bombay-not a place to go if you have nervous children and a sick husband.Yes, sick. first he thought he had malaria, turns out it is denge fever. Joy. First doc missed the fever pattern and put him on meds that we are not sure helped.  The hotel doc came the day after I arrived with the girls, and got himo on his way to a “speedy” recovery.Nothing is speedy in India, except of course the rickshaw drivers.

The energy (or the jetlag,who knows) has been very dense, especially at night. Nothing like dengeon the bed next to you to freakyou out about traveling with children in India.

h1n1 seems likenothing. so, every night panic came over me,deciding whether we wave the white flag of defeit or keep going. Just like a good 5 day fever, my panic broke. I practiced mantras & used every spiritual tool I know. Fear is a very intense thing, but somehow we got through it.

Now,we are in Goa. JUST WHAT WE NEEDED. Lovely beaches, lovely food, and the children feel happy. all is good (or god).

Next: family visits

Teeming with humanity Dharavi, Mumbai’s largest slum area spreading over 1.7 km and home to about 1 million people, is a non-stop sensory overload.  To call this home to so many a slum denigrates those that have come to make this swampy marshland nestled between Mumbai’s two main rail lines home.   Dharavi generates upwards of $500 million per year as these industrious laborers produce everything from pottery, bread and fancy candy boxes that are sold in high end shops around Mumbai to corrugated cardboard, dyes and furniture.  This is also where everything in Mumbai and even the whole of India comes to be recycled, reused and retired.  Scavengers picking through trash heaps in the city have come to depend on this giant factory of a place to provide for their well-being.

I’ve seen my share of poverty in action but this place shames those that think the poor just want a hand out.  They have come from all over India and as far away as China and Indonesia and the Middle East to find a better life–they have come to Dharavi and made it their home.

It is known that large Indian corporations have purchased large swaths of this once useless land hoping to develop it for commercial purposes.  Without any legal claim to their shanty homes and businesses these residents have few options if a government redevelopment plan is put into action.  In the end I fear this will happen but for now this remains a must see for anyone traveling to India’s many wonders.

Dharavi looking East

Water pipelines intersect Dharavi

Glen is knee deep in his workshop, and I in wrapping things up: albums sent to clients, last minute meetings with bright eyed engaged couples ready to book their photog, and settling into my single parenting mode (less than 10 days left until I join Glen in Mumbai), and making lists of what I need to get & pack.

This one month creative sabbatical will start off this way… (or so I plan)

A: land in Bombay (Mumbai) after 14hr flight from JFK with the girlies, and meet our super hero who will rescue us at the airport (Glen).

B: Go to Goa (because my sister & brother said we must– going to visit Palolem), not sure if we’ll take an overnight train (8hrs) or fly - $160 for all four of us for one way, not bad. This is a touristy area which may cater to two little western girls who may need a friendly chicken sandwich rather than chickpeas with curry.

C: Bellary (psyched to visit family- wild– 31 years later- will see Aunties & Uncles and see what I learn about my past and our family)

D: Bangalore (more family & hopefully some fun shopping– my cousin is having a baby too!)

Then…. headed to Kerala (southern state) or somewhere really cool. Our thoughts: Backwaters of Kerala (it’s supposed to be beautiful), beaches of Kerala, go to Amma’s ashram, or there is also this really cool sustainable/ mindful community ( Auroville) or as always, we go with the flow.

I just heard that the plane has individual TVs, so hopefully the kids will be entertained. Food, on the other hand… I hear it is Indian & spicy. I know, I know, I am going to India, and yes, my kids don’t really like Indian food… oh, well.  We’ll see what they are going to eat for one month.

Without travel, this family ceases to exist. Thank you life for this gift.

The GADS (Glen-Asha-Dharma-Sarada)

My husband is a romantic, but he married a super practical-love-you-to-death-kinda-girl, -but-don’t-always-have-to-show-it. It’s how I was raised, and as much as I love to see love, I have not always been Ms. Affectionate. (That’s right, it’s Ms. not Mrs.– but that is entirely a whole different post)… Let me explain, I’m a feminist, and I love the use of Ms because I am not owned, as the original Mrs. suggest- but that’s my bag, baby.

I think he’s going to kill me for writing this, but I think that if he could photograph “Engagement Sessions” every day, he probably would. There is something SO romantic (yes, even for me), sweet, REAL, and natural about these couples in that state of ecstasy– when love is full of potential, not too much of the resentment, and not quite knee deep in working out your childhood traumas (and head case sttuuuffff)–you know, all the growing old kinda stuff.

So, I’m feeling a little nostalgic for that fairy-tale & urban style with a side of oysters. What??? Glen posted two couples he photographed earlier this month, and you know, I see why he loves these shoots… I think it may remind him of who he & I are at the core.

Yes, we have our own business, we have two maddening children (and utterly cute & delightful, mind you), and we try to keep our house clean (yes, photogs who walk in @3pm in our home with a kitchen full of breakfast dishes- we try!) Our life is crazy, we fight, we make up, we then travel because that is OUR WAY of getting out of our rut and remembering who we are.

Ok, this is starting to sound way too familiar… like 2 summers ago when we started our crazy drive to Central America. The only difference is that when a mom at school confesses to me how she does not feel close to her husband because he has a separate life than her & the children, I cannot relate. Yes, I deal with the girls a lot more, and yes, my husband works like a mad man, but I do not feel disconnected from him. Not now.

I look forward to our time in India for many, many reasons, but the No.1 is that we get to remember us.

Here are the couples that inspire us to remember love…

Ok, we never had THIS moment, but Glen is quite the charmer.

Life & people pass by & they are in their own world… yeah, I know the feeling.

We used to eat oh, sooo many oysters when we dated! (oh, no, we won’t be eating those in

India–I’m even scared in Venezuela to eat oysters, never mind India.)

And this is who we are, photo taken by Sarada (4yrs old–camera

definitely weighs more than she does)

If you live in New England, you know EVERYONE is talking about the tough decision of what to do about these vaccines. I have to admit, it took me a while to get really excited about the logistics of this trip because of the perceived explosion of this subject.

I polled everyone. I mean everyone I knew, “If you were taking your kids to India right now, would you give them the vaccine?” I asked people that are from India, people who regularly travel to India, and savvy International travelers. They all said, “Yes.”

Everywhere I read, the advice was “do it”. Until I went in to see my doc for a little check up. She said, (totally off the record) that she’d rather get the swine flu, build up natural immunity, and be done. Even for her kids. She said that they don’t know if it takes 1 or 2 doses & if the virus mutates then it won’t work. So, she opened me to thinking differently, but she did say, “If I were you, I’d get the flu & H1N1 because the question is do you want to get sick while you are traveling?” No, of course I don’t want to get sick, or have my two little angels with fevers, never!

After sitting with this information I sat with the decisions, and then at a very deep, intuitive level, I got that it just was not right for the girls. I’m sure most think I’m crazy, but what’s new. It is just not right for us. Yes, we are going to sit on a 15 hr. plane ride with same yucky air recirculating, but it just does not feel right.

So, we are not doing it. It got me thinking about all the other filters I have, and how this is just one area that I have to filter out the outside world & come within to know what is right, for my girls, myself & my marriage, and my business.

Intuition: overrated? I’m going on a big no to that.

So, vaccine preparation is done. Next, is what to bring in case we get sick. Oh, right, along with that is checking my belief system around this. Because as my dear friend Karen says, Children rise to meet your expectations as a parent.

So, we took a nice trip into Prince Edward Island, Canada. We camped & enjoyed the beauty of nature.

but somehow it just didn’t quite stir things up inside the way we Cooper-Ramakrishnas like it, so after my sister came back from India, I said to Glen, “I want to go to India…in December”.

Glen got his butt in gear, set up a Photography workshop  and is teaching the workshop in Mumbai end of November (too convenient). check it http://www.visualreportage.com. Glen style, it is working with NGOs (Non Government Orgs) to provide awareness to us all & the participants of the workshop. Amateurs & professional photographers are going.

The girls and I fly out to meet him after the workshop and we’ll see what comes of it.

Are we a mess like we were two years ago? Not quite, but in serious need of this creative one month sabbatical. I’ve personally lost my edge with the non profit work & need to find my next cause. I’m dead without my causes. Our marriage could use a little FUN into the mix instead of work, work, work, and oh, yes, I’m married to you, let’s spend time together.

Fun facts about this trip:

1. Our daughters are the same ages my sister & I were when we first traveled to India. 7 & 4.

2.It was 31 years ago, and I had not been back since. That trip messed me up in terms of how I viewed abundance; I could not understand the dissparaties & questioned why we had so much. But then went back to Venezuela & proceeded my greedy path. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. So, human need has been out of sight for me & I need to bring it back into my consciousness.

3. We may go to an ashram.. that accepts children of course!

4. Like Panama, we think we know where we are going, but we are going to allow ourselves to be surprised. My mind won’t shut up and wants me to tell you that we want to go to:

From Mumbai to Goa

Goa to Bellary (& Hampi) were the fam lives

Bangalore (some cousins there, but may skip it)

Kerala - We want to see the beauty & may go see Amma (Hindu saint)

We have a month & are not sure if we will blog, but hope to post photos at some  point.

Why are we going? because the heart called & said go. The kids need to see how others live, I want to connect to my Indian heritage & family, Glen’s photography explodes (in a good way) after these trips… but mostly because the Heart called.

GADS

About this time last year, you were all getting ready with us as we changed our lives, and as we expected the unexpected. As I look over our Holiday video card, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to share all those countries and experiences with my family.

Yes, there was a ton of cranky moments, but the richness of what we lived is so full; we work every day (ok, not every day, mostly when we remind ourselves of what is important) to live in the moment like we did on our road trip.

The book experience is, well, not as straight forward. Revising a manuscript is a bit of a pain for someone who just likes stuff to be done (me. Glen’s process is never ending). So, maybe another 6 months to release?

As I breath through my sometimes Type A personality, I am remembering that it really doesn’t fricken matter when the book comes out…. it is, as they say, all about the journey… even when there are two kids in the back seat begging and crying to go back to their “Little Blue House”.

So, the new adventure: To be determined…. My idea was to hike part of the Appalachia trail, but life got in the way, and on one beautiful Friday morning, as I embraced enjoying life, I sprained my ankle while playing tennis. It has been 5 weeks, and I still can’t wear high-heel shoes. Ok, I never wear them, but if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I am wearing a hard-core brace & sneakers… attractive.

So, then we went to plan B… road trip, this time… on an RV. Friends of ours have one and are graciously letting us take it. We don’t know where we are going, and it won’t be for 2 months, but I have spotted a 2 week window where we have no weddings…. so, we are off end of July ….

Stay tuned for the new destination & for updates on how we have evolved as a family. Ok, forget I said the latter, maybe we are just the same, but a little bit freer. Maybe?

Oh, and yes, we will be blogging as much as possible. You won’t have a 2 month soap opera, but you’ll have a nice two week dramatic movie to enjoy! Thanks for all your support & for following us along!

The GADS

( G-Glen, A-Asha, D-Dharma, S-Sarada)

As I sit here in the chill of winter on the East Coast with the thin winter sun setting on the horizon I am waiting for YouTube to upload this to you all. We had a lot of music on our summer roadtrip through Central America but this was one tape that our kids seemed to gravitate towards. It just seemed a fitting Xmas/holiday card. Thanks to all for reading this summer and check back for our next adventure…

Here are some pix and we’d like to know your top 3. We are submitting work to a few galleries and need help. Thanks for reading:

Somewhere lying low in the US returning to Life–We are holed up at a remote location somewhere in the US patiently waiting for our “little blue house” to be available for us to move back in. Our summer tenants leave on Wednesday, August 13 and the house cleaners get to work shortly after. For all intents and purposes that is the official date when our grand adventure ends (for now). While we know we are closing a very significant chapter in our lives it is not with sadness or trepidation but with the thirsty joy of looking forward to the next moment.

When I started this blog many months ago with an entry that many found disturbing and others just sad, my intention was to try to make as real the constant struggles that befall us all at times. This voyage for me was like senior year in high school or the 5 months I spent in Bosnia or even the first 9-1/2 weeks when Asha and I met.

Our two months were a period of time where my family and I grew through pain and laughter into our next phase. It started to repair those “cracks in our…foundation” that I mentioned in that first blog entry, filling the gaps with the kind of clear, amber resin that preserves ancient fossils. There is some kind of permanence to our relationships as if nothing or nobody can ever take away these last 2 months. Many years from now after the ravages of time has buried these memories under others It is my hope that our pyramid will stand as magnificent as those at Calakmul. There is such a wonderful breeze from up there and on a clear day you can see all the way to Heaven.

Now is the time to begin to practice what we’ve learned as a family and individually. We have slowly grown into a new philosophy for the past 2 months—summed up by Asha as she was trying to teach Dharma the meaning of a verb. “Being is a verb, too,” she said as I laughed after I suggested words like “eating”, running”, and “playing”.

Somewhere in our travels between traversing Las Posas in Xilitla, Mexico and celebrating Maximon in Zunil, Guatemala it became known to us the exact meaning of the verb “to be”.

Throughout this journey we’ve experienced being sad like the sadness that comes from missing your home or realizing you’ve lost a dear friend like Spotty Dog. We’ve had the elation of climbing the tallest pyramid in Meso-america as we stood at its peak high above the jungle canopy. We’ve swam naked in ancient rivers like wild creatures. Asha and I made passionate love to the music of the jungle at night.
We suffered insect assaults on our bodies and a litany of minor ailments from fever and head colds to a horrid month-long cough. We’ve been tired and cranky fighting traffic in Mexico City and bored and exhausted waiting for customs at the El Salvador/Gautemala border.

We’ve been many things along the way but most of all we’ve been together with lots and lots of Love. Here is to wishing everyone the same feeling I have at this moment and hoping that we can forever live in the love of perpetual being.