Hard to believe our Nepal-India touring is done. Sadly we are leaving Goa for our last few days in Indore before heading home.
We have visited many places, seen many sights and met many incredible people along the way. People who have shown kindness, humility and graciousness in their own ways. People I hope to remember for many years.
I won’t forget the Soaltee Kathmandu dining staff who actually did a farewell for us before leaving – cake with a message wishing us a safe journey. The Soaltee Nagarkot staff who were so helpful in helping us get medical care.
In Amritsar, Chef Mani was very generous with his food knowledge. He also me the secret to his incredibly yummy Amritsari Chole. We are connected on WhatsApp and he’s offered to help with any food questions we have in the future. One of his staff members, Dipali, packed us fruits and snacks for our travels.
At the Golden Temple, I will remember the kind children who were asked to give up their spots for Jeet and me to do seva. They patiently waited and told me to take my time.
In Goa, we became friends with some of the servers – Debashish and Suraj in particular. At times, they work 20 days continuously without any time off. Both jokingly said they would come to the US and visit us. I said absolutely and gave them my phone number – I don’t think they expected that.
On the hotel beach, a group of ladies were selling fresh coconut water, other fruits and offering massages. We bought coconut water from them at 6 pm and they said it was their first sale of the day. Jeet and I told them we would be back. The next morning we walked to the beach and they saw us from far away and started waving. We bought 5 more coconuts from them and they were so thankful and happy to have made a sale in the morning.
All of our drivers and guides were so kind and generous with their time. Our last driver in Goa, Isaac, drove 20 minutes back to the Goa airport to deliver Simmi’s purse she left on our rented bus. He didn’t need to do that by any means, but he did it without any hesitation.
I won’t forget the lady simmi and I met in a street side shop selling clothes in Goa. We were chatting and she told us her daily routine. Very rigorous and no breaks – day starts at 7 am and goes on until 2 am. I didn’t bargain with her – as long as she continued to educate her children. She promised to and then told us all about her three children and their interests.
We meet so many people along the way in life – some leave a lasting impression. I am thankful to have met so many of those people on our journey.