My Last Big Trip (for now...): Coimbatore and Bangalore

Flower market in Bangalore

After returning from our trip in North India, my Dad and I headed to Coimbatore, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It’s just a 45 minute flight from Bangalore. My dad was born and grew up in Coimbatore with his brother and two sisters. My Aunt and Uncle from Bangalore came with us, making it the first time all four brothers and sisters were together in a long time. My dad had a photographer come to the house to take some family photos while we were all together. The rest of our time in India was mostly about visiting family, and I enjoyed it a lot especially because I hadn’t seen some of my relatives in 15 years. While in Coimbatore, my uncle took me to visit a temple where he is very involved and which my grandfather helped to found in 1942. It has since become a large and well-known complex, thanks in part to my uncle undertaking a large expansion project. Having never met my grandfather, I enjoyed visiting the temple that he often went to and seeing his name engraved on a wall listing the founders.

After a three-day visit, we headed back to Bangalore for another couple of days. On my last day, I went on a walk at 7am with my cousin’s husband in Lalbagh Garden. It’s like the Central Park of Bangalore – a huge green space in the city center with ponds, numerous kinds of trees and birds, and beautifully landscaping. About 8,000 people walk around the park every day, and I could see why. It was peaceful and the air was clear. It’s now known as the “lungs of the city” because of the fresh air inside compared to the smoke from the ever-present cars and motorcycles outside. I was glad I went on the walk, even though I was questioning the decision when I woke up at 6am.

That night I left Bangalore for my next stop – Mauritius. I had to go through Mumbai, where I was to catch a 4am flight to Mauritius. I arrived in Mumbai at 1am, only to find out that my flight had been delayed until 7am. Staying up all night and hanging out in the Mumbai Airport wasn’t exactly the most fun I’ve ever had. To top it off, we spent another hour and a half on the runway waiting to take off and they only had vegetarian meals left when they got to my row. But all of this could not ruin a truly great trip to India.