January 31, 2009 at 18:52
Dear Rajeev and Shruti,
We know how much you love “thank yous”! So, we would like to take this time to thank you. Thank you for opening your home to us. Thank you for your warmth and hospitality. Thank you for answering all of our questions and being so patient with our endless inquiries. Thank you for the long talks. Thank you for the long walks. Thank you for the book to read. Thank you for lounging in the mountain room with us. Thank you for making us laugh. Thank you for the amazing meals. Thank you for driving us everywhere. Thank you for teaching us how to be better tourists in India. Thank you for interpreting. Thank you for the courses in personal defense. Thank you for the recipes. Thank you for the chai. Thank you for the proper booze nights. Thank you for being so absolutely wonderful!
We were really looking forward to spending the weekend with you and we had the time of our lives. We really appreciate all that you have done for us. We feel incredibly fortunate to have met such wonderful people. You are the future of India and the future is looking good. Please remember that you always have a home in Miami and we look forward to being able to return the favor one day. Rajeev, we wish you the very best with your training and deployment and Shruti, we wish you the best with your return to work in the greatest city in India! We already miss you guys and can't wait until we meet again!
All the best,
Kevin and Idalis
Dear Mysore,
Well, our time here is winding down. In fact, today is our last full day in your beautiful city. We have learned so much. Idalis has furthered her Ashtanga yoga practice and I got to give a little back to your community. We had time to rest, read and enjoy great food. We visited some of your sites and truly enjoyed the Palace, the zoo and Chamundi Hill. We did Puja. We got to make new friends and spend time with old ones. We got to cook and clean and enjoy somewhat of a normal life in our tiny apartment. We enjoyed your wide, new sidewalks and your trash receptacles. We enjoyed meeting your residents and playing with your local kids. We thank you for this month of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. We thank you for letting us settle in your pleasant community. Thanks to our time here, we are now ready to move on and explore Northern India. You have been a home away from home for us and we appreciate all the opportunities that you have given us. Thank you for being such a great host!
Sincerely,
Kevin and Idalis
One month apartment rental in Mysore...............$100
One month electricity payment........................$7
Rickshaw ride into town..............................$1
South Indian special thali (complete meal)........$0.44
Living like a local in Mysore.................Priceless
11 comments:
Rajeev, Shruti and Mysore, Thank you for being so wonderful for my brother and sister-in-law. Thank you for your hospitality and kindness and generosity! Their family back home all appreciate that you have taken them in and cared for them! Kevin and Idalis, thank you for being you! You were sorely missed tonight at the big Calahoney event! Laura has a voice that is as rich and lush as velvet! And on a "cold" Miami night, Laura and Josue sounded as awesome live as they do on the CD! It was a pleasure to be able to see them. And the only thing lacking had nothing to do with them and everything to do with not having you there! You are loved by so many people and have touched so many lives. Keep on being the wonderful people you are and you will be continually blessed with the same from others!
Jeremom, Wow! You are fast! We had not yet even finished adding all the pictures and putting the final edit on the post and noticed that we already had one comment. I must be sure to be consistent about your blog to ensure that I keep getting results like this. I am so glad you got to spend a night out and what better way then to be serenaded by the sweet and lovely sounds of Calahoney! What a great duo, no?! Once again, thanks for playing Santa in January. I hope everyone liked their gifts! We miss all of you back home as well and think of you often. The most peaceful and satisfying feeling is knowing that our circles of friends back home have all combined to become one HUGE circle of friends and thanks to all of your hard work, we will benefit greatly when we return. We are excited at the prospect of continuing our travels, but equally excited to know what awaits us when we return!!! Love you all!!!!
Hello Kevin and Idalis...
I think this is one of my all-time favorite posts. I love the pictures with you and Rajeev and Shruti and the pictures of you each at the bottom of the post. You look so great, and seeing her children look great makes a mom feel happy :)
It does sound as if Mysore was a wonderful stop for you in many ways...rest, yoga, volunteering, a sense of "normal" living and best of all two new very good friends.
Friendship definitely serves to make the world seem a bit smaller, doesn't it?
Rajeev and Shruti, I do hope you come to Miami one day. It would be wonderful to meet you both.
I also love your priceless list at the end of the post.
You are two beautiful little people and much loved not just at home but across the globe!
I love you...and as always miss you.
Hi Kevin & Idalis,
I'm your neighbor from MB, Anna (apt.412). Sorry for not writing sooner but I have to say I have followed your blog and have enjoyed it tremendously... seriously, you guys need an agent as soon as possible to transform and publish your blog into a travel/memoir type of book! I enjoy living vicariously through you both and Samantha Brown... I prefer your travels though. Anyway, back here we are into our 3rd week without an elevator... that's my workout regimine right there. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and let you know how happy I am for you both for going on this incredible journey. Thanks for sharing. Namaste, Anna Maria
Hey there world travelers, your last blogs sounds so peaceful and fulfilling. You seem so far away from all of the crazy adventures and blunders in past blogs. "A world of Thanks" to both of you for our lovely gift!!! You can't imagine our surprise when your sister gave us this beautifully wrapped package all the way from India!!! We were getting ready to perform at our CD release (all the peeps were there) I taped the postcard to my microphone and I think Josue is trying to send you a copy in the next couple days. The pillow cover was at the foot of the mic too! It is now prominately displayed on the couch at home and smells of all of the lovely spices that came in the package!! Delish. Going to see Katie and Sarah on Fri for a girls' dinner, yum! Sending you love from the MIA,
cheers,
Laura
Hi,
Just a note to say hello. I haven't entered much lately but for sure I'm following along with all your journeys. Sounds like your stay with Rajeev and Shruti in Mysore was really great. Thanks Rajeev, and Shruti for taken care of my boy and his special girl. Thanks for teaching them to be special tourist in India. I'm sure they were special students and will apply what you have taught them. Kevin, still working with diti, she has a appointment next week at the vet. Maybe he can help her. Also, I checked on line for doggie wheel chairs. You might want to google this yourself and tell me what you think. Keep being the great ambassadors that you are and keep the blog rolling.
i happened to be listening to the oprah winfrey show at work the other day. i only caught a bit of it so my info might be a little distorted. anyway, they had this thing on india and how donating hair is like this multi-million dollar business there, and how the act is also blessed by the gods. apparently some of the best hair used for extensions and such comes from india. helloooo....hook a brother up! i found it rather funny. could you imagine me with a full head of indian hair?
nice to hear that 'mysore' turned out to be a sweet place for you guys eventhough the word 'mysore' sounds like an oxymoron.
continue to find peace and self discovery where ever you go, accompanied by laughter and love.
peace...
adrian~.
p.s. to anna maria...
did you hear all that racketing on the night of july 4th just a couple doors down from you? and i'm not talking about the thunderstorm or the fireworks. it sounded a bit like a concert and all the fans were singing at the top of their lungs. either that or a pen-full of pigs being slaughtered...either way, heartfelt!
anna, this is idalis' younger brother adrian. the night i'm speaking about is THE MOST MEMORABLE NIGHT OF MY LIFE. with the help of my brother, a guitar, some other makeshift instruments, and some backround vocals from some of miami beach's finest, we were able to serenade idalis and kevin well into the night. it was such an amazing night that i can't even apologize for all the noise. but i will say 'hello' and i hope all is well in MB.
kevin and idalis: it's only gonna get louder when you return!
Amen to that, Adrian...We'll make some BIG noise when Idalis and Kevin return!!!
dear kevin and idalis, how are you guys and how is north India treating you. I hope you guys are coping with the heat there. You guys were truely great ambassadors of your great nation. So long..... hahaha in gopals words. Rajeev
Hello to all of you and so sorry for the delay in responses and the delay in the new post. We are on a whirlwind tour of Rajasthan and have had little time for internetting. Once we go north we hope to settle a bit more and get caught up with everyone.
Laura and Josue, So glad you liked the gifts. Just something small from India to let you know that we are thinking of you. I heard the performance was amazing and only wish we could have been there in person to support you. We will definitely be there for your MTV awards presentation. Wishing you the best.
Coco, we can bring some hair back for you my brother! I think it would look great on you and could really propel that rock career!
Anna, So great to hear from you! Where have you been traveling lately? Am I to read that you are submitting application for the job of agent?! Do you have time to manage our literary pursuits as well as the punk band? You will be happy to know that we are planning to see the Dalai Lama speak in Dharmsala on March 11th. We will be sure to let you know how it is. We also signed up for an Intro to Buddhism course. Should be very interesting and educational. Wishing you the very best!
Pop-a-long, Vagamom and Jeremom, always great to hear from you guys. Start practicing your singing for our return concert, whenever that may be! Adrian has promised to have long Indian hair for the performance!!! Love you all more than words can say!
Rajeev and Shruti, Now you have to come and visit us in Miami, you have met my whole family already! Thanks again for all your hospitality. We miss you guys a lot and constantly talk about our short time in Wellington. The north has not been all that hot and it actually rained one day in jaisalmer! The north has been a pleasant surprise and not as bad as we had heard...so far!!! Wishing you well!
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