Let it Rain

Here's the kicker. I've planned our trip for monsoon season.

photo by Arindam Thokder

Who knew? I'm a teacher, so I really have no choice in the matter of when we go, but the night we rented City of Joy (okay, maybe not the best choice) for inspiration as I put the finishing touches on my proposal, and watched Patrick Swayze SWIM to save someone washed away in the rains, we started to get a little nervous.


Now, some people have told me it's no big deal, just expect a misting every day. Others have raised their eyebrows and said, "You know you're going during monsoon season, don't you?" I've seen pictures of the Rath Yatra festival we plan to see in Puri and, from what I can tell, the thousands assembled seem pretty dry.

photos by Akshay Mahajan

But I've found old news articles about severe rainfall at the exact times we plan to be in West Bengal that describe a sea of mud and puddles, roads being washed away and trains being put out of service.

photo by Akshay Mahajan

While I know why I am going to India, I'm not so sure of what I will find. What I mean is, I have long wanted to go to India, to someplace as foreign to my daily sensabilities as possible. I suppose many of my travel fantasies are rooted in the idea of change and possibility, and that my desire to hear another people's stories stems not only from the hope of coming to know another place, but from the hope that I will find a few of my own stories to tell. It doesn't hurt that the images I've seen of India have always been filled with color, life and light. I follow the sun the way a houseplant presses its leaves against the window. I suppose one of the reasons I prefer living in New York is that we have plenty of color and life, maybe not so much light, but more than I'm used to where Chris and I are from in Central New York.

So my sunny fantasies are being replaced by my determination to be an intrepid traveler, waterproof and prepared. Chris and I have been scouring outdoor gear sites for the perfect waterproof shoes and bags, quick dry everything, including underwear. We're getting ready, so let it rain.