During the last months of school, along with all the goodbye events, I traveled all over the world – literally.  I flew to Seoul, Korea to chair a school’s mid-term reaccreditation visit.  I flew to Tashkent, Uzbekistan for a job interview. I flew to San Francisco for a dear friend’s funeral.  And I flew to China to close out my account and ensure my money would be transferred to the US.  Each of those short visits had some nice photos and moments associated with them.  When did I have all the time for this?  Well, these were all 24 or 48-hour whirlwind excursions where I made sure I stayed hydrated and slept as much as I could.

In Tashkent, the fruit trees were in full bloom.

During this visit to San Francisco I saw the green hills (due to the rains) so I am sharing two photos of the same view: during the dry and wet seasons.

Parts of the AIDS quilt was also on display in the SF airport.

In Seoul I got to eat my first Korean BBQ!

There were fun statues near the hotel as well!

On one of my flights to Guangzhou I had the row to myself and therefore was able to take these photos!

In China I was struck at how different it was from India: smooth roads, no honking, overall quiet (especially in all the electric Ubers), clean and the tall modern architecture I so loved looking at when I lived here (as well as the night skyline with its lights).  Then there was the robot who delivered my package to the hotel room! However, there was a squat toilet to put me in my place and remind me things are not always as they seem!

I was able to see my friends and visit my two favorite restaurants: Bandidos (awesome Mexican food – sorry no photos) and Din Tai Fung where I treated my church friends: soul-calming and re-energizing.

Of course, the purpose of my visit was the bank.  It took 4 (!) hours and more name signing than for a mortgage in the US, but the deed was done.  To celebrate I went to the leather market and bought authentic purses (one for Sophia, one for me and one to share with her) at rock bottom prices (direct from the factory).

The ride to the airport afforded me a last look at the lush forests of South East China.

Since I was too early to check in, I treated myself to KFC without the fear of it being too spicy!

And when I returned to Mumbai, I got to enjoy my last view of the artwork at the international arrivals’ baggage claim,