Thursday, January 17, 2008

Aaj kal paaon zameen par nahin padte mere

Remember when dad went to India last year and mom opted to stay home and complain?

“I refuse to go to India for 10 days only,” she declared haughtily. "Especially when I'm traveling on my own dime."

Well, the time has now come for mom to stick to her convictions.

Since she thinks traveling halfway across the world for 10 days is a colossal waste of personal resources, mom has booked her tickets to India for … hold you breath … don’t keel over with jealousy now … a whopping 11 days!

That’s right, 11 whole days of spring break in Chennai with her in-laws. And what’s more, mom’s taking the kids with her.

“Are you out of your mind?” gasped her girlfriends. “You call that a vacation?”

Well, let’s see … 11 days of no work, cooking or cleaning, sleeping in and waking up to a warm mug of Horlicks, gallivanting around town, shopping, deciding between masala dosa or aloo parantha for breakfast, a face to face with Lakshmi and Shoefiend, consuming copious quantities of sweets and savories, and watching her children gambol with their grandparents ….

Sounds like a vacation to me.

27 comments:

anantha said...

Woohoo! But 11 days is more than 10 days no? I think it just pushes over the limit from "bleahhh" to "acceptable" on the perfect holiday scale. Accepted that it is still not in the "awesome" category, but I am sure mom will take what she gets!

Terri the terrific said...

Exactly, anantha! After four years, she's realized that there's never THE perfect time for the stars to align and leave to be granted. Vacations have to be grabbed as and when they come.

Anonymous said...

have fun! I just got back (15 days of doing all the stuff you mentioned) from Chennai myself. If you need any ideas where to spend all your time and rupees, lemme know..

-atgc

Anonymous said...

No work, no cooking, not even come-here-and-help-cut-the veggies? You have one nice mom in law :)

rads said...

No fair! I want to go too! *sulk.

Terri the terrific said...

rads, maybe not Hawaii or Turkey, but we can always make it a threesome in Chennai if you're up to it.

lekhni, by the time I peel an onion, mom-in-law can cook for 20 people and set the table.

atgc, please pass on those kid-friendly suggestions.

Anonymous said...

you guys have ggot to watch this.

did mom watch tv (nbc nightly news) tonight? there was a piece on export-quality desi hair.

- s.b.

Terri the terrific said...

s.b., watched it, but didn't get the connection. And no, mom doesn't get a chance to watch TV. She relies on the blogosphere for daily news.

Anonymous said...

terri:

no connection. i should have emphasized that - it was just too funny a clip to not share!

re: the nightly news, here is a link to mara, their digital journalist who came on the air!

- s.b.

The ramblings of a shoe fiend said...

ello mami when in madras give me a shout, am also in town! perhaps we can meet up?

Terri the terrific said...

shoefie, I'm presuming the 'mami' was a typo, and you actually meant to say 'mommy' in an American accent.

Anonymous said...

Hey thats cool... is Mom planning to be in Bangalore? (ya right on a 11 day trip)...

Terri the terrific said...

vijay, not this time, but next time, surely.

Anonymous said...

Just got back from India, but am jealous all the same.

Ankit Desai said...

Hey great post... going thru' your blog I feel sad and relieved at the same time that I am neither your friend nor relative... Did I just invite a sarcastic post by writing to you? I wonder...

Anonymous said...

cool....welcome and hope you have a good stay here....

Terri the terrific said...

mg, when's your next trip?

ankit, I'm only sarcastic to people I know. Just ask dad.

1$, thanks. I haven't forgotten your Murugan Idli Kadai recommendation. Do you get other things to eat there or is it only famous for idlis?

Unknown said...

have fun!

it is always a challenge for the american dog to deal with the street dogs of Chennai and Bangalore..

I am sure your mom will give you plenty of tips..

he he..

:)

ara said...

when is the said trip, terr? and sho shad no charming *cough cough* bangalore... it would have been so good to catch up!

a

Terri the terrific said...

sundar, this isn't a family vacation. Mom is traveling without the two most important men in her life.

A, next time for sure. Unless you're planning a trip to steamy Chennai for spring break.

Anonymous said...

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

Unknown said...

how did they let you go on your own.. san is not allowed to go on her own anywhere because we are errr.. dependent on her !

:)

Terri the terrific said...

Lakshmi, SAME HERE! :)

sundar, in our case, mom is the clingy, dependent one. Dad has been gently nudging her out of the nest for years to spread her wings and fly. But she's still happiest when she can lean on him.

Anonymous said...

India trip is an India trip as long as
total number of days of stay is greater than the number of days needed to get out of jetlag!!

have a great trip and be all that you can be!!

- Shree

the mad momma said...

oh yes.. 11 days is definitely much better than 10. pity you're not touching delhi... have fun!

Sue said...

Waaah! I want to go to Madras too. I want to hand over The Bhablet to my parents and be fed grand food all day. :(

Anonymous said...

Umm...are you here yet?