To begin, here are photos and moments before and after the Gir safaris.

The first photos are of two happy travelers.

Who loves to travel more, Zeeshan?

It is imperative to have at least one photo of an Indian cow roaming the streets
A woman waiting for her husband to pick her up.

The driver said this was the best chai ever….and Zeeshan said an emphatic yes, that it was – and proceeded to drink quite a lot. Personally I was fascinated that it was drunk from a saucer.
The master chef

…or me?

Our driver

Zeeshan enjoys his tea

One of the things I love most when traveling in India (anywhere, actually) is taking photos of everyday life on the roadside. These next photos were taken on the drive from Gir to Rajkot.  Being my last ride in the Indian countryside made the photo taking session that much more poignant.  Some views look like they could be anywhere, while some are uniquely Indian. I hope you enjoy my impressions.

It looks like this road sign meant business…immediately after I saw it, animals started crossing!

During my years here, I have been fascinated by all the variety of transport in India. On this trip I paid attention and made sure to take photos of the different ways goods were transported, as well as people. I think this drive to the airport captured the essence of India’s commercial transportation system.

To quote Zeeshan, in India “lanes are a suggestion.”

Got rice?

While there are many ‘typical western’ toll booths in India, some are still quite simple.

I just love this cow photo because it was taken from the car – a memory of India I will keep forever.

Then, in the middle of the countryside and these small, Indian cities, what should pop up, but a British-style train station:

India is a country of contrasts. This concept of “contrast” is something that has stuck with me everywhere I have been throughout my time in India.  As a matter of fact, when I create my India photo book (I have made one from each country I’ve lived in), it will be called India: Colors and Contrasts.  This next set of photos portray some of the contrasts I feel represent life in India.

Simple spot for morning chai…
…with the warmest smile from a customer.

Homeless, living on the roadside, yet having fun family time.

We arrive at the Rajkot airport at exactly the 4-hour mark, as predicted by the driver, where I see two more nice examples of street art.

Now back in Mumbai, I will now focus on sharing the last moments, savoring what I love about Mumbai, Ecole and India.

Below on the left is a photo from 3 years ago when I ate my first Chaat, and on the right is a photo of my last chaat.  SO delicious!!

My last time indulging on Alphonso mangoes…ate them all in one go!

I combined goodbye meals with visiting my favorite local spots, near my apartment.  Going through this next set of photos was bittersweet…made me really miss everyone from Mumbai!

Everyone at my hair salon, Benny’s
My core Book Club group…. the BEST conversations about books.

Dinner with my friend Anita was at the amazing Corra restaurant, with a stop for Nuvola gelato for dessert.

The Windermere Crew (Windermere is the name of my apartment complex), including honorary Windermere resident Bhargavi (in the yellow dress).

We spent our evening at Woodside Inn with their superb crackers, parm/truffle fries and drinks.

Luuma, another favored spot with favored people!

Keralan cuisine with Vicki and Brad…oh the sauces!!

And…an American meal with Lehkika and her sons.

In addition to all those dinners out, all the goodbye chocolate cakes I got from various school folk touched me beyond belief.  Students, teachers and support staff all asked for time with me. 

My office at Ecole was such a happy place for me with all the notes from students, teachers and families.  I share a few of them here:

This is from a staff party where we had to match the movie title with the person, mine was an easy guess when called out!
This is from my first year in Mumbai with Tina making fun of how I mix up names and how for a while would get 2 of everything I ordered from Amazon India!

One of my favorite moments in the mornings was giving this student a fist bump.  It started because he would cry in the mornings…and evolved into creative fist bumps and a special smile not shown on this photo due to his face needing to be covered.

This is from a student who painted this because he knows I love to travel.
Shiva and Amit, two wonderful drivers and kind men

.

Without a doubt, it is the teachers who I think of right now as I post the next set of photos. Such a glorious three years working with them!

Group photos….a regular and appreciated moment:

This was taken at the final, full school meal at A La Mode.
Our annual last day of school luncheon.

One of our Saturday gatherings, at an amazing restaurant chosen by the restaurant guru, Sneha.

Hanging out in the teachers’ lounge was always pleasant.

The super team!

Here is some last photos of life in Mumbai. First, two Jain women on a puja. 

Their mouths are covered so as not to accidentally ingest an insect.

My monsoon video and a photo of the effects of a monsoon when you ride an open-air auto rickshaw home from work.  Look carefully at the photo!

Some final street art in Mumbai:

A traffic jam near the airport allowed me to finally get good photos of these two murals.

Outside my apartment complex, a wonderful mural was painted capturing life in Mumbai.  I finally made the effort to photograph it, and it was great to reflect on how I have experienced and photographed all the moments depicted on the mural.

And then it was, finally, time to leave.  I was touched that Zeeshan came to Mumbai to see me off and took a photo and video of my plane taking off.  A fitting ending to an amazing three years.

I don’t think I ever shared a photo of my apartment complex, so here it is, “The Windermere”…
The last time I needed to show my old passport and my new passport, along with the associated documents connected to my work visa.  This annoyance always extended my stay at passport control!
..along with the entryway on my floor – the 7th!

Throughout my time in India, I kept track of the states I visited.  My original intent was to visit every State in India but since my time here was cut short, that goal didn’t happen.  However, I am proud of how much I saw and experienced!

And so, I am back in New York, at least for now. But as far as I am concerned, this is simply a new place to explore. After all, I haven’t lived here for over 30-years! While my India posts may be over, the blog is not: stay tuned for posts exploring my next home!

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