SOCCER....SHEEHAN.....and SIKKIM....

Here are some fun facts about Sikkim.......it is nestled in the Himalaya's.....it hosts the highest peak in India, and the third highest in the world.....and it is the least populated state in India, with just over 500,000 inhabitants....Nepal is on their west border, China to the north and Bhutan on their east and West Bengal on their south.....

Three American's in Paris or "The French Connection"

Being without an SUV and having 9 very large and heavy suitcases presented a dilemma of it's own. But having a son like Parker who is resourceful and blessed with some very good friends, he managed to arrange to take us to the airport in his best friend Brandon's F-150. Our luggage was covered with a tarp to protect it from the rain, and our time with Parker was running thin.....it was a very emotional time for all of us and I admit that fighting back the tears was difficult for me. Parker is very much a man of his own at the age of 19, but it is still sometimes very difficult to not think of him as a boy. I wanted that hug to last a long time;I wanted it to be meaningful; I wanted it to speak the words that were not coming out, but were running through my head; I wanted that hug to be memorable (for both he and I). He helped with the luggage, waved goodbye and the three of us made our way into a very crowded airport to board the Air France flight to Paris.....
We landed at 10:00am without much sleep, but the adrenaline and the cold weather helped to keep us going. The excitement of the adventure had begun.....we had less than 48 hours and had the best intentions of making the most of every minute. We came well prepared with tips from Woody and Katie on the "MUST DO's", the "MUST SEE's" and the "MUST EAT's".....but our bodies were telling us that we "MUST REST". After checking in and with time nearing lunch, we decided to brave the cold and explore. We stopped by the Concierge and obtained a map and directions, donned our coats and gloves and stepped out onto the streets of Paris.

With map in hand we walked to towards the Champs Elysee and the Arc de Triomphe. The sun was shining and we found Paris still dressed in her Christmas best. Huge crowds of both locals and tourists.
We reached the Arc and found it to be every bit as impressive as we had imagined it would be. After years of reading about it and seeing pictures in books, it was hard to imagine that we were actually seeing it firsthand. The lines were too long to make our way to the top and decided that it was time for a bite to eat...we opted for a "bistro" on the "CE" and had a great lunch.....then more walking. Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Peugeot.....future cars.....Starbuck's and more. After a few hours of pushing ourselves to our limits it was getting dark, so we headed back to the hotel to thaw out and nap......and we did sleep well, only to awaken and discover that we were hungry again. Before venturing out, we stopped at the Concierge and asked for a great "local place" to eat within walking distance...and that was open late....it was almost 9:00pm before we got our act together. We braved the elements again with the anticipation of a wonderful meal awaiting us at the end of our walk. When we arrived at "Bouef Sur Le Toit", the hostess told us that they were no longer serving, despite having the assurances from the Concierge that they were. Cold, disappointed and hungry, we turned to leave when a waiter quickly turned things around and dressed a table and we were able to enjoy a wonderful meal......the French Onion Soup was yummy! By the time we finished and were back at the hotel it was 1:00am. We planned to rise early, drew the blackout drapes, called for a wake up call, set the alarm and climbed in a very comfortable bed.

The wake up call came, the alarm went off several times, but our bodies didn't want to move...none of us.....by the time we did stir and have a foot hit the carpet, half of the day was gone.....it was lunch time and we were well behind our "scheduled" plans for the day. To make matters worse, it was raining.....and it was cold......but, we braved the elements again and ventured out to get something to eat, which seemed to be what every one's idea was.....the bistro's around the hotel were packed, so after walking a few blocks in the rain, we returned to the hotel for lunch. Which was good.....Preston had a Hamburger.....which he thought would be his last chance.
Although our intentions were to catch the tour bus, we were unsuccessful.....I tried and tried, asked several people.....but nothing was working. We walked up and down on the Champs Elysee trying desperately to find the correct bus stop.....our feet were cold, the rain turned to snow and although it was beautiful,Preston was getting worried that he was not going to see the Eiffel Tower....it was getting dark......we walked up and down the Champs Elysee, popping into stores to warm up, then venture out again......we never could catch the tour bus.
Determined to make it to see the famous tower, I asked Linda to "trust me" and coaxed her to follow me a few blocks away to catch a public transportation bus. she and Preston reluctantly followed me as I jumped on the bus, to be greeted by yet another "Parisian Bus Driver" that spoke no English and didn't appear to even understand "Eiffel Tower" and my hand gestures. There was only one other person on the bus, and he quickly came to our aid and assured me that we were heading in the right direction.
We exited when told, were given directions to walk to the end of the street make a left, and we will see the Tower. At least that's what I understood.....but when we got to the end of the street and turned left.....we saw nothing.....Linda and Preston were truly doubting my ability to lead them......and despite being "peppered" with comments such as "You don't know where you are going", etc. they followed. We crossed a few intersections, made a right turn in front of the Theatre, and when we rounded the building...there it was....beautiful, splendid, magnificent, and romantic...even with Preston in our presence. I had goose bumps and not because it was freezing. I think all three us us stood in awe of the site. It was the highlight of the trip...we were unable to make it up to the top due to the ice and snow, it was simply too dangerous and it was closed.
We missed out on a great deal, but we vowed to return and discover Paris on our return to the States in June/July when Parker is with us. It just didn't seem appropriate to be enjoying Paris without him there to share the experience with us.
And Preston won his bet with Parker; he did meet a beautiful French Girl and he had his picture taken with his arm around her on a very memorable night on the Champs Elysee! SO PAY UP Big Brother!

DECEMBER.....the Prelude

My last entry was in early December.......just before I left for my journey back to the United States to be re-united with the family and to prepare for the move to India.

It was a blessing in disguise to leave a week earlier than I was originally scheduled to leave......obtaining the Visa's for the family was the reason to speed up the trip. It allowed me the additional time to help Linda.....making some last minute repairs around the house, the packing of the household items, the packing of the items for India....two separate days of the moving company at the house.....what seemed like thousands of boxes....by the 20th of December......reality set in. The house, although not empty, didn't feel like home anymore....my comfort/confidence of leaving Parker was fading...not because of him....it was simply the reality of knowing I wouldn't be close if he needed anything. Spending time with him during these last few days was a joy.....but December wasn't as depressing as I have made it sound.....we had some good times as well.
By December 20th, we were on the road to Louisiana, and we had a stopover in Lafayette to visit our friends....and to personally deliver the "Prizes" that Erika won from correctly identifying the "TONGUE CLEANERS" in an earlier blog entry. Our night in Lafayette was just what we needed after two weeks of preparing for the move. The food was outstanding, seeing our friends was LONG overdue, and catching up and planning for future house guests on visits to India quickly got us excited again. Erika and Ms. Pauline, Sue, Jimmy and his family, Erin and Perry....and a last minute encore presentation by Doug with more good food. It was the highlight of the trip for us.....and a night we will cherish forever.
Then it was on to New Orleans to see our family and spend time eating more food and having more fun and celebrating Christmas with them. We left Houston unprepared for the freezing temperatures in New Orleans. Even though we made it to the French Quarter for Christmas Caroling, we didn't venture out of the condo.
By Monday we were on our way to meet Linda's mom in Mobile to deliver Murphy to her for safekeeping while we are in India. It was sad for all of us......leaving the "Murph" with MiMi.
We had at least a few more highlights before leaving Houston.....we felt safer leaving Parker behind with a more reliable vehicle, so we traded in our Ford Expedition......Parker retired the black Jeep that I handed down to him (it has 213,000 miles} and we took the plunge and he is now driving the "Silver Bullet". My promise to him was that if he gets straight "A's" this semester, I would help him with accessorizing. AND IF YOU READ THIS....please be safe and stay on the pavement!
By Sunday the 28th, we were all packed.....six very large and heavy suitcases (minus the Murph) and a total of three carry on bag's....nine suitcases in all......and the adventure truly begins!