Passport? Check!

Part I

…My Travel History…

 My traveling days began at an early age of two. My Father’s business being based in Tanzania and my Mother and siblings living in Dubai in the early 90’s then in Canada ’96 onwards, I would travel back and forth frequently with him. Our travel days together were one of the most memorable to date. In fact, I still carry many travel habits that I learned over the years from him. However, with time I grew up and chose a career path that provided me with unexpected opportunities to see the world. I had traveled a couple of times on my own prior to med school but during schooling years the traveling experiences I underwent were truly life-changing. In short – I stepped out of my comfort zone with my passport and grew!

Travel memories with Dad & persisting habits

Okay, so there are lots of them! Traveling with my dad was pure fun. We would watch movies together, he’d get me to go see the pilot and back in the early and mid 90’s I’d be allowed to sit in the cockpit with the pilot while on short transit. Oh and get to wear the pilot’s cap. Now once we had moved to Canada our trips grew longer. From a plane ride that lasted six hours from Dar-es-salaam to Dubai grew to two days or more from Dar-es-salaam to Toronto. This led to spending hours to days in terminals or hotels in the cities of Muscat, Dubai or London.

I still recall once spending 10 hours at Heathrow airport – since then I’ve despised that airport. But yes, my dad knew how to keep me occupied – my Gameboy or a book. Lying down on his lap reading Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban in Dubai International Airport while waiting for our flight. Unfortunately, I had to give up my Gameboy but carrying a book is still a must.

By far the best moments were hotel or airport lounge breakfasts. The tradition was to be there early as soon as breakfast was served and yes we had a routine. First, a plate of fruits and bowl of cereal then a plate filled with eggs, sausages, baked beans and hash browns this usually led to the third plate of refills. Don’t judge, but my hotel breakfast stills consist of two rounds at least!

The roads of India

It was the summer of 2014 and I was visiting my best friend (Suraksha) in South India. This was where it began. Prior to this, I had been on many plane rides but this time was different. I was out on my own and it was exhilarating!  I landed in a country filled with culture, vibrant colors and food filled with rich spices. It was all for me to explore and discover with my best friend and her family.  A family I became part of and felt like being at home with. We toured through cities in South India, flew to Bengaluru and drove up to the hill stations of Konoor and Kotagiri.

Suraksha (Su) and I have a few travel traditions. The main one being long walks exploring the city and of course eating lots of food! During one of our walks high up in the clouds in the hill-station of kotagiri, without realizing we had walked 10 k and in fact had crossed over to another city. On our way back to our hotel we took a break to stop and watch the sun as it set down the mountain. It was beautiful. That’s when I realized that I needed traveling to be part of my life. To explore new cities and their culture. I made a quiet promise that day to keep my passion for traveling alive, least did I know that this was the beginning of a journey, a journey of discovering myself.

Read on to my next post to see where traveling took me next! And leave a comment below favorite destination 🙂